Latest KFF Health News Stories
How Will Hepatitis C Drug Affect Health Care Spending?
Elsewhere, pharmaceutical companies are upset over new rules for a drug discount program — known as 340B.
Md. Governor Closely Watches How Health Marketplace Plays In Race For Successor
Maryland voters’ views of the roll-out of the online exchange could impact the primary election and have political implications for Gov. Martin O’Malley, who may be considering a presidential run. And in Mississippi, the incumbent senator’s style on issues like the health law may be a disadvantage.
SEC Sues After House Resists Insider Trading Probe
The Securities and Exchange Commission has sued a House committee and its staff director in federal court to enforce subpoenas for documents and testimony about possible tipping of confidential government information about a planned change in Medicare reimbursement rates that reached investors and sent health insurance stocks soaring.
Texas Slow To Move Those With Disabilities Out Of Institutions
Georgia also struggles to move the developmentally disabled out of state hospitals and into community residences, and in Wyoming, cuts are leaving some disabled people with fewer opportunities to get care.
State Highlights: Texas Immigrant Surge Brings Health Crisis
A selection of health policy stories from California, Texas, Ohio, Maryland, North Carolina, Kansas and Massachusetts.
Missouri Proposes ‘Assistant Physician’ Role For Rural Areas
The bill, if signed by Gov. Jay Nixon, would allow medical school graduates to see patients before completing their residencies. The governor has already signed legislation, however, that tries to coax doctors and nurses out of retirement to care for patients again, and allows dentists to give some flu vaccines.
Employers May Delay New Hires’ Health Benefits For Up To 4 Months
A new rule, set to take effect Aug. 25, applies to coverage beginning in plan year 2015, reports CQ HealthBeat. Meanwhile, retiree medical liabilities fall as Americans live longer and interest rates remain low, and PricewaterhouseCoopers projects accelerating employer health costs next year.
A selection of editorials and opinions on health care from around the country.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including coverage of the latest report detailing problems at the VA.
HHS Sec. Burwell Makes Management Changes To Healthcare.gov
The steps are being taken in an effort to prevent a repeat of the difficulties that took place during last year’s launch of the federal online insurance marketplace.
Virginia Gov. Signs Budget, Vetos Medicaid Amendment
Gov. Terry McAuliffe will try to bypass the Republican-controlled legislature to expand health coverage for hundreds of thousands of uninsured residents. Medicaid expansion developments in Wisconsin, California and Pennsylvania are also tracked.
Patient Injuries Mean Medicare Payment Penalties For Some Hospitals
The preliminary analysis of penalties would lower Medicare payments to these hospitals by 1 percent for a year. Elsewhere, lawmakers introduce legislation to change how hospitals that serve a large number of poor patients are affected by Medicare’s penalties.
VA Executives Received High Ratings Before Scandal
Data released at a congressional hearing shows that all of the 470 senior executives at the VA received annual ratings of “fully successful” over the past four years, even though the health system was having delays in processing compensation claims and veterans were having trouble getting access to care.
More Twists In Capitol Hill Insider-Trading Probe
The Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating whether nonpublic information related to a 2013 announcement by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services regarding 2014 reimbursement rates was leaked improperly.
Private Insurers Clamp Down On Drug Prices
More health plans are refusing to cover certain brand-name drugs unless drugmakers agree to offer discounts for them, reports The New York Times. Meanwhile, drug companies are trying to change a federal program designed to allow certain hospitals that treat large numbers of the poor to buy drugs more cheaply, but which critics say allows them to use those savings to pad profits.
Still Waiting On High Court’s Decision On Birth Control Coverage Mandate
A decision could be issued any day. Also still in the mix is the court’s ruling on a First Amendment challenge to a Massachusetts law that established a 35-foot buffer zone to restric demonstrators outside of abortion clinics.
Chicago Hospitals See Little Change In ER Visits; Calif. Probes Anthem’s Provider Lists
The Chicago Sun-Times examines the health law’s effect on local emergency rooms, while the Los Angeles Times reports that state officials are investigating whether Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield of California violated state law by posting inaccurate provider lists.
State Highlights: BlueCross BlueShield Plan Faces Ore. Lawsuit
A selection of health policy stories from Ohio, Oregon, New York, Colorado, Iowa, New Jersey, North Carolina, Georgia, California and Minnesota.
States, Tech Companies Wrestle Over Efforts To Fix Troubled State Marketplace Sites
States seek to recoup funds from technology companies that were involved in creating the online insurance portals that malfunctioned. Meanwhile, Massachusetts reaches a deal on payment while Maryland considers moving to the federal marketplace.
Viewpoints: Concerns About ACOs; Problems In Va. Gov.’s Strategy; Medicaid ‘Black Hole’
A selection of editorials and opinions on health care from around the country.
