Latest KFF Health News Stories
Previewing The Upcoming Enrollment Season: What Might Be New In 2015
The health law’s open enrollment period begins Nov. 15. Already, the Obama administration appears to have learned some lessons from last year’s experiences.
Medicaid Backlogs Persist, Raising Concerns As Enrollment Season Nears
The Wall Street Journal reports that hundreds of thousands of people still don’t officially have the Medicaid coverage they signed up for. Some of them began the process in late 2013. In other Medicaid news, debate in Mississippi continues regarding whether the state should pursue the expansion of the health insurance program for low-income and disabled people.
Opponents Attempt To Outlaw Abortion State-By-State
Also, ProPublica looks at how “personhood” movements could dismantle the Supreme Court’s Roe vs. Wade decision upholding the legality of abortion.
Nursing Home Chain Agrees To Pay $38M To Settle Government Poor Care Claims
Extendicare, which owns 150 nursing homes in 11 states and denied any wrongdoing, was accused of inappropriate billing and providing inadequate care.
Texas Health Worker Contracts Ebola, Fueling Training, Preparedness Questions
The case, the first in which the disease was transmitted in the U.S., raises questions about whether regular hospitals around the country are ready to safely deal with the virus.
FDA Approves New Hepatitis C Drug, Harvoni
Insurers and patients are decrying the cost for the new drug, nearly $95,000 for a 12-week course of treatment, which is more expensive than Gilead’s other hepatitis C drug, Sovaldi. But unlike some hepatitis C treatments, Harvoni can be taken without injections usually given to hepatitis C patients.
Coverage Issue: Steep Rx Costs; Fed Plan Eliminates ‘Transgender Exclusion’
Even patients with insurance are finding that specialty drugs can quickly eat a hole in their wallets because insurers are often putting them in a special tier and demanding high consumer co-payments. Also, the State Department is getting rid of the “transgender exclusion” in it largest health plan, and some consumer advocates are suggesting that people getting coverage on the health marketplaces be allowed to get “wrap-around” plans through their employers.
Fla.’s Gubernatorial Candidates At Odds Over Medicaid Expansion
Charlie Crist, the Republican-turned-Democrat, says he will consider using an executive order to expand the program for low-income Floridians.
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
State Highlights: Md., Minn. See Small Business Health Insurance Rate Changes
A selection of health policy stories from Maryland, Minnesota, Texas, the District of Columbia, Virginia, Colorado, Arizona, Pennsylvania and Maine.
Obamacare Premium Increases Likely In States With Key Senate Races
Politico reports that this could be bad news for Democrats who are running in Louisiana and Iowa — both locations are experiencing double-digit rate hikes for individual health plans. In other news, Va. Senate candidate Ed Gillespie, a Republican, unveils a plan to replace the health law if it were to be repealed, and the New York Times take a close look at one Florida congressional contest.
First Edition: October 13, 2014
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including previews of what might happen during the health law’s second open enrollment period, as well as the latest developments related to Ebola.
Preparing For The Health Law’s Second Lap
With open enrollment fast approaching for the online insurance marketplaces, news outlets are examining the preparations that have been made in order to ensure a smoother process this time around.
Iowa Premium Increases Affect Small Number
Fewer than 2 percent of Iowans will be affected by the steep premium increases announced this week, according to the Des Moines Register. Meanwhile, the Cover Oregon Exchange Board may drop plans to make a recommendation to the legislature this fall about the future of the state’s insurance exchange, and Indiana officials continue discussing alternatives to Medicaid expansion.
Maker Of Experimental Ebola Drug Scales Up
The manufacturer of the experimental Ebola drug ZMapp says it has put other business on hold since August to boost production of the medication. Meanwhile, news outlets look at the government’s authority to screen airline travelers, the House action to release additional funding for disease-fighting efforts and the Dallas hospital’s defense of its treatment of the West African man who died of the disease this week.
Abortion Ads Play Big In N.H. And Colo. Senate Campaigns
As the senatorial campaigns in New Hampshire and Colorado continue to highlight candidate positions on abortion, the rhetoric over the health law calms a bit.
Drugmakers Sue To Stop Expansion Of Drug Discount Program
The trade group for pharmaceutical companies, PhRMA, has filed another lawsuit to try to block a government rule meant to widen the number of products included in a federal drug discount program for so-called safety net hospitals and clinics.
Kindred Healthcare Acquires Gentiva
The combined company, based in Louisville, Ky., will be the nation’s largest provider of long-term care, hospice and home-health services.
Burwell ‘Manages Expectations’ For Sign-Up Numbers During Health Law’s Next Enrollment Season
During a breakfast with reporters, Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell also signaled that the federal government is unlikely to “step in” to address narrow network issues related to health plans offered on the exchanges.
Medicare Premium Holds Steady In 2015
The premium that most older people pay for outpatient, or “Part B,” care will stay the same in 2015 — $104.90 a month, while cost-sharing for hospital and skilled nursing stays will increase slightly, the government announced.
