Morning Breakouts

Latest KFF Health News Stories

Kansas Delays Funding Cutoff After Planned Parenthood Files Lawsuit

Morning Briefing

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

Morning Briefing

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.

Life Expectancy Gap Between Black And White Americans Shrinks To Smallest In History

Morning Briefing

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

Morning Briefing

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.

Gilead Eyes Cancer Therapy Acquisition Targets

Morning Briefing

In other pharmaceutical news, NPR reports on professional test subjects: “We are selling our bodies, most definitely,” one says. Meanwhile, a cancer medicine improves vision for some with wet age-related macular degeneration and House Democrats back the Obama administration Medicare Part B drug plan.

Federal Officials To Change Health Law’s Rules For Special Sign-Ups

Morning Briefing

The changes are an effort to stop some people from trying to game the system by signing up for insurance only when they need coverage, a practice that can be very costly for insurers. Officials also announced some options to help the health law’s insurance co-ops.

Alaska House To Press Ahead With Suit Challenging Governor’s Expansion Of Medicaid

Morning Briefing

A state judge dismissed the suit earlier this year, but Republican leaders in the House say they are going to appeal. News outlets also report on Medicaid expansion developments in Utah, Wyoming and Louisiana.

Experts See Group Doctor Visits As Antidote To The Increasingly Typical Rushed Appointment

Morning Briefing

With group visits, which studies show are particularly effective at keeping chronic illnesses in check, patients find they are paradoxically getting more medical attention from their doctors. Meanwhile, Kaiser Health News looks at how expectant mothers are embracing the new trend.

Arizona Reverses Course, Reinstates Health Insurance Program For Low-Income Kids

Morning Briefing

It was the only state in the country not participating in the federal Children’s Health Insurance Program. The program, called KidsCare in Arizona, was attached to a separate bill after it had been left out of the budget approved last week.