Latest KFF Health News Stories
First Edition: February 29, 2016
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Viewpoints: Obamacare’s Vulnerability To Fraud; GOP Health Plans On Campaign Trail And In Congress
A selection of opinions from around the country.
Research Roundup: Cutting Hospital Readmissions; Using Texts To Fight Smoking
Here is a selection of news coverage of recent health research.
News outlets report on health issues in Colorado, New York, Ohio, Illinois, Maryland, Missouri, Vermont, Connecticut, Washington, Minnesota and Puerto Rico.
Hackers Say Baltimore-Area Hospitals Riddled With Cybersecurity Flaws
The hackers’ conclusions resulted from a two-year investigation by Independent Security Evaluators. Another report examines how the current culture of health care mergers is driving up costs. News outlets also report on other hospital-related news in Connecticut, Iowa, Colorado and Maryland.
N.C. Lawmakers Investigate Insurers’ Cost-Controlling ‘Fail First’ Method
More and more companies are employing step therapy, often called “fail first,” in which the patients must try cheaper drugs before they can get the expensive ones they need. Doctors are frustrated that some of their patients are having to try drugs they know won’t work just to jump through hoops for the insurers. In other state legislature news, Iowa lawmakers meet with psychiatrists and psychologists about a change to prescription laws, and the Georgia House passes a bill allowing tax credits for donating money to rural health care.
Alabama Senate Passes Budget That Provides No New Funding For Medicaid Reform
The governor had requested an increase of about $100 million for the program, part of which would go to setting up his new regional care organizations. Lawmakers said the state didn’t have that money and they didn’t want to increase taxes.
HIV Disparity: Infection Rates Still On The Rise For Black And Latino Gay Men
While HIV rates have plunged for many groups, current rates indicate that half of black and one quarter of Latino gay or bisexual men could contract the virus HIV in their lifetimes. Meanwhile, NPR and KHN report on other public health developments related to the opioid treatment methods, Zika testing and nursing home readmissions.
VA Inspector General Failed To Properly Investigate Whistleblower Claims, Special Counsel Says
U.S. Special Counsel Carolyn Lerner wrote in a letter to the White House and Congress that the Department of Veterans Affairs limited the scope of its probe and did not address the basic concerns of a social worker at a suburban Chicago VA hospital who initially spoke out. In other VA hospital news, the agency disciplines two officials at a Cincinnati medical center, and hospitals across the country will hold a “stand down” to show commitment toward improving wait times and veterans’ care.
Federal Appeals Court Upholds La. Law Requiring Abortion Doctors To Have Admitting Privileges
Supporters of the law say that it is in place to protect women’s health, while opponents contend that it makes getting an abortion in the state nearly impossible and may leave the state with one abortion clinic. The Washington Post’s Wonkblog looks at the larger trend of abortion clinics closing around the country, and Modern Healthcare examines the Texas abortion case that comes before the Supreme Court next week.
Women Suffering From Postpartum Depression May Face High Rates From Insurers
Recent guidance suggests all pregnant women and new mothers should be screened for depression, but what wasn’t addressed is that life and disability insurers penalize women with these mental conditions, often lumping them in with people who have been diagnosed with general depression.
Pharma Industry Anxiously Waits For Shoe To Drop Over Drug Prices
As high costs draw attention from lawmakers, 2016 candidates and the public, drug companies are anxious about regulations the administration may be brewing up. In other pharmaceutical news, McKesson acquires two cancer-focused firms, and the newly confirmed head of the Food and Drug Administration talks to The Washington Post about the battle over his ties to the industry.
Tax Group: Pfizer Would Avoid $35B In Taxes Through Merger
The Americans for Tax Fairness slammed the drugmaker in a new report that says Pfizer structured its deal with Ireland-based Allergan so that it could move its address out of the country, thus avoiding $35 billion in taxes.
GOP Lawmakers Press CMS On Future Of Eight Co-Ops
At a contentious House committee hearing, Republicans question the viability of the health cooperatives. Also in health care news are a study on efforts to prevent hospital readmissions, a new rule on health care providers with troubled histories, an insurer’s restrictions on brokers’ payments and enrollment gains.
Obama: Precision Medicine Initiative Laying Groundwork For Future Breakthroughs
The president, while speaking Thursday at his precision medicine summit, also delved into the tricky question of who owns a patient’s genetic data.
Rubio Takes Swing At Trump Over Health Care: ‘You Don’t Have A Plan’
In the 10th Republican debate — one of the most contentious as the candidates eye Super Tuesday — Marco Rubio called out the lack of details in Donald Trump’s health proposals, while the frontrunner again defended some of Planned Parenthood’s work.
First Edition: February 26, 2016
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Viewpoints: Reducing Special Enrollments; The Health Law’s Efforts To Cut Readmissions
A selection of opinions from around the country.
Longer Looks: Contagious Cancer; Talking About Death; Brain Hacking
Each week, KHN’s Shefali Luthra finds interesting reads from around the Web.
News outlets report on health issues in California, Maryland, Indiana, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Massachusetts and Missouri.
