Latest KFF Health News Stories
News outlets report on health issues from California, Alabama, Texas, Indiana, North Carolina, Maryland, D.C., Ohio, Kansas and Florida.
Children’s Mental Health Services Get Attention In New York, Minnesota
Also in Minnesota, the legislature has stepped up funding for a number of mental health programs.
Study Tracks Patients After Prolonged Mechanical Ventilation
The often poor outcomes raise questions about who should be a candidate for such care and what their families should be told. Meanwhile, researchers are using video games to target issues ranging from cancer to teen pregnancy and electronic health records become a prime target for hackers.
Shipments Of Live Anthrax Probed
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a team looking into how the military shipped the spores to more than a dozen labs around the country. Meanwhile, USA Today reports that many of the country’s high containment biological research labs are secretive about what they are doing.
Teva To Pay $1.2B To Settle Charges That A Subsidiary Blocked Lower-Cost Generics
The Federal Trade Commission alleged Cephalon paid four competitors to delay marketing generic versions of its money-making sleeping pill, Provigil. The settlement is a victory in the federal government’s efforts against a drug industry practice known as “pay-for-delay.”
Former Congressman Alleges Capitol Physicians Failed To Alert Him To Cancer Threat
Former Rep. Steve LaTourette, R-Ohio, who is battling pancreatic cancer, says the doctors failed to give him important information about a lesion on the pancreas and the need for follow-up appointments. Also in the news, Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., pledges renewed support for community health clinics.
Congressional Republicans Remain Split Over Plans For King V. Burwell Decision Fallout
Lawmakers differ over whether to extend the health law’s insurance tax credits on a temporary basis if the Supreme Court voids them.
N.C. Man’s Saga Shows Continuing Coverage Gaps
The Charlotte Observer looks into the story of a man who quit his job and, therefore, no longer qualified for a federal insurance subsidy in North Carolina — just before he became ill with a potentially deadly intestinal infection. Meanwhile, Politico Pro reports how some states are seeking to shield mid-size companies from Obamacare requirements and The Financial Times reports on a study about the administrative costs associated with the expansion in insurance coverage.
Fla. Governor Hints At Veto If Lawmakers Pass Senate Compromise To Expand Medicaid
Also, new details on Gov. Rick Scott’s plan to find money for hospitals and end the state’s budget impasse suggest it would cut overall reimbursements to hospitals. The lobbying on the issue continues to grow in the state.
Judge Considers Bid To Dismiss House GOP Case Against Obama Administration And The Health Law
House Republicans filed suit alleging that the Obama administration has overstepped its Constitutional bounds. The administration, in turn, filed a motion to dismiss the case and argued in part that if the lawmakers don’t like the law they should work to change it in Congress.
Congressional Proposal To Streamline FDA Approvals Worries Consumer Advocates
As the House moves forward with the “21st Century Cures” bill, some warn that its provision allowing “clinical experience” over randomized controlled trials could lead to lower standards when approving new uses for existing drugs. Other outlets report on more pharma news, including lessons learned from an international drug pricing study and examples of insurers and drug companies teaming up to reduce sticker shock on new speciality drugs.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Viewpoints: GOP Wrestles With Court Response; Mental Health And Poverty; Need For Nurses
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
Longer Looks: Abortion Waiting Periods Drive Up Costs; The Backstory Of King V. Burwell
Each week, KHN’s Shefali Luthra finds interesting reads from around the Web.
News outlets report on health issues from New York, Ohio, California, Florida, Wisconsin, Michigan, Colorado and Illinois.
Appeals Court Sides With Doctors Who Challenged An Arksansas Abortion Ban
Also in the news from the states related to abortion and contraception news, the Alabama House approves new abortion-clinic regulations, a North Carolina Senate panel OKs a 72-hour waiting period for abortions and Wis. Gov. Scott Walker defends mandatory ultrasounds. Meanwhile, in Oregon, a Senate committee advanced legislation requiring private insurers to cover up to 12 months of birth control at a time.
Patients, Family Members Turn Into Entrepreneurs, Activists
The Washington Post writes about the challenges of a man with early-onset dementia who has become an advocate for greater government support for research into Alzheimer’s disease, and also about a woman who invented a clothing line for people who struggle with fine motor skills like her husband.
HIV Patients Should Be Treated Upon Diagnosis, Study Finds
People with the virus that causes AIDS should be put on antiretroviral drugs as soon as they learn they are infected, federal health officials said Wednesday. They put a halt to a clinical trial of early treatment more than a year early because they said the advantages were so evident.
Kasich Defends Ohio’s Medicaid Expansion, Decries Obamacare
In a CNN interview, the Ohio governor and GOP presidential hopeful said that bringing more federal money to Ohio to cover health care for the poor was a separate matter from supporting the federal health law — which Kasich would repeal. And as Rick Santorum joins the crowded field of GOP presidential contenders, The Associated Press looks at the former Pennsylvania senator’s positions.
Medicare Nurse Training Pilot Program Shows Promise
According to Politico Pro, advocates view this program as a means to help ease the nation’s physician shortage. Meanwhile, The Associated Press reports that an AARP study concluded generic drug prices are on the rise.
