Latest KFF Health News Stories
First Edition: January 28, 2016
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
News outlets report on health care developments in Montana, Minnesota, Maryland, Kansas, Ohio, Louisiana, Florida, Georgia, California, South Carolina, Washington and Wisconsin.
Publicly Funded Health Coverage For Flint Kids Sought By Michigan Governor
Gov. Rick Snyder will petition the Obama administration to allow Medicaid and other health services to be expanded to the children in Flint, Mich., exposed to lead and other pollutants by tainted water. And the NAACP and Flint residents draw up a 15-point plan to help address the public health emergency.
Heated Dispute Over Efforts To Privatize Iowa Medicaid Touches Presidential Campaign
The governor’s plan to turn Medicaid services over to private insurers is raising concerns in the state, and Hillary Clinton is drawn into the debate. Meanwhile, state Medicaid programs are in the news in Kansas, Kentucky and North Carolina.
Big Pharma Sees Opportunity In Internet Options, But Privacy Concerns Loom
New medical technology will allow companies to develop products that help patients keep track of their dosages and let doctors access that information instantly, but security experts warn that medical information is worth more than credit cards on the black market. In other pharmaceutical news, “biosimilars” get a boost across the pond.
Coalition Explores Options To Measure Workers’ Health For Financial Reporting
A working group of employers, including IBM, PepsiCo and Johnson & Johnson, has been weighing options on how best to collect, interpret and report data about their employees’ health in annual reports and other financial statements.
Fidelity To Introduce Health Shopping Website For Employer-Based Insurance, Other Benefits
The Fidelity Health Marketplace, a site also known as a private health exchange, will be targeted at businesses with as many as 2,500 workers. Also in the news, the Department of Health and Human Services is slated to begin audits this year of about 350 health care providers to examine their compliance with patient privacy regulations.
Obama Calls For Accelerated Research Efforts On Zika
However, doctors warn finding a vaccine for the virus that is linked to birth defects won’t happen overnight. Other health experts are optimistic on the U.S.’s ability to contain the virus when it does come to the states, saying an outbreak is unlikely.
CMS Guidance On Hospital Readmissions Urges Improved Care For Vulnerable Patients
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is urging hospitals to team up with social workers and non-medical personnel in an effort to cut back on readmission rates for many minority and low-income patients.
Sanders Becomes Third Senator To Block Obama’s FDA Nominee
“Dr. [Robert] Califf’s extensive ties to the pharmaceutical industry give me no reason to believe that he would make the FDA work for ordinary Americans, rather than just the CEOs of pharmaceutical companies,” Democratic presidential primary candidate Bernie Sanders says.
Analysts: Trump’s Medicare Drug Pricing Proposal Plagued With Pitfalls
In a move that stunned Republican health care experts, Donald Trump called for Medicare to negotiate drug prices, an idea championed by Democrats. But he faces the same limits as they do with the proposal: Without leverage to say “no” to certain drugs because of the cost, the negotiation proposals that are left don’t net big savings for Medicare.
‘Trump Cannot Be Trusted,’ Anti-Abortion Groups Say
On Tuesday, a group of 10 anti-abortion leaders wrote an open letter to Iowa voters imploring them to vote for “anyone but Donald Trump,” saying they worry about his commitment to the cause.
N.H. Republicans Seek Work Requirements, Funding Changes For Medicaid Expansion
The state has expanded its Medicaid program, but that will end next year without a legislative extension. A similar plan has been introduced in Kansas. Outlets also look at Medicaid expansion efforts in North Carolina, Louisiana and Tennessee.
Premiums And Costs Could Rise If Republicans Win Obamacare Lawsuit, Study Finds
In House v. Burwell, Republican lawmakers are challenging the health law’s “cost sharing reduction” payments to insurers to help reimburse the coverage of lower-income enrollees. Meanwhile, as the enrollment period draws to a close, news outlets report on potential fines for millennials who remain uninsured and the cost savings potential of switching plans.
Anti-Abortion Filmmakers’ Sting Becomes First Amendment Legal Fracas
In Texas, authorities filed criminal charges against two filmmakers who took undercover videos targeting Planned Parenthood. The indictment is viewed as the latest sign that the GOP campaign against the group over the film has run into trouble.
Doctors Should Screen All Adults For Depression, Task Force Urges
The new guidance calls for specific attention to pregnant women and new mothers.
First Edition: January 27, 2016
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Viewpoints: Hospitals And Preventable Harm; How Medicaid Expansion Is Playing In Iowa, New Hampshire
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
State Highlights: Western Colo. Health Premiums Rise 26%; Fla. HIV Cases Swell
News outlets report on health care developments in Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Washington, Kansas, New York, Hawaii, Arizona, Maryland and Minnesota.
