Latest KFF Health News Stories
First Edition: November 21, 2014
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Viewpoints: GOP Lessons From Health Battle; High Court Could Affect Coverage For Millions
A selection of opinions on health care from around the United States.
Longer Looks: Disappointments In Drug Design; The Black Death; History Of The Speculum
Each week, KHN’s Shefali Luthra finds interesting reads from around the Web.
State Highlights: Calif. Tobacco Tax Reemerges; Mass. Town Pulls Tobacco Ban Proposal
A selection of health policy stories from California, Massachusetts, Kansas, Illinois, North Carolina, Connecticut and Colorado.
Hawaii Vets Get Health Care Vouchers
Hawaii is one of only three states that do not have VA medical centers, and a national program allowing veterans to seek care elsewhere has begun there. In Washington, meanwhile, a veteran’s mother asks Congress for better suicide prevention services for those experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder.
Study: Older Americans Less Able To Afford Health Care Than Seniors In Other Nations
The study, by the Commonwealth Fund, looked at the health of seniors in America compared to those in 10 other developed nations and also found older Americans were sicker than their counterparts elsewhere.
Employer Survey Shows Shifts In Cost To Employees With High Deductible Plans
The survey by Mercer explores the impact of high-deductible plans. Meanwhile, Health News Colorado reports on a survey in that state that found employer health insurance costs are going up 8 percent for 2015, but most continue to offer coverage.
Pricetags For New Therapies, Generics Push Up Drug Spending
Costly hepatitis and cancer treatments helped boost U.S. drug spending this year by almost 12 percent, according to a survey. Meanwhile, Gilead Sciences buys a shortcut for FDA drug review for $125 million, the Justice Department probes big price increases for generic drugs and some Medicare beneficiaries will pay a greater portion of their drug costs.
Rep. Ryan Lays Out GOP Obamacare Alternative
The incoming chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee also said the changes might have to wait until a new president is elected. Elsewhere, a former healthcare.gov technology chief says it wasn’t his job to know about specific technology problems with the site.
President Barack Obama is scheduled to announce his executive order on immigration in a speech tonight. Reports indicate it will shield about four million people from deportation, but they won’t be able to purchase subsidized health insurance via the health law’s online insurance marketplaces.
GOP Governors Eyeing 2016 Presidential Runs Wrestle With Medicaid Expansion
The health law’s expansion of the low-income health insurance program was a hot topic at this week’s Republican Governors Association meeting in Florida. Meanwhile, Montana Gov. Steve Bullock unveiled his Medicaid plan for the state.
Finding Entrepreneurial Opportunity In The Health Law
One entrepreneur has created software that helps people pick the best health plan based on personal factors that go well beyond premium costs, reports The New York Times. Others news outlets examine the challenges facing the SHOP program for small businesses, tax issues related to the health law and the lack of adult vision coverage in health law plans.
Gruber Faces Backlash As Remarks Ripple Through States
Vermont, for instance, has said it will not pay him for his work on the state’s health plan, and Michigan lawmakers plan to investigate his efforts there. Meanwhile, Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md., questioned a grant awarded to the MIT economist by the National Institutes of Health.
Some State Marketplaces That Had Problems With Sign-Ups Last Year Show Progress
While Maryland and Minnesota report some improvements, officials in Washington state are still holding hearings about issues left over from the 2014 enrollment.
First Edition: November 20, 2014
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
State Highlights: Medicaid Rule Could Hurt Nursing Home Alternatives; Tenn. Lowers Uninsured Rate
A selection of health policy stories from Tennessee, Arizona, California, Hawaii, North Carolina, Colorado, Connecticut, Minnesota and Kansas.
Two Major Calif. Insurers Overstate Doctor Networks, Regulators Say
Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Cross Blue Shield of California may have violated state law if it listed physicians in online directories that were no longer taking Covered California patients.
Care For 2 U.S. Ebola Patients Costs More Than $1 Million
And Americans say that the disease is a top priority to them, a Gallup polls suggests.
New Allegations Of VA Wrongdoing At Minn. Clinic
Elsewhere Veterans Affairs officials start the second phase of their attempt at reforming the system — including helping vets waiting for care know where they stand with “choice cards.”
