Latest KFF Health News Stories
Health Law Opponents Motivated By Cadillac Tax Delay
The two-year moratorium created a blueprint for those looking to chip away at the Affordable Care Act. Meanwhile, it gave CFOs extra time to prepare for the change.
Clinton Calls For Insurers To Cover Autism Treatment
The presidential candidate also struck out at House Republicans’ attempt to roll back the Affordable Care Act. “They have no plan,” Hillary Clinton said.
Rep. McDermott, Fierce Health Law Proponent, Retiring
Washington Rep. Jim McDermott, a Democrat, says he will spend the rest of the year working on a mental health reform bill. Meanwhile, the House returns Tuesday to vote on some unfinished business, including a bill repealing the health law, which CBO says would save a half-trillion dollars.
Obama Addresses Mental Health In Executive Actions On Gun Control
In new regulations to address gun violence to be announced Tuesday, the administration will lay out its plan to direct $500 million toward mental health care, overhaul the background-check system and allow health care providers to disclose some information on mentally ill patients to the FBI. Republicans say the move is a misuse of power.
First Edition: January 5, 2016
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Debate On Kidney Transplants: Should Donors Be Paid?
The Washington Post offered a variety of opinions from experts about how to increase the number of kidney donors.
Viewpoints: Health Issues In 2016; Ky. Governor’s ‘Good Sense’ On Medicaid Pause
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
Views On Health: Using Patients’ Cells For Research; Fighting Opioid Addiction
Commentators examine some consumer and patient issues.
News outlets report on health care developments in Massachusetts, Florida, Missouri, New Hampshire, West Virginia, Iowa, Ohio, Idaho, Texas, Georgia and California.
Kansas Panel Approves Medicaid Changes For Hepatitis C Patients
Recipients who drink alcohol or go off their medications would lose their coverage in a new set of recommendations from a legislative oversight committee.
FDA Cancer Expert’s First-Hand Experience Fuels Drug Approval Process
The New York Times profiles how the experience of one regulator may have altered the speed of patients’ access to experimental treatments. Meanwhile, this roundup of public health stories also includes a look at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s debate surrounding risks of cellphones; a look at how gene editing may lead to a treatment for Duchenne muscular distrophy; and recent developments regarding HIV education and how a lack of sleep may contribute to Alzheimer’s.
Study Examines Risks Associated With Planned Home Births
The number of women who plan to give birth to infants at home or in birthing centers has increased dramatically.
New Programs Let Patients With Schizophrenia Take Charge Of Own Recovery
A number of states have set up programs with a new approach to treatment, one that emphasizes supportive services. Elsewhere, a couple who lost a son to cancer advocates for more psychological support for kids fighting the disease; in Mississippi a plan to improve mental health care for children falters; and Washington asks for more time to comply with how it evaluates mentally ill defendants.
Analysis: Privacy Violations On The Rise At VA Health Facilities
An analysis by ProPublica found that employers and contractors at Veterans Affairs Medical Facilities commit thousands of privacy violations each year. ProPublica also found that hundreds of other health care providers, including CVS, Walgreens and Kaiser Permanente, are repeat offenders when it comes to violating patient privacy laws.
High Drug Costs Lead To Tough Decisions For Patients
Many of the most widely used generic drugs actually were cheaper at the end of 2015 than when the year began, but Americans, even relatively affluent ones, still are facing astronomical prices.
Activists: Polarization Of Parties Will Put Spotlight On Abortion In Presidential Race
They also say the Republican field is willing to be more outspoken on the topic than it has in past elections. Meanwhile on the trail, Hillary Clinton highlights opioid abuse as a top concern; and New Hampshire Gov. Maggie Hassan, facing a tough fight as she runs for the Senate, will have to work with her Republican-controlled Legislature on issues such as reauthorizing Medicaid expansion and the state’s growing drug abuse crisis.
Supreme Court To Hear First Abortion Case In Nearly A Decade
The case, Whole Women’s Health v. Cole, looks at a 2013 Texas law requiring abortion doctors to hold admitting privileges at a local hospital and clinics to meet the standards of ambulatory surgical centers. Meanwhile in the states, the courts take action on abortion pill restrictions and Planned Parenthood funding.
Risks Emerge As Rural Hospitals Perform More Inpatient Orthopedic Surgeries
A Wall Street Journal analysis details this trend. The Journal also compares costs for these services at the rural hospitals — known as critical access hospitals — with the same care elsewhere. Meanwhile, other news outlets examine new kinds of insurance coverage and benefits.
New Medicare Rule Targets Medical Equipment
The federal rule, which was issued last week and designed to tamp down on sources of Medicare fraud and improper billing, requires prior authorization before the Medicare program will pay for certain types of medical equipment, including some wheelchairs. Federal investigators also are scrutinizing routine tests — designed to ensure patients properly use opioid drugs — that they say have led to questionable billing practices by some for-profit labs, doctors and addiction-treatment centers.
Now It’s The Season To Figure Out Health Insurance Taxes
CBS News outlines what consumers need to know about the health law’s tax forms while The New York Times details how some consumers continue to see paying the penalty for not having insurance as better than paying for coverage.
