Latest KFF Health News Stories
Newly Released Records Highlight Valeant’s Operations
The drug maker also has indicated it will release its first-quarter earnings report by June 10, ahead of the June 31 deadline.
CMS’ Chief Data Officer: Deluge Of Data Releases From Agency Not A Fad
ProPublica talks with CMS’s Niall Brennan about the agency’s increased focus on data.
‘A Bill You Can Understand’: HHS Launches Design Competition To Transform Confusing Medical Bills
Medical bills are often filled with jargon and can come from different facilities, making it hard for patients to figure out what they really owe. HHS Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell wants to simplify it for consumers — and she’s asking for the public’s help.
Governors Join Growing Chorus Of Voices Calling For End To Zika Funding Impasse
The National Governors Association wrote a letter to Congress urging it find a compromise on funding to combat the virus and then “act as expeditiously as possible to ensure those funds are available to states, territories and the public at large.” Meanwhile, Puerto Rico’s financial crisis could hamper its fight against Zika, a pregnant Connecticut teen has tested positive for the virus, and a county in Florida gets its first confirmed case.
Surgeons More Likely To Perform Procedure If They Profit From Device Used, Senate Panel Finds
Republicans on the Senate Finance Committee issue findings that surgeons involved in doctor-owned distributorships performed spinal-fusion surgery on nearly twice as many patients. Lawmakers recommend several steps to increase transparency and enforcement actions over the practice.
Former Ky. Governor Urges Successor To Avoid ‘Back Room Deals’ In Medicaid Makeover
In an increasingly acrimonious debate, former Gov. Steve Beshear, a Democrat, presses Gov. Matt Bevin, a Republican, to make clear to the public his plans to change the Medicaid expansion that Beshear implemented. Elsewhere, outlets report on Medicaid expansion news from Kansas and Utah.
Watchdog Report Sharply Criticizes Fed’s Efforts To Recoup Medicare Advantage Overcharges
The Government Accountability Office said that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has spent about $117 million on Medicare Advantage overbilling audits, but so far has recouped just $14 million. Meanwhile, some Democrats are speaking up for the Medicare Part B change in the face of intense criticism. Also, fee-for-service payments are published and health systems offset Medicare losses.
Price Tag On Sanders’ Health Plan More Than $30 Trillion, Study Claims
However, an aide to the candidate says the study, released by the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center and the Urban Institute Health Policy Center, wildly exaggerates the cost and understates the savings from the health plan.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Viewpoints: Positive ‘Prognosis’ For ACA; More On Anti-Smoking Efforts
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
Perspectives On Cost And Quality
Opinion writers around the country offer their thoughts on pressures within the health care marketplace.
Outlets report on health news in Pennsylvania, Indiana, California, Florida, Kansas, Georgia, Washington, Florida and New Mexico.
Tennessee Study Highlights Public Health Benefits Of Treating Hepatitis C In Prison
News outlets also report on developments regarding mental health care in the criminal justice system.
Ohio Plan To Have Medicaid Enrollees Pay A Portion Of Their Premium Draws Criticism
State lawmakers are seeking the change, but it must be approved by federal regulators. Also, a new Government Accountability Office report examines fraud in Medicaid programs across the country.
Kansas Delays Funding Cutoff After Planned Parenthood Files Lawsuit
The state will not end Medicaid funding until May 24, according to an attorney for the reproductive health organization. Meanwhile, the Missouri House approves a “personhood” constitutional amendment while Louisiana’s financial picture impacts the abortion debate.
New NYC Guidelines: Bartenders Shouldn’t Make Health Decisions For Expectant Mothers
Under city Human Rights Commission guidelines, it’s discriminatory to deny pregnant women alcohol if they order it. Also in the news, one woman’s struggle with infertility, pregnant women who get flu shots have healthier babies and the teen birth rate is down in Alaska.
‘Something’s Wrong With Him’: A Family Discovers What It Means To Have A Child With Microcephaly
As federal officials brace for Zika — and, with it, the threat of microcephaly — one family shares its journey to unlock the mysteries of the condition.
Life Expectancy Gap Between Black And White Americans Shrinks To Smallest In History
The gap was seven years in 1990. By 2014, it was down to 3.4 years. In other public health news, The Philadelphia Inquirer reports on hepatitis B trends, and The Associated Press writes about kids being poisoned by e-cigarettes.
Dormant War-On-Drug Era Laws Dusted Off To Go After Opioid Sellers, Providers For Fatal Overdoses
Even as the movement to treat drug addiction as a disease instead of a criminal action gains footing, some states are targeting the bottom of the opioid supply chain and going after those who provide users with the drug that led to their deaths.
Farzad Mostashari: Regulators Too Cautious, Conciliatory — And That’s Bad For Health Care
The former national coordinator for health information technology talks to Politico about his time overseeing the implementation of electronic health records.
