Latest KFF Health News Stories
New Reports On Health Law Examine Access To Coverage And Costs
A Commonwealth report finds that 60 percent of people who got coverage through the health law’s marketplaces or expanded Medicaid could not find insurance before. At the same time, reports from the consulting firm Avalere and from the Urban Institute point out geographic variations in premium costs.
House Panel Advances Bill That Revises Medicare Hospital Payments
The legislation would roll back some of the cost-cutting changes made in payments to hospital outpatient departments. It’s not clear yet whether the bill has enough support to make it through Congress. Also in Medicare news, another committee examines the government’s efforts to eliminate waste and a look at one aspect of the administration’s proposal to change payments for Part B drugs.
Bipartisan Fears Lurk Beneath Surface Of Zika Funding Debate
Politics are adding a layer of complexity to efforts to battle the outbreak. Among other issues, Republicans are worried about the perception of supporting abortion or contraception, while Democrats are concerned about the environmental impact of pesticides. However, public officials say, mosquitoes don’t pay attention to party lines.
House Easily Passes Bill To Protect Americans From Harmful Chemicals
The bill is the first significant update to chemical safety laws since the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act. Both the Senate and President Barack Obama are expected to approve the sweeping regulations.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Viewpoints: Offering Rewards In Superbug Fight; Positive, Negative Takes On The Health Law
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
Outlets report on health news from Florida, Wyoming, Tennessee, California, Illinois, Pennsylvania and Oregon.
Vanderbilt Medical Center Advances Plan Reshaping Access To Care In Tennessee
Also in the news, a government-run hospital in South Dakota could lose federal funding for deficiencies. The hospital is run by the Indian Health Service.
Doctors: Benefits Outweigh Harm Of Patients Having Full Access To Medical Records
The authors of a new study say allowing patients total access to their medical records lets them find errors or request changes to their treatment. In other health IT news, people are turning to telemedicine for their mental health needs, and a robot is eliminating the need for invasive surgery in some cases.
Attorneys General Ask Congress To Allow CDC Gun Deaths Study
Arguing that gun violence is a public health issue, attorneys general from nearly a dozen states urge federal lawmakers to lift a restriction that keeps the health agency from studying gun violence. Meanwhile, news outlets report on death rate disparities for black patients with liver cancer and the search for a better antibiotic.
The Real Price Tag Of An Opioid Overdose
The expense goes far beyond the $20 it costs to buy heroin on the streets. Also in the news, a look at the states that have the heaviest use of alcohol and drugs, Rikers Island’s model opioid treatment program, a proposal to tax opioid pills and how other states are harmed by Missouri’s lack of a drug monitoring program.
2015 Marks Biggest Decline In Smoking In 20 Years
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s report shows that the smoking rate among adults in the U.S. fell to 15 percent, down two percentage points from 2014. In other news, Americans have begun to question the safety of using e-cigarettes, according to a new poll, and the world’s largest insurer is dropping tobacco stocks like a bad habit.
VA Secretary Blasted For Comparing Clinic Wait Times To Disneyland Lines
“When you go to Disneyland, do they measure the number of hours you wait in line?” Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald asked. “What’s important? What’s important is: What’s your satisfaction with the experience?” Critics are calling the comments flippant and saying the secretary “is utterly out of touch.”
The abortion issue is in the public eye as news highlights the virus that causes devastating birth defects, the ongoing Supreme Court cases that could change the landscape of abortion access and candidates’ views on the topic. Meanwhile, activists are closely following the court case of a woman who was sentenced to 20 years in prison after ingesting abortion-inducing drugs.
Federal Judge Halts Law Defunding Ohio Planned Parenthood Clinics
U.S. District Judge Michael Barrett has granted a two-week stay, saying the law was enacted to make it difficult for women to obtain an abortion.
Theranos: A Company That Made A Few Mistakes Or The Enron Of Biotech Startups?
KQED takes a look at the troubled blood-testing startup.
Mich. Legislation Would Require Equal Coverage Of Chemo Treatments
Health plans would be required to cover chemotherapy at the same level whether it is taken orally by patients or given in a physician’s office. Meanwhile, a California survey shows that nearly half of the therapists in that state don’t take insurance because of the red tape.
Management Squabbles, Pending Market Review Could Doom Anthem-Cigna Merger
Culture clashes between the two insurers, as well as an upcoming assessment by antitrust officials, have led some Wall Street analysts to downgrade the likelihood of the proposed $54-billion acquisition going through.
Lawmaker: NFL Strong-Armed NIH Over Study On Link Between Brain Injuries, Football
The National Football League says allegations by Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J., that the league tried to influence the study by removing a prominent Boston researcher who was critical of the NFL are false.
House Bill Would Pillage HHS Medicare Fund To Pay For Battle Against Zika
HHS plans to use the $230 million Nonrecurring Expenses Fund to pay for Medicare payment improvements, but if the House bill passes, that money would go toward fighting the virus. Meanwhile, senators have sent a letter to the U.S. Olympic Committee wanting to know how athletes participating in the games are going to be protected, and World Health Organization Director-General Margaret Chan blasts countries for dropping the ball on mosquito control.
