Latest KFF Health News Stories
‘Paying For Drugs To Go In The Trash’: How Americans Waste $3B On Medications A Year
The U.S. has taken a one-size-fits all approach when it comes to packaging for expensive high-tech drugs, which has led to extraordinary waste, a new study finds.
On Return To Work, Valeant CEO Faces Questions About Business Practices
Just back from a two-month medical leave, Valeant Pharmaceutical’s Michael Pearson sought to reassure Wall Street analysts over the drugmaker’s financial disclosures. In other pharmaceutical news, the FDA approves orphan designation for a BioMarin gene therapy. And Johnson & Johnson and Bayer face charges that the firms mislead medical journals over the safety of Xarelto.
Alaska Judge Rejects Suit Challenging Governor’s Implementation Of Medicaid Expansion
Republican legislators who brought the suit have not yet decided whether to appeal. News outlets also report on lawmakers in Idaho suggesting Medicaid expansion could still be on the agenda and efforts in New Hampshire to find funding for that state’s expansion.
Scope Maker Olympus To Settle Federal Kickback Investigation For $646 Million
The company agreed to the payment to end civil and criminal probes of charges that it bribed doctors and hospitals to buy Olympus endoscopes and devices. A corporate whistleblower may collect $51 million from the settlement.
Trump, Clinton Super Tuesday Victories Solidify Front-Runner Statuses, But Rivals Hold On
Both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump nabbed at least 7 states, with Sen. Bernie Sanders holding on to 4, including his home state of Vermont, and Sens. Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio taking 3 and 1, respectively. The vast majority of voters did not rank health care as the most important issue.
High Court Rules, 6-2, Against Vermont’s Health Data Law
Justice Anthony Kennedy, writing for the court in one of the first cases since Antonin Scalia’s death, says that the law, which requires insurance companies to provide state officials with health care data, could impose a major financial burden on health care providers.
Supreme Court To Hear Oral Arguments In Texas Abortion Case
Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt goes before the high court on Wednesday. It is the first major abortion case the court has heard in almost a decade.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Viewpoints: Obamacare And Risk Adjustment; Iowa’s Medicaid ‘Grudge Match’
A selection of opinions from around the country.
High Court’s Abortion Case: Assault On Access? Attempt To Make Women Safer?
Newspapers around the country provide opinions about the abortion case pending before the Supreme Court and other related issues.
State Highlights: Lawyers Claim Arizona Dragging Feet On Health Care Quality Improvements In Prisons
News outlets report on health issues in Arizona, Massachusetts, Michigan, Illinois, Ohio and Texas.
As Iowa Prepares For Medicaid Shift, A View Of Kansas’ Experience Highlights Obstacles
An Iowa television station reports that advocates in Kansas say a move to managed care for the Medicaid system brought problems in oversight, confusing reimbursement requirements and cuts to care. Also in Medicaid news, a look at the Medicaid and health care issues before the Minnesota legislature and expectations about North Carolina’s plans to revamp Medicaid.
Zika Linked to Guillain-Barre Syndrome In New Study
During an outbreak in French Polynesia, health officials noticed an increase in patients with Guillain-Barre symptoms — which include temporary paralysis. In other Zika news, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention forecasts that 20 percent of Puerto Rico’s residents will be infected with the virus.
Republicans Not Facing Backlash From Anti-Abortion Groups
After North Carolina Rep. Renee Ellmers helped stop an abortion ban from going through, anti-abortion group leaders vowed to remember her betrayal. But they have been mostly silent during her primary. In other news, clinics in Maine are using technology to ease access to abortions, and a new poll finds that 78 percent of Latino women surveyed believe a woman should make her own decision on the procedure.
After Being Wounded In War, Veterans Face Daunting IVF Costs Not Covered By VA
The Defense Department covers the treatment while soliders are on active military status, but the Department of Veterans Affairs does not. In other news, the VA’s Office of Inspector General has released 11 reports outlining problems at hospitals and clinics in Florida.
Wasted Cancer Medicines Cost Medicare, Insurers $3 Billion Each Year: Study
Cancer researchers say that typical drug vials hold too much medication for most patients and that the rest is thrown away. In other pharmaceutical news, The Wall Street Journal reports on how supplements can interfere with prescription drugs while Bloomberg profiles a Gilead executive tackling the high cost of its hepatitis C treatment.
Another SEC Investigation Of Valeant Underway
The pharmaceutical company’s former ties to drug distributor Philidor Rx Services are being probed by the Securities and Exchange Commission. Meanwhile, CEO Mike Pearson returns after a two-month medical leave to an uncertain future for the firm.
Camera Capsules Let Doctors Catch Glimpse Of Hard To Reach Small Intestine
The area is hard to navigate using just a scope. In other health IT news, hospitals are using robots to drop off food, pick up trash and other tasks that help save money.
Digital Health Record Initiative Aims To Unclog Bottleneck, But Doubts Remain
Federal health official announced that technology companies, hospital systems and doctors’ groups have agreed to take steps that will make electronic health records easier to use including improving patient access to their own files, stop blocking health information sharing and put standards for digital communication between systems in place. But some worry the deal allows companies too much wiggle room.
Following S.C. Win, Clinton Pivots To General Election Ahead Of Super Tuesday
The frontrunner for the Democratic nomination has turned her attention to the Republican field, homing in on their plan to end the health law. “They never tell you what they’ll put it in its place because you won’t like it,” Hillary Clinton says.
