Latest KFF Health News Stories
Deal With Anthem May Close In 2017, Cigna Says
Initially, Cigna’s acquisition by Anthem was expected to close in 2016 but it may take longer due to regulatory intricacies.
Arizona Reverses Course, Reinstates Health Insurance Program For Low-Income Kids
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.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Viewpoints: What The Presidential Election Could Mean For Obamacare Subsidies And Medicare
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
Perspectives On The FDA’s E-Cigarette Rule
Opinion writers comment on the Food and Drug Administration’s new e-cigarette regulations.
Research Roundup: Graduate Medical Ed; Health Care For Moms; Premium Hikes
Each week, KHN compiles a selection of recently released health policy studies and briefs.
Outlets report on health news in California, Florida, Georgia, New Hampshire and New York.
Telehealth Could Help Indian Tribal Members Living In Remote Locations
The Indian Health Service will consider proposals from telehealth vendors to provide some health services for communities without clinics. Meanwhile, news outlets report on other regional hospital news from Florida, New Hampshire and Oregon.
Ala. Governor Says He May Consider Special Session That Would Take Up Medicaid Funding
But Gov. Robert Bentley says lawmakers need a “rest” before he makes that decision. Outlets also report on Medicaid developments in California, New Jersey and Utah.
There are a lot of questions that remain as physicians and pharmacists in California scramble to get ready for terminal patient requests for prescription drugs to end their lives. The Sacramento Bee offers an in-depth look at the issue.
A new report finds that one out of every six hospital beds is run by a Catholic institution and that in 46 regions of the U.S. it is the sole community hospital. The American Civil Liberties Union and MergerWatch are concerned that growth is affecting women’s care, citing doctors who said women became gravely ill at those facilities or were denied tubal ligation because of religious regulations.
N.H. Senate Votes Against Legalizing Needle Exchange
Other New England states have needle exchanges, but New Hampshire lawmakers decided instead to create a commission to study the option. Media outlets in Florida and Missouri offer coverage of the opioid crisis, as well.
Prince’s Death Spotlights Demographic Particularly Vulnerable To Opioid Epidemic
More than 40 percent of the fatal opioid drug overdoses are of people between the ages of 45 to 64. Meanwhile, questions are starting to crop up around the actions of the addiction specialist who was called to help the celebrity the day before his death.
Don’t Look To Biosimilar Knock-Offs For Lower Drug Prices
Companies have been marking up the prices of their brand-name drugs before patents expire to eke out the most money they can. But this isn’t just affecting those drugs: it is dragging the entire marketplace toward higher costs, because knock-offs set their value just below their brand-name counterparts.
2,000 Doctors Join Bernie Sanders’ Call For Single-Payer Health System
In a medical journal, the physicians say that even after the federal health law, there are “persistent shortcomings of the current health care system.”
FDA Brings E-Cigarettes Under Federal Authority With Sweeping New Rules
The regulations ban the sale of e-cigarettes to anyone under the age of 18 and require manufacturers to submit their products for approval from the agency. Critics say many of the shops can’t afford that process, and others worry that the new rules will push consumers back toward traditional cigarettes.
On The Zika Front Lines: Genetically Modified Mosquitoes To Be Unleashed In Caymans
Oxitec, the company that has developed the solution, will release thousands of modified male mosquitoes a week to mate with females. This will produce offspring that don’t survive until adulthood. “It’s not unreasonable to think we might achieve elimination,” says Glen Slade, the company’s head of business development.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
FDA Brings E-Cigarettes Under Federal Authority With Sweeping New Rules
Among other regulations, manufacturers will now have to submit their products for approval by the agency, a process many of the smaller shops can’t afford.
Viewpoints: Shifting Health Care Costs; What About New Payment Systems?
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
