Latest KFF Health News Stories
With New Cancer Database, Biden Wants To Destroy Researcher ‘Cult Of The Individual’
Genomic Data Commons has launched with clinical data for 12,000 patients, with more to come. The project aims to bolster team science in a field that Vice President Joe Biden says tends toward researchers siloing themselves. In other news, a study finds that cancer patients are still being treated aggressively at the end of their lives.
Dashing Its Hopes To Return To Normalcy, Bedeviled Valeant Posts First-Quarter Loss
The pharmaceutical company, which has been dogged by government investigations into its business and accounting practices, saw its shares fall 14 percent before opening bell.
Medicare Sets New Rules For Evaluating ACO Cost Savings
The change will set cost benchmarks for accountable care organizations at regional levels, rather than using national data, Modern Healthcare reports.
Consumer Groups Seek Transparency In Missouri Review Of Aetna-Humana Merger
In other marketplace news, filings indicate that some of Connecticut’s major insurers will seek premium rate hikes above medical inflation, while in Ohio, a new insurance product could reduce premium costs by 15 percent.
John Oliver Forgives $15M In Medical Debt
The “Last Week Tonight” host’s latest stunt-with-a-message — to buy nearly $15 million in medical debt for just $60,000 — highlights the struggle many cope with after getting sick and amassing huge bills. And although the Affordable Care Act means more people have insurance to help pay for those sky-high costs, people are still leaving the hospital with crippling debt.
Senate’s Health Spending Bill Reportedly Will Bump Up NIH Funding By $2 Billion
A senate subcommittee is expected to get a markup bill today that will include the new NIH funding, as well as increases in spending on initiatives for Alzheimer’s disease, opioid abuse, precision medicine and antibiotic resistance. In other Capitol Hill news, the House is getting ready to act on a hospital bill and Speaker Paul Ryan is slated this week to release his action plan, which will include health measures.
Doing Too Much, Too Fast: The Lessons Clinton Learned From Hillarycare’s Failure
In 1993, Hillary Clinton pushed a grand sweeping plan to ensure all Americans had health insurance. She took her ideas to Capitol Hill, and what happened next was instrumental in shaping the presidential candidate’s approach to governing and politics.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Viewpoints: The Urgency In Developing New Antibiotics; Louisiana And Its Medicaid Expansion
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
Outlets report on health news from Minnesota, Florida, California, Tennessee, Colorado, Pennsylvania and North Carolina.
Outpatient Centers Claim Share Of Joint Replacement Procedures From Hospitals
In other news, plans for the development of a regional hospital in the Washington, D.C., suburbs face challenges and two new hospitals are approved by Florida regulators.
Texas Medicaid Officials Again Propose Pay Cuts For Disabled Children’s Therapists
The move comes after therapists lost an effort in court to stop the reimbursement cuts. In other news, advocates for Medicaid are questioning the move to private managed care plans in Iowa.
Muhammad Ali And Parkinson’s: ‘He Can Speak To People With His Heart’
Muhammad Ali, who died on Friday, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 1984, a disease that eventually took away his motor skills and his ability to speak clearly. The boxer has been instrumental in raising awareness of the condition.
Mentally Ill Have Disproportionately High Number Of Fatal Encounters With Police
People with severe untreated mental illness are 16 times more likely to be killed in a police encounter.
Deployment Of Crispr Gene Editing May Unlock Vast Potential To Target Viruses
Many viruses don’t contain DNA. Instead, their genetic information is encoded in RNA, which they use to hijack the genes of their hosts. If scientists can use gene editing to target that RNA instead, they could make advances in such areas as HIV and poliovirus. In other news, families that have a child with a rare genetic condition often struggle with isolation when coping with the diagnosis.
A Hot New Trend In Oncology: Blood Tests Over Invasive Biopsies
Researchers report that these “liquid tests” — which are less painful and risky — have proven to have results that agree with a tumor biopsy. In other news, a study shows that women who take an estrogen-suppressing drug for double the time lower their risk of their cancer returning; scientists say immunotherapy is untested in patients with autoimmune diseases; and a Minnesota cancer research center celebrates its expansion.
Less Than 1 Percent Of Blood Test Results Voided Or Corrected, Theranos Says
The company’s announcement, however, has left even more confusion in its wake.
Cancer Researchers Weigh Benefit Of Three-Drug Combinations With Resulting Higher Costs
Combination regimens hold promise for patients but could heighten tensions over the escalating expense of cancer drugs. Meanwhile, Marketplace reports on a company that is cutting deals with pharmaceutical companies to try to rein those costs.
After Turmoil, Valeant Is Under Pressure To Show Return To Normalcy With Earnings
The drugmaker will report first quarter earnings Tuesday, and analysts will be looking to see how the company plans to resume generating profit and growth without the controversial moves it used to increase prices in the past. Other drug company news comes from Pfizer’s chief executive and Martin Shkreli, the former head of Retrophin and Turing, who faces an additional charge.
Switch To Electronic Health Records Not Yielding Financial Benefits For Some Providers
Economists are divided on how the rise in technology will impact industries like health care. Meanwhile, Mazor Robotics and Medtronic strike a deal for the development of robotic-based spine systems.
