Latest KFF Health News Stories
WellCare Files Appeal Over Terminated Medicaid Contract With Iowa
The company alleges Gov. Terry Branstad made serious errors when kicking it out of the new program he hopes to use to move the state’s Medicaid patients into private managed care plans. Elsewhere, the Nebraska Public Service Commission lays out new regulations on how taxi companies treat Medicaid patients they are transporting; the former Medicaid director of Texas talks about managed care plans; and, in Idaho, reimbursement rates for health care providers are back to 2012 levels.
California To Launch More Secure Prescription Drug Database
The state’s attorney general says the improved system is designed to prevent overdoses and illegal sales of prescription drugs. And in Kentucky, an OxyContin drug maker will pay $24 million to settle a lawsuit with the state, which alleges the company misled the public about the addictiveness of the medication.
Illinois Hospital Merger Grinds To Halt After FTC Antitrust Challenge
The hospital chains and the Federal Trade Commission agreed to a temporary restraining order, but the commission is still seeking an injunction so it can fully examine the proposed deal. Media outlets also report on hospital developments in Kansas and New Jersey.
Health Care Industry Hit Hard From Cyberattacks In 2015
The biggest breach was an attack surrounding Anthem in which the data of 78.8 million customers was compromised, according to data from the Department of Health and Human Services.
Peace Corps Volunteers Coming Back To US Health System That Fails Them, Report Finds
The task force found a pattern of frustration and a feeling of abandonment from those returning from abroad, some of whom had to wait years or decades before receiving acceptable medical care. In other public health news, the illegal sale of tiny pet turtles is linked to salmonella outbreaks; and after the death of his friend’s son, one lawmaker’s fight to improve access to a heroin antidote becomes personal.
HIV Patients’ Treatment Inordinately Determined By Socioeconomic Circumstances
While the life-expectancy of white, affluent men with HIV/AIDS is on the rise, 66 percent of the 1.2 million Americans living with it are not in treatment. And, compared to white men, African-American men are more than seven times more likely to die from HIV-related complications. Latino men are twice as likely.
Pilot Programs To Improve Care For Elderly Or Disabled Poor Patients Stumble
The experiments — mandated by the health law — are designed to reduce spending and boost the quality of care for people who qualify for both Medicare and Medicaid, but they have failed to attract much enrollment. Also in the news, a study finds gender differences among patients taking advantage of new Medicare rules for screening colonoscopies.
Obscure ‘Orphan Drug Act’ Could Lead To Price Hikes For Older Drugs
The New York Times reports on how pharmaceutical companies are taking advantage of the provision to seek FDA approval — and the profits — for drugs that may already be benefiting patients. And NPR examines the common practice of aggressive pharmaceutical pricing spikes in developing areas of the world.
New Louisiana Governor Faces Challenges In Plans To Expand Medicaid
Gov.-Elect John Bel Edwards will take office Jan. 11, and he’s promised to take advantage of the federal health law’s provision to expand the state’s Medicaid program. Meanwhile, in Georgia, advocates of expansion pressed their case in Athens.
First Edition: December 24, 2015
NOTE TO READERS: KHN’s First Edition will not be published from Dec. 25 through Jan. 1. Look for it again in your inbox Jan. 4. Here’s today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Viewpoints: Young Adult Enrollment Is Encouraging; Work Injuries Often Unreported
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
News outlets report on health care developments in New Jersey, Kentucky, Kansas, Tennessee, Ohio and Michigan.
Backlash Prompts Idaho To Delay Cuts To In-Home Care Medicaid Reimbursements
Disability providers, who were told to expect a 46 percent cut in the reimbursement they receive each day, say the move will hurt the quality of patient care. In other state Medicaid news, North Carolina alters its policy to cover breastfeeding services.
HCA Reaches $2M Settlement In Whistleblower Case
The executive director of the cardiovascular program at HCA’s Fairview Park Hospital in Georgia alleged that doctors at one of the chain’s hospitals were performing unnecessary heart procedures. Elsewhere, Illinois’ attorney general and the Federal Trade Commission seek to block a proposed merger in the Chicago area, and a Washington patient will receive $1.5 million after a negligence verdict was reached.
Who Should Take Statins? Task Force Is Updating Guidance For Cholesterol-Lowering Treatment
Meanwhile, news outlets cover other public health stories including lawmakers calling for emergency funding to help drug-dependent newborns, HIPAA loopholes in mental health cases and doctors encouraging good nutrition habits by shopping with patients.
Utah Can Halt Planned Parenthood Funding While Lawsuit Goes Forward, Judge Rules
Planned Parenthood Association of Utah is suing the state after Republican Gov. Gary Herbert cut off $275,000 in federal funds for sexually transmitted disease testing and sex education programs. Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will review how federal officials currently oversee fetal tissue research.
Failures Persist In Veteran Care, Even As Reforms Are Trumpeted In Washington
Despite the national outcry to improve the quality of VA care, a USA Today investigation finds veterans on the ground aren’t seeing a difference. “I no longer trust them to fix me when I’m broken,” Stanley Christian Jr., a helicopter pilot who flew in Vietnam, says. “And, you know, a 70-year old man get(s) broken.”
From Free To $100,000-A-Year?: Cost Of Experimental Autoimmune Drug Could Skyrocket
People suffering Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome, a rare autoimmune disorder, have found relief from an experimental drug that one pharmaceutical company distributes free. Now another company is seeking FDA approval, which would give it exclusive rights to distribute — and charge an estimated $37,500 to over $100,000 per patient, per year. Elsewhere, The Washington Post examines the trends in drug spending.
Clinton Reveals $20B Plan To Cure Alzheimer’s By 2025
About 5 million Americans have Alzheimer’s, and by 2050 that number is expected to grow to 15 million, disproportionately affecting women and minorities. By then, if the government’s spending on the disease stays the same, it would cost Americans $1 trillion a year.
States See Boost In Federal Exchange Sign-Ups
Media outlets report on enrollment numbers from Georgia, Ohio, Arizona, Connecticut and Kansas.
