Latest KFF Health News Stories
Viewpoints: Is Sanders’ Single-Payer Plan The Cure All?; The Problem With Deductibles
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
New outlets report on health care developments in Maryland, Ohio, D.C., Pennsylvania and Connecticut.
New York Bans Insurers From Covering ‘Gay Conversion’ Therapy For Minors
Gov. Andrew Cuomo also announced that the state’s Medicaid will not cover the treatment for residents of any age, calling the practice “fundamentally flawed.”
Experts Alarmed By Severity Of Malformations In Babies Affected By Zika Virus
As concerns about birth defects linked to Zika increase, medical analysis is intensifying. In other Zika news, U.S. health experts warn about jumping to conclusions on how the virus is transmitted, and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie would be willing to consider a quarantine on people coming home from Brazil after the Olympics.
Amicus Brief Urges High Court To Learn From History Of Laws Written To Protect Women
Professors from around the U.S. filed a friend-of-the-court brief in the upcoming arguments over a Texas abortion law, saying that any regulation written by men that claims to protect women deserves extra scrutiny. On the other side of the case, briefs will flood the Supreme Court this week from women who have regretted their abortions.
In Midst Of Furor Over High Drug Prices, Pharma Industry Aims To Flip Script With New Ads
Many of the ads, aimed at lawmakers and other influencers, feature patients who have been helped by new medicines, and company scientists working on drug development.
Lupin’s Diabetes Drug Sales Leads Company To Meet Profit Estimates
Also in the news, the health and safety device maker Halma buys a company known for making sensors in an effort to expand its U.S. footprint.
High Deductibles May Be Dissuading Consumers From Seeking Care
Although the theory behind deductibles is that if patients have more skin in the game they’ll spend less by shopping around, researchers are finding that they are just cutting back on getting care at all. In other news, narrower networks are causing families to lose access to therapists and providers for autism treatment.
How The ‘Instant Gratification Generation’ Could Help Revolutionize Health Care
As millennials become a larger percentage of the health care consumer base, everything could change from how doctors see patients to how much costs play into medical decisions.
FDA Targets Stem Cell Clinics Offering Pricey, But Unproven, Treatments
The clinics have largely avoided regulation because they use stem cells from their patients’ own bodies. Critics call the therapies dangerous quackery. In other Food and Drug Administration news, the Los Angeles Times looks at why it took so long for the FDA to warn the public about the dirty scopes that caused dozens of patients to get sick.
New Study Finds Delay In Considering Medicaid Expansion Could Be Costly For Idaho
An actuarial study examines how the financial case for expanding the health law’s program for low-income residents has changed as federal financial support declines slightly. Also, Medicaid expansion news from Alabama and Utah.
Burwell Touts Enrollment Gains, Expects More Progress On Medicaid Expansion
In a meeting with reporters, the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services says her agency’s efforts to get 4 million new customers into the health law’s insurance exchanges were a success.
At Debate, Republican Health Care Claims Ring False
“The insurance companies are getting rich on Obamacare,” Donald Trump said, while insurers say they are struggling under the Affordable Care Act. The Associated Press looks at this and other claims made by the candidates. Meanwhile, Ohio Gov. John Kasich may not tout his anti-abortion bona fides, but he has shuttered half of his state’s clinics. And Hillary Clinton labels Marco Rubio’s attacks on her abortion position as “pathetic.”
First Edition: February 8, 2016
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Viewpoints: Negative Prognosis For The Cadillac Tax; UnitedHealth’s Misplaced Obamacare Blame
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
Research Roundup: Pediatric ACOs; High-Deductible Health Plans; Zika And Women
Each week, KHN compiles a selection of recently released health policy studies and briefs.
New outlets report on health care developments in Massachusetts, Virginia, Kansas, Iowa, California, Illinois, Texas and Missouri.
Democratic Senators In Iowa Press Bill To Stop Medicaid Privatization
But Republican leaders of the House say they are not interested in considering the measure. News outlets also look at Medicaid news in Virginia and Kansas.
‘Who Shot You?’ ER Personnel Could Help Fill Gap On Missing Police Violence Data
With little data available on how many people are shot by police, a criminologist sees potential in emergency departments. Meanwhile, news outlets report on other public health developments related to pain management for newborns, new poultry safety standards, problems with the BMI ratings and a $100-million lawsuit related to the Flint water crisis.
FDA Announces New Opioid Strategy: ‘We’re Not Winning The Battle At This Point’
The Food and Drug Administration will now mandate that any new opioid go before an outside committee of experts, unless the product has abuse-deterrent properties, and require more warnings and safety information on drug labels, said Robert Califf, the White House’s nominee to direct the FDA. But even with that announcement, three of the senators who have placed holds on Califf’s nomination do not plan on removing them, saying the steps “fall short of what is needed.”
