Latest KFF Health News Stories
Longer Looks: Zika Virus, Privatized Medicaid, When Home Birth Goes Wrong
Each week, KHN’s Shefali Luthra finds interesting reads from around the Web.
State Highlights: New Hurdle For Idaho Medicaid Proposal; Mass. Panel Weighs Price Issues
News outlets report on health care developments in Idaho, Ohio, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Florida, California, Washington, Montana and Alabama.
Massachusetts, Feds Launch Task Force To Address Opioid Crisis
The announcement came after the state’s health department released overdose numbers, which showed a 65 percent increase in deaths from 2012 to 2014. Meanwhile, in Tennessee, physicians paint a dire picture of prescription drug abuse to legislators who are concerned about “over-correction.”
Ahead Of ‘March For Life,’ Disputes Call Attention To Racial Demographics Of Abortion
In a series of recent incidents, lawmakers in both the national and state legislatures are clashing with activists over race and abortion. Elsewhere, the Wisconsin Senate cuts Planned Parenthood funding, some abortion clinics in Florida say they would have to close under a bill moving through the legislature, and a new measure in the Iowa Senate aims to improve access to contraception.
Questions Snag Muscular Dystrophy Drug’s FDA Progress
In addition, the Food and Drug Administration has delayed a decision about whether to add folic acid to corn masa.
Drug Makers Spotlight ‘Superbug’ Threat In Call For Government To Act
More than 80 companies will release a declaration at the World Economic Forum on Thursday calling for new economic models and help from countries’ governments to cut down on the unnecessary antibiotic use and encourage the development of new medicines.
Minnesota, Ohio Make Last-Minute Enrollment Pushes
In Minnesota, MNSure will offer special weekend hours for in-person enrollment assistance and federal officials visited Ohio to urge state residents to sign up for Obamacare before Jan. 31. Also, Mississippi officials provide an enrollment tally with 11 days left in the open enrollment period.
Wyo. Legislative Panel Rebuffs Governor’s Plan To Expand Medicaid
The Joint Appropriations Committee opted not to include funding for the Medicaid expansion in its recommendations to the legislature. However, lawmakers could still bring the issue up during the session. Meanwhile, Louisiana’s Department of Health and Hospitals adjusts its Medicaid enrollment projections.
Shkreli Subpoenaed For Congressional Price-Gouging Hearing
A House committee has called former Turing Pharmaceuticals CEO Martin Shkreli and Valeant’s interim CEO, Howard Schiller, to testify over sharp increases in drug costs at a hearing on Tuesday. And Treasury Secretary Jack Lew received a subpoena from Rep. Kevin Brady, R-Texas, and Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich., over documents involving payments to insurance companies.
Sanders’ Plan: Medicare On Steroids
The benefits included in Sen. Bernie Sanders’ health care plan are actually considerably more generous than what is offered through Medicare. Meanwhile, Bill Clinton is in New Hampshire calling the proposal a liberal fairy tale that would lead to “gridlock.”
First Edition: January 21, 2016
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Viewpoints: Costs Of Medicaid Expansion; Debating Life And Death Issues
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
Views From The Campaign Trail: Analyzing The Innerworkings Of Sanders’ ‘Medicare-For-All’ Plan
Health policy opinions and editorials focus on Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Bernie Sanders’ single-payer health proposal.
News outlets report on health care developments in California, Pennsylvania, Florida, Nebraska, Arizona, Alabama, Minnesota, Kansas and Illinois.
Advocates For Medicaid Expansion In Nebraska Offer Financing Plan
The supporters say the plan would help keep costs from affecting the state’s general fund.
States Navigate Ethical, Legal Minefield To Create ‘Crisis Standards Of Care’
Health departments across the country are developing guidelines for medical care during a public health crisis. In other news, patients are receiving CT scans even when their injuries do not warrant them, fewer than 1 in 4 high school students are getting tested for HIV despite CDC recommendations and a violence prevention program aims to address problematic issues in its patients’ lives.
McCaskill Calls For Treatment Centers, Monitoring Program To Fight Opioid Abuse
Sen. Claire McCaskill, at a field hearing in Jefferson City on Tuesday, called on lawmakers to rectify the lack of a drug monitoring program in Missouri. Elsewhere, Ohio announces new guidelines for prescribing painkillers, and New York extends its rebate for naloxone, an antidote for heroin and other opioid overdoses.
Relatives More Likely To Rank End-Of-Life Care Excellent When Patient Was In Hospice, At Home
A new study in JAMA surveys family members of terminally ill cancer patients, and found that they were more likely to rate the care as excellent when the patient was not in an intensive care unit. Another study in the same journal examines how treatment of terminal patients in the United States compares to other countries.
Dreary Biotech Landscape Could Lead To Cheap Deals For Big Pharma
Buying smaller companies with promising drug candidates is a way for larger biopharma companies to generate growth. In other pharmaceutical news, columnist Emily Bazar explains clinical trials, and in Indiana, a state Senate committee clears a bill allowing pharmacists to diagnose customers seeking cold medicine, and deem the treatment unnecessary.
Survey Finds That Most Americans Support Restrictions On Legalized Abortion
Eight in 10 Americans would restrict abortion to the first trimester, according to a new Marist poll commissioned by the Knights of Columbus. In other reproductive health developments, a new abortion battlefront takes shape over the custody of frozen embryos.
