Latest KFF Health News Stories
America’s Health Insurance Plans’ Leader Karen Ignagni To Be EmblemHealth CEO
News reports describe EmblemHealth as a financially challenged, not-for-profit health plan based in New York. The insurer has an estimated 3.2 million members and offers Medicare and Medicaid managed care plans as well as coverage on New York’s health-plan marketplace.
CVS To Buy Omnicare In Bid To Expand Senior Care Business
Omnicare supplies prescription drugs to nursing homes and assisted living as well as other health care facilities. If the deal goes through, CVS will beef-up its fast-growing specialty drug business and tap into a growing sector of the market — the elderly.
In Effort To Restart Mental Health Reform Bill, Conn. Senator Eyes Controversial Provision
Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., is seeking changes in the bill’s section regarding the expansion of involuntary outpatient treatment. Meanwhile, a Senate panel votes to end the Veterans Affairs ban on medical marijuana and Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., introduced a bill related to over-the-counter contraceptives.
House Panel Gives ’21st Century Cures’ Bill Unanimous Approval
The House Energy and Commerce Committee approved the measure, which is designed to speed new drugs to market and encourage medical innovation, after reaching a last-minute agreement about how to pay for the legislation. It is expected to reach the House floor for a vote next month.
Feds Offer To Authorize $1B For Fla. Hospital Funding Tied To Medicaid Stalemate
The funding has been at the heart of the legislature’s bitter debate on Medicaid expansion. The offer is $1.6 billion lower than the state received this year, but it may provide enough that lawmakers can come to terms on a budget in a special session next month.
Insurers Proposing ‘Hefty’ Rate Increases For Some Obamacare Plans
The Wall Street Journal reports that these proposed rate boosts will set the stage for debate regarding the health law’s impact. Wellmark’s South Dakota members are among those likely to see such rate hikes, according to The Associated Press.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Viewpoints: Mandate’s Limited Effect; Trade-Offs With High-Cost Plans; Texas’ Fight With Women
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
Longer Looks: The Last Day Of Life; Asking For Organs; Giving Bad News
Each week, KHN’s Shefali Luthra finds interesting reads from around the Web.
News outlets examine health care issues in Colorado, Missouri, Michigan, Oregon, Georgia, Florida and New York.
Gaps In State Data Adds Difficulty To Determining Scope Of National Heroin Problem
Pennsylvania and a number of other states only broadly note in official databases information about drug overdoses, but the most recent statistics date to 2012 and generally don’t include specific information about the drugs in use. Meanwhile, in related news, a Maine legislator advances a bill to make abuse-deterrent painkillers more affordable and a crackdown on prescription drug abuse in the South leads to charges against two physicians.
California Medical Association Reverses Position On ‘Aid-In-Dying’ Legislation
In what might be a national precedent, the doctors’ group changed its decades-long opposition to a proposal that allows physicians to help seriously ill patients end their lives.
Gov. Scott’s Hospital Panel Faces Off With Florida Health Officials
The first meeting of the commission created by Florida Gov. Rick Scott to examine government hospital spending ended with a sense that the group won’t come up with solutions before the legislature’s June 30 deadline to pass a budget that will set health care funding levels.
Hedge Fund Manager Challenges Drug Patents Using New Dispute Process
Meanwhile, Johnson & Johnson estimates that 10 new drugs the company wants to bring to market could reap $1 billion in annual sales. In other research news, a group of virus hunters aims to change the ways insurers and countries handle Ebola and other epidemics.
Grassley Urges Tighter Scrutiny Of Medicare Advantage Plans; House ‘Cures’ Bill Mark Up Delayed
In other Capitol Hill happenings, supporters of the 340B Drug Discount program urge lawmakers not to make changes in it as part of the “Cures” bill that would overhaul the FDA’s drug approval process. Meanwhile, House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, gives a bleak VA progress report.
Senate Panel Asks Medicare To Revamp Programs To Cut Number Of Observation Stays
At a meeting of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, pointed out that observation care status can cost Medicare beneficiaries thousands of dollars in out-of-pocket costs.
Rising Out-Of-Pocket Expenses Drive Up Number Of ‘Underinsured’
A study estimates that 31 million people, many with private health insurance coverage, face unaffordable medical bills when seeking care. That forces many to put off doctor visits.
Study: Little Difference In Access To Care, Quality In Narrow Networks
The study, published in Health Affairs, looked at plans offered on California’s health insurance exchange. Elsewhere, exchange rate hike proposals get scrutiny, and Colorado officials propose upping their exchange staff and move to bring their marketing in-house.
Florida GOP Fights Obama Administration For Hospital Funds Linked To Medicaid Expansion
The letter from Republicans in Congress seeks continuation of the funding for hospitals with large numbers of uninsured patients, but federal officials say expanding the Medicaid program under the health law is a better option. Many Florida Republicans oppose that. In the meantime, a report shows that emergency room visits in New Hampshire fell 22 percent following Medicaid expansion there.
Carefirst: Hackers Had Access To Personal Info For More Than 1M Customers
CareFirst, a Blue Cross Blue Shield plan, is the third major U.S. health insurer to disclose this year that hackers breached its computer systems. The attack occurred in June 2014.
