Latest KFF Health News Stories
Novartis Exec To Depart As Pharmaceutical Company Undergoes Restructuring
In other news, a new asthma drug by AstraZeneca shows positive results in late-stage studies and federal regulators are eyeing the Humira regimen.
Demand For Transparency Rises As Nonprofit Hospitals Start To Resemble Big Business
Investors want more disclosure of nonprofit hospitals’ increasing reliance on loans from private banks, the terms of which aren’t public but could trigger defaults for municipal bonds.
Republican Congressman Begins To Lay Plans For Medicaid Overhaul
Rep. Brett Guthrie, R-Ky., who chairs the Energy and Commerce Committee’s task force on Medicaid, says the current system needs to be fixed and he is looking for ideas that can draw Democratic support. Also, news outlets report that Kansas officials are considering a cut in Medicaid reimbursement rates and Wisconsin falls to the bottom of the pack on nursing home payments.
Both Parties On The Hill Raise Concerns About Medicare’s Plans To Revamp Drug Payments
Republicans have called for the administration to scrap the plan to change how doctors are paid for drugs administered in their offices, while Democrats are split on the proposal. Also, a look at another Medicare initiative that ran into congressional opposition: a plan to assign star rankings to hospitals.
U.S. Uninsured Rate Drops To Record Low
The health law’s health insurance coverage expansions are in large part credited with driving this change.
Senate Passes $1.1B In Zika Funding With Push From Southern Republicans
Meanwhile, the House, ignoring veto threats and pleas from Democrats, has put forth legislation that would provide only $622 million in resources to fight the outbreak, about one-third of what President Barack Obama requested.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
Perspectives On The High Court’s Latest Turn On The Health Law’s Contraception Mandate
Opinion and editorial writers examine the Supreme Court’s decision to send this major legal question back to a lower court.
Outlets report on health news in Georgia, Tennessee, Massachusetts, Virginia, Florida, Kansas, Missouri, California and New Hampshire.
Calif. Health Coalition Reaches Into Deep Pockets To Battle Powerful Tobacco Industry
Billionaire Tom Steyer has donated $1 million so far toward the fight for a $2-per-pack tax on cigarettes. The coalition said Monday it has received enough signatures to get on the Nov. 8 ballot.
New Online Menu Of Doctors Aims To Remove ‘Blind Date’ Facet Of Telemedicine
American Well, which offers telehealth to more than 100 million people, is unveiling a marketplace where customers will be able to choose which doctor they see. In other health IT news, nurses and doctors at a Massachusetts hospital are finding new software to be tedious and disruptive.
Report Encourages Doctors To Overcome Reluctance About Gun Safety Questions
A paper published in Annals of Internal Medicine makes the argument that gun safety is relevant to patients’ health, and, if warranted, suggests doctors actively talk about it with them. A number of states have or are considering statutes regulating the topic.
Cheaper, Smaller Proton-Beam Cancer Centers Spurring New Demand
For decades, the technology was slow to take off partially because of a lack of evidence that its results justified the expensive price tag. But manufacturers have gotten beyond some of those doubts as they retooled the technology. The number of centers has doubled in the past five years. In other news, research shows that gender can play a part in how cancer develops.
Data On Death Patterns In Each State Allow Officials To Dig Down To Underlying Causes
Some states are hit harder than others when it comes to distinctive causes of death. By studying these trends, lawmakers and public health leaders are trying to focus preventive outreach on reducing the specific health problems plaguing their states.
Doctors Cautiously Optimistic About Nation’s First Penis Transplant
The operation was part of a research program with the ultimate goal of helping combat veterans with severe pelvic injuries, as well as cancer patients and accident victims.
Pfizer To Acquire Anacor Pharmaceuticals; Valeant To Offer Hospital Discounts For Two Heart Drugs
Meanwhile, The New York Times reports on a new drug, rapamycin, which is currently being tested in dogs. It improved heart health and appeared to delay the onset of some diseases in older mice.
Senate Set To Move On $1.1B For Zika Funding; House Introduces $622M Bill
Senators are expected to move today on a bipartisan plan to allocate $1.1 billion for the federal government’s response to the Zika virus outbreak, down from the $1.9 billion requested by the Obama administration. A measure unveiled this week by House Republicans cuts the funding further to $622 million.
New Polling Finds Americans Favor Single-Payer Health System
The idea of federally funded health care, recently popularized by Sen. Bernie Sanders’ call for “Medicare for All,” is supported by a majority of Americans, including a large percentage of Republicans, a new Gallup poll finds. Meanwhile, Republican leaders see the federal health law as a key to their strategy for the fall campaign.
Small Number Of ‘Young Invincibles’ Hurts Pricing For Health Insurance Pools
Despite recruitment efforts, people in the coveted 18 to 34 age range make up about 28 percent of the marketplace members. Insurers hoped for 40 percent to help create a market that was more stable. Also, two articles look at what’s happening when some big names leave the health law marketplaces.
