Latest KFF Health News Stories
President Puts Biden In Charge Of ‘Mission Control’ For Cancer Moonshot
In his final State of the Union address, Obama announced the vice president would be leading a charge against the disease, saying, “Let’s make America the country that cures cancer once and for all.” But, experts say, curing cancer doesn’t look like a single moonshot — it’s an ever changing battlefield with hundreds or thousands of different enemies to swarm.
Obama Returns To Message Of Hope In Final State Of The Union
With only passing mentions of policy initiatives, President Barack Obama used his last State of the Union more to address the nation than Congress. He painted a bright picture of the country’s standing and called on Americans to replace him with someone who would continue to carry out his reforms on health care, climate change and Iran, among others.
First Edition: January 13, 2016
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Viewpoints: Is Obama A ‘Transformational President’?; The Burden Of Medical Debt
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
News outlets report on health care developments in California, Indiana, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Minnesota, Oregon, Ohio, Kansas and Arizona.
N.C. Legislative Panel To Get Briefing On New Managed Care Medicaid System
The lawmakers will hear about how the initiative is being rolled out. Also in the news, a Chicago woman is sentenced for Medicaid fraud.
New Hampshire Sees One Of Deadliest Years For Drug Overdoses
Meanwhile, lawmakers attempt to address the state’s dirty needle problem with a new exchange initiative, and one district approves the use of an anti-overdose drug in its schools.
Nestle Invests In ‘Healthy Gut’ Products
Meanwhile, research links heartburn drugs to kidney disease risk. And news outlets report on other public health developments including a hospital program aimed at reducing falls by older adults, youth sports concussion policies and a nurse who reunites with a woman who cared for her as a toddler.
Scrutiny On Insurance Mergers Intensifies As 15 State AGs Join Justice Department Probe
The group will look at Aetna’s plan to buy Humana and Anthem’s bid for Cigna. Elsewhere, the health care insurers providing individual plan coverage in Delaware are fined over regulation violations.
Shire-Baxalta $32B Merger Would Create Powerhouse Rare-Disease Drugmaker
Big companies used to steer clear of rare-disease drugs because there aren’t enough patients to make them profitable, but that has changed as the market has sustained high prices. In other pharmaceutical news, drug companies launch a cooperative effort to fight cancer, the Supreme Court lets a ruling on deceptive marketing of an anti-psychotic drug stand, and states look at ways to combat high prices.
Task Force Maintains That Fewer Mammograms Are Needed
The final set of guidelines from the government panel supports a range of choices for women when it comes to breast cancer screening. They recommend women in their 50s get a mammogram every two years, but women in their 40s should weigh the pros of early detection against the cons of a false positive, which could bring anxiety and unnecessary medical treatment with it. The guidelines are already proving controversial as advocates and lawmakers back early screenings.
CMS To Expand Care With 21 ‘Next Generation ACOs’
The accountable care organizations work to improve quality and lower costs, with measures as simple as making sure patients receive regular follow-up visits and stay on their medications.
Clinton Critiques Sanders On Health Care As Lead Narrows
Hillary Clinton is sharpening her tone against her Democratic primary opponent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. The front-runner, at a forum aimed at young voters, attacked Sanders’ health care platform as “risky,” saying he would “rip up” the health law thus making it vulnerable to Republican governors. In other 2016 election news, The Washington Post’s Fact Checker is challenging Marco Rubio’s recurring claim that he wounded the Affordable Care Act.
HCA Executive Says Health Law Will Drive Growth For His Hospitals
The drop in uninsured is helping the hospital chain. Also in news related to the federal health law, the New Hampshire insurance department releases a report on participation in that state.
N.H. GOP Lawmakers Will Consider Extending Medicaid Expansion Under Alternative Financing
The state’s expansion is slated to expire in 2016, and the House speaker says he won’t support an extension plan that includes public funding. In other states, Louisiana’s new governor renews his pledge to move forward with Medicaid expansion, but the proposal by South Dakota’s governor could hit some turbulence in the legislature.
Kentucky Governor Notifies Feds That He Plans To Dismantle State’s Health Exchange
Republican Gov. Matt Bevin campaigned on the promise that he would shut down kynect, which more than 100,000 people use. Kentucky is one of 14 states that run their own state health insurance exchanges, but the governor has said it’s “redundant” to the federal exchange.
Enrollment Rules To Tighten In Effort To Crack Down On ‘Bad Actors’
Insurers have complained that people are waiting to sign up on the exchanges until they are sick, which is driving premiums skyward. The Obama administration announced Monday it will eliminate or rework language to fight those who are taking advantage of the system.
First Edition: January 12, 2016
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Viewpoint: GOP’s Repeal Bill Could Be A Test-Run; Another Side Effect Of High Deductibles
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
News outlets report on health care developments in California, Kansas, Wyoming, Texas, Washington, Chicago, West Virginia, Texas and Ohio.
