Latest KFF Health News Stories
Longer Looks: Control Of IVF; Doctors And Electronic Records; Writing About Patients
Each week, KHN’s Shefali Luthra finds interesting reads from around the Web.
New Prescription Drug Rules Hampering Veterans’ Access To Painkillers
DEA regulations sought to cut down abuse of powerful opioids, but they have complicated efforts by veterans with serious war injuries to get relief from pain.
State Highlights: Mandatory Vaccines Not Unprecedented; Miss. Abortion Ruling; Vt. Health Costs
A selection of health policy stories from Mississippi, Connecticut, Vermont and Arizona.
Ill. Gov. Seeks Billions In Cuts, Including Sharp Reductions In Medicaid, Health Programs
The budget proposal from Bruce Rauner, Illinois’ new Republican governor, would trim $1.5 billion from the state’s Medicaid program. In Connecticut, Gov. Dannel Malloy, a Democrat, also is proposing cuts that would affect hospitals and mental health care providers.
U.S. Health Spending Again Growing Faster, Data Suggest
After five years of historically slow growth, an Altarum Institute analysis based on preliminary government data shows that health spending increased by 5 percent last year. Meanwhile, Modern Healthcare reports that prices paid to acute-care hospitals declined in January compared with the same month a year ago. And The New York Times reports on a study that found three eye drugs, ranging in price from $50 to $1950 a dose, are equally effective in most cases.
Scientists Report Blocking HIV In Animal Studies, Sparking Vaccine Hopes
The study of an engineered molecule may provide an avenue for an HIV vaccine in the future, researchers report.
Two Die At UCLA Hospital From ‘Superbug,’ Dozens Potentially Exposed
Five others have been infected after nearly 180 patients at UCLA’s Ronald Reagan Medical Center may have been exposed to a deadly bacteria known as CRE from contaminated medical scopes.
Big Business Reports Few Problems From Health Law
A survey by Bloomberg of conference-call transcripts and interviews with major U.S. employers finds the law is raising few concerns among corporate leaders. Also, CBS News reports on tax considerations for the 20 million Americans most directly affected by the law.
Wyoming House To Debate Medicaid Expansion
After a proposal to expand Medicaid died in the Wyoming Senate, a GOP House lawmaker has sponsored an amendment to a budget bill that would opt into federal funding for a broader program. Meanwhile, Medicaid expansion supporters meet with state officials in Montana and North Carolina, and Ohio is one of a small, but growing, number of states enrolling prisoners into Medicaid.
Florida Surpasses California In Obamacare Sign-Ups
The Sunshine State had more residents buying private health insurance through the online marketplaces set up by the Affordable Care Act than any other state. Other stories track state-by-state enrollment totals as of Sunday.
In Touting Sign-Ups, Official Warns Supreme Court Decision Could Hurt Millions
HHS Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell says many of the 8.6 million people choosing their health plans through the federal exchange could be deprived of coverage if the high court decides to strike down their subsidies in a pending case.
First Edition: February 19, 2015
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Viewpoints: Arguments For Law Unpersuasive; Health Spending Rising; A Case For Asylums
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
News outlets report on health care issues in California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Massachusetts, Montana, New York, and Washington.
Many Long-Term, Acute-Care Hospital Discharges Reflect Most Lucrative Payments
A Wall Street Journal analysis finds that patients in many of the 435 long-term hospitals that specialize in treating people with serious conditions are sent home after the hospital has maximized its Medicare payments. In other news about the health care marketplace, a report about doctors’ efforts to be more attentive and the reasons Giliad doesn’t do more to promote its AIDS drug.
CVS Health Warns Of Potential Costs From New Cholesterol Medicines
The treatments, which could be approved for some patients this year, could cost between $7,000 and $12,000 a year. This comes as a new poll finds health costs are Americans’ biggest worry about retirement.
Oregon’s Legal War With Oracle Shifts To Medicaid Contract
Oregon’s battle with Oracle over the technological glitches that plagued last year’s exchange operations has spilled over into its separate contract with the company to help enroll tens of thousands of residents into Medicaid. Meanwhile, estimates suggest Wisconsin could save $400 million over two years with an expansion of Medicaid, putting Gov. Scott Walker in a difficult position as he looks at a $2 billion budget deficit. It is a dilemma that other Republican governors have faced.
Calif. Weighs Giving Consumers Facing Tax Penalty New Chance To Enroll In Health Plans
Meanwhile, Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber’s resignation has provided a Republican-controlled congressional panel with a fresh opportunity to examine what went wrong with the state exchange. Other developments are tracked in California, Maryland, Minnesota and Missouri.
Questions Grow About GOP, Administration Plans Should Supreme Court Reject Subsidies
Health and Human Services Secretary Secretary Sylvia Burwell has refused to say what, if any, contingency plans are being made and most Republican governors and lawmakers have offered little encouragement to those getting federal tax credits to buy a health plan. Also, The Washington Post finds that several Republican members of Congress have flip-flopped on the issue at the heart of the case.
Marketplace Website Still Has Many ‘Back End’ Glitches Affecting Insurers
Plans continue to have problems verifying whether consumers have enrolled and subsidy payments are not yet automated. Meanwhile, Democrats are preparing for blowback during tax season from people who realize for the first time that they will pay a penalty for failing to have insurance and some advocates call for a change to make it easier for pregnant women to sign up for coverage.
