Latest KFF Health News Stories
U.S. To Set Up $40M Fund For Victims Of Deadliest Meningitis Outbreak In U.S. History
Investigators traced the outbreak back to a batch of contaminated steroid injections, and later charged 14 people in a 131-count indictment, alleging employees at the center knew they were producing medication in an unsafe and unsanitary way. Compensating the victims has proven difficult, though.
Key GOP Lawmaker Raises Questions About Limited Medicaid Expansion Plan In Tennessee
The Tennessee proposal, advanced by the state House speaker, would first expand coverage to veterans and people who need mental health services, but it’s not yet clear if federal officials would approve the plan. News outlets also report on Medicaid news from Ohio, Pennsylvania and Capitol Hill.
Medicare Proposes Expansion Of Diabetes Prevention Program
The program, which has been tested in eight states, provides beneficiaries with coaching, lifestyle intervention and moderate physical activity. Also, on Capitol Hill, a House subcommittee approves a bill that would continue a program that aids beneficiaries.
Insurance Mega-Mergers Draw Concern From Federal, State Regulators
Ahead of a scheduled meeting today between Aetna and the U.S. Justice Department, sources say the department has “significant concerns” about the insurer’s proposed acquisition of Humana. Meanwhile, in Connecticut, the proposed Anthem-Cigna merger is raising alarm from the state attorney general over its impact on market competition.
CMS Bans Theranos Founder From Lab For 2 Years, Bars Medicare And Medicaid Payments
The blood-testing startup has been facing intense scrutiny during the past eight months over the efficacy of its practices. The decision by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services penalizes the CEO Elizabeth Holmes and also pulls the license for the company’s California lab.
‘We Are At The 11th Hour And 59th Minute’: Dems, Obama Make Final Push For Zika Funding
The president called Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to personally ask for a bipartisan compromise on Zika funding, but the Republican has said he would stick with the current legislation, which was agreed by House and Senate negotiators and has already passed the House. Lawmakers prepare to leave for a seven-week recess on July 15.
Congressional Republicans Battle Health Law Spending On Two Fronts — The Hill And In Court
After an initial court victory, the Republicans are advancing their arguments that the administration spent money to help defray health care costs for low-income residents without proper appropriations from Congress.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Viewpoints: President Obama On Personalized Medicine; Medicare Advantage’s Growing Pains
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
Longer Looks: Police On The Front Line Of Mental Health Crisis; The Daily Work Of A Hospice Nurse
Each week, KHN finds interesting reads from around the Web.
Outlets report on health news from Colorado, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Florida, Connecticut, Ohio, New York and Georgia.
Though Predicting Alzheimer’s Remains A Daunting Task, Researchers Take Another Small Step
Scientists have developed a genetic test that can help identify people who are at unusually high risk of developing symptoms of dementia as they age. The test only underlies how complex truly predicting someone’s risk for Alzheimer’s is, but it’s “an important first attempt,” experts say. In other news, biotech executives are bringing back the practice of self-experimentation, researchers find that adults cannot regrow cartilage and patients are taking calculated risks with medical marijuana.
When It Comes To Sunscreen, Don’t Just Buy Based On Other Shoppers’ Reviews
Scientists researched the top-rated sunblocks on Amazon.com and found that 40 percent of them came up short in terms of doctor-recommended standards. Often the reviews focused on superficial qualities such as texture or smell instead of whether it was actually effective.
Men With Advanced Prostate Cancer Should Be Tested For Genetic Mutations, Study Finds
The recommendation is a major shift from previous thinking in which only men with a family history of prostate cancer were urged to consider testing. Currently insurers are unlikely to cover it in any other case. Meanwhile, a new test could help those men with advanced prostate cancer decide what treatment is best for them, and a high-priced drug for the disease is at the center of a takeover battle.
VA Adjusts Veteran Suicide Estimate To 20 Per Day Using More Precise Data
But even with the slight decrease from 22 per day, officials say the number is still far too high. “Twenty a day is not that different from 22,” says Dr. David Shulkin, the undersecretary for health at the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Texas Anti-Abortion Activists Draw Up New Blueprints After Supreme Court Decision
Two major anti-abortion groups in Texas are taking different paths after the Supreme Court overturned the state’s law regulating abortion. Meanwhile, officials in the Lone Star state have proposed new rules on fetal remains.
Alabama Trims Medicaid Payments To Doctors Because Of Budget Shortfall
Alabama had left a short-term health law program in effect that bumped up Medicaid’s payments to doctors so that they matched Medicare’s payments. But state officials said the new cuts were necessary because of an $85 million budget gap. Meanwhile, the third hearing on proposed revisions to Kentucky’s Medicaid expansion draws protests, and Texas is denying children with autism Medicaid coverage for expensive behavioral therapy.
Medicare Proposes Changes In Pain Questions, Cuts In Payments To Hospitals’ Off-Site Facilities
The changes are part of the proposed hospital payment rule, which was released Wednesday. Also in Medicare news, a House committee is calling for funding for a consumer assistance program that a Senate committee rejected, Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, questions plans for possible changes in cancer drug payments and some Medigap rates are rising in Michigan.
Expensive Specialty Drugs Are Driving Increased Spending By Insurers, Study Finds
Researchers see the trend as a foreshadow of what’s to come as more and more high-priced treatments are released onto the market.
White House Announces New Precision Medicine Measures
The Precision Medicine Initiative’s goal is to modernize and accelerate biomedical discoveries, bringing new treatments to patients faster. Some of the new steps include plans to speed the development of tests used to identify genetic mutations and the development of tools to make data collection easier for researchers.
