Latest KFF Health News Stories
First Edition: December 18, 2015
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Longer Looks: Missing Study Results; Antipsychotics For Kids; Giving Care In Nepal
Each week, KHN’s Shefali Luthra finds interesting reads from around the Web.
Buyer Agrees To Calif. A.G.’s Conditions Regarding Sale Of Daughters Of Charity Hospitals
Meanwhile, in Massachusetts, the state health policy commissioner is reviewing the growth plans of the largest hospital network affiliated with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center; and, in Indiana, construction will begin early next year on the state’s flagship mental health facility.
Teaching Kids ‘Soft Skills’ To Strengthen Emotional Intelligence Can Have Long-Lasting Benefits
In mental health news, health professionals warn that holiday blues and, more seriously, Seasonal Affective Disorder, are common this time of year. And a new study links early childhood depression to physical changes in the brain.
Medicare To Work With For-Profit Company Seeking To Help Consumers Make Health Choices
The firm, called Amino, will get a “qualified entity” status, which gives it access to the full range of Medicare data for physicians and other health care providers, according to U.S. News & World Report. Other news accounts examine cancer drug costs for Medicare beneficiaries and the expected health problems of aging baby boomers.
Analysis: Consumers To See Increases In Health Law Plan Premiums, Deductibles
News outlets also report on Affordable Care Act marketplace developments in Florida and Texas. And, uninsured Latinos in Philadelphia are urged to sign up for health coverage on the exchanges.
Arkansas Task Force Endorses Governor’s Medicaid Expansion Restrictions
The panel voted to support Gov. Asa Hutchinson’s efforts to negotiate changes to the “private option,” which uses federal funds to purchase private insurance for low-income residents.
Congress Extends Health Aid to Puerto Rico, No Debt Assistance
The spending bill would increase payments to hospitals on the island and provide bonus Medicare payments to doctors and medical facilities that adopt electronic health record-keeping, but it didn’t include a provision to grant Puerto Rico agencies access to Chapter 9 bankruptcy.
Republicans Spearhead $2B Bump For NIH Funding In Spending Bill
A letter to GOP leadership, signed by more than 100 Republicans in the House of Representatives last month, advocated for an even higher increase of $3 billion. And public health groups celebrate the boost in funding to medical research programs and agencies.
Medical Device Tax Suspended For Two Years In Omnibus
The government began collecting the 2.3 percent tax on sales of such devices, like pacemakers and ventilators, in January 2013 to help pay for the health law. But a new tax deal announced Wednesday would suspend those collections until Dec. 31, 2017.
‘Cadillac Tax’ Supporters Worry Delay Is Acutally Death Knell
Although the lost revenue from the two-year postponement isn’t enough to have a lasting impact on the health law, opponents and advocates alike see it as a step toward axing the tax. Meanwhile, experts say it won’t do much to relieve workplace coverage costs.
What Made It Into Congress’ Sweeping Spending Plan
The House is set to push through the tax bill on Thursday, setting the stage for a Friday vote on the companion bill providing $1.1 trillion to finance the government through most of 2016.
News outlets report on health care developments in Iowa, Virginia, Massachusetts, Maine, Minnesota, Florida, New Hampshire and Missouri.
Drug Co. CEO Martin Shkreli Arrested On Securities Fraud Charges
Shkreli, who recently has faced criticism for hiking prices for life-saving medicines made by his company, faces allegations that he illegally took stock from a biotechnology firm he started in order to pay off unrelated debts. News stories also cover developments related to big pharma’s efforts to obtain customers’ medical data in exchange for drug discounts, and studies related to savings that could result from Medicaid drug rebates as well as funding for clinical trials.
Viewpoints: GOP’s ‘Silence’ On Gun Control; Budget Accord’s Effect On Health Law
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
Arkansas Panel Set To Finalize Recommendations Regarding Medicaid Expansion Plan
In a Tuesday meeting, the Health Reform Legislative Task Force did not focus on the private option — the state’s Medicaid expansion approach that’s gained federal approval — but on cost savings approaches for the program. The group’s proposal calls for expanding and enhancing the patient-centered medical home model — in which a patient’s treatment is coordinated by a primary care physician — for the traditional Medicaid population.
Enrollment Deadline Pushed Back Due To ‘Unprecedented’ Demand
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said nearly 1 million people were asked to leave their contact information to hold their spot in line, as the agency tried to handle the wave of last-minute enrollees.
Congress Reaches Year-End Spending, Tax Deals
The $1.15 trillion spending agreement, which includes a two-year delay for the “Cadillac tax,” averts a shutdown and would fund the government deep into 2016.
9/11 Health Bill Included In Spending Deal
The legislation also includes a $2 billion bump to the National Institutes of Health’s funding, its largest increase in more than 12 years. The bill gives $200 million to the Obama administration’s Precision Medicine Initiative and a $350 million increase for research on Alzheimer’s disease.
In Price-Gouging Investigation, Oversight Committee Calls For Generic-Drug Information From FDA
And Rep. Elijah Cummings, the ranking Democrat on the committee, is keeping the pressure on Valeant Pharmaceuticals. The Maryland lawmaker is asking for witnesses and documents from the CEO by Jan. 8.
