Latest KFF Health News Stories
A selection of health policy stories from New York, Missouri, Texas, Massachusetts, Maine, Georgia, Pennsylvania and Minnesota.
Florida Jury Rules: RJ Reynolds Should Pay $23B To Widow Of Smoker
With its huge reward, the case is certain to be appealed.
Deaths Still Rippling Through AIDS Research Community
The crash of the Malaysian jetliner killed important scientists.
A selection of opinions and editorials from news organizations around the country.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including a story about an effort by regulators to widen insurer networks, as well as a range of other health policy developments.
Companies Dropping Birth Control Coverage Must Tell Workers
Closely held companies that drop insurance coverage of birth control for religious reasons have 60 days to inform their employees, the administration said Thursday. The rule follows the Supreme Court’s decision allowing some companies to opt out of the federal health law’s mandate.
Help Wanted: CMS Begins Search For Healthcare.gov Contractor
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released an 84-page solicitation this week seeking a company to oversee the operations of the troubled health exchange website.
State Highlights: Concerns Continue About Coakley-Partners Antitrust Settlement
A selection of health policy stories from Massachusetts, Oregon, Wisconsin, Maine, New York and Texas.
SEC Widens Insider Trading Probe
The Wall Street Journal reports on this development regarding the Securities and Exchange Commission’s investigation of whether the law was violated by an alleged leak that may have resulted in health insurance stocks jumping moments before a policy change was announced that would increase funding for certain health-insurance firms.
FedEx Indicted On Charges Of Transporting Drugs For Illegal Pharmacies
A federal grand jury in San Francisco says the shipping company knew it was delivering drugs for illegal online businesses.
Largest U.S. Insurer To Be Major Obamacare Player In 2015
Insurance giant UnitedHealthcare said Thursday that it would sell policies through online insurance markets in as many as 24 states next year, up from only four this year.
Experts Urge Senate Panel To Increase Hospital Safety Measures
Consumer advocates and medical specialists tell the committee that patients are not much safer today than they were 15 years ago when a landmark study on medical errors spurred calls for reform.
New York Officials Take Steps In Response To Supreme Court Contraceptive Coverage Decision
Officials make a change in the state’s Medicaid program, and legislation is proposed in the state Senate.
U.S. Territories, Including Puerto Rico, Exempted From Obamacare
The administration waives the law’s requirements for insurers selling policies in the U.S. territories since it does not require residents there to get coverage or provide subsidies. Other stories look at pressure on the administration to issue guidance on the employer mandate and the need to educate newly insured consumers about their coverage.
VA Request This Week For $17.6B Stalls Congressional Effort To Reform Agency
Talks between the House and Senate over revamping care for veterans were already difficult, but the big spending request complicates the situation.
Viewpoints: Democrats’ Hypocrisy On Suing Presidents; What’s Slowing Health Care Costs?
A selection of editorials and opinions on health care from around the country.
Research Roundup: ACA Lawsuit Primer; ACA Strategies In 4 States
This week’s studies come from the National Health Law Program, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, The Kaiser Family Foundation, the Heritage Foundation, the Annals of Internal Medicine and the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
Longer Looks: A Medical Student Takes On Dr. Oz; The Mystery of Blood Types
This week, articles come from The New York Times, The New Yorker, Modern Healthcare, Crain’s Detroit Business, Science-Based Medicine, Vox, Pacific Standard and Mosaic Science.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports on UnitedHealthcare’s move toward the health law’s insurance marketplaces and the latest on the Securities and Exchange Commission investigation into insider trading related to a health policy change.
Senate Democrats Fail To Reverse Hobby Lobby Decision
The bill, which would have restored employers’ mandate to provide birth control to women, did not garner the necessary 60 votes. Republicans argued Democrats were using the issue to gain advantages in the midterm campaign.
