Latest KFF Health News Stories
Sanders Details Plan To Overhaul Veterans Health Care
On Sunday, Senate Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., unveiled legislation, called the Restoring Veterans’ Trust Act, which is designed to smooth out the troubled Department of Veterans Affairs by — among other changes — making it easier for veterans to see outside providers if care isn’t available within 30 days.
After Controversies, Medicare Reimbursement For End-Of-Life Planning Again Getting Consideration
Stateline reports on this development.
New Editor Takes Reins At Health Affairs
In breaking precedent, journal turns to a lawyer for leadership.
Media outlets offer opinions on Gen. Eric Shinseki’s departure from the Department of Veterans Affairs and efforts to fix problems in that system.
Oncologists Urged To Consider Financial Impact Of Treatments
The American Society of Clinical Oncology is developing a system to rate drugs for advanced cancer based on their likely benefits and side effects, as well as on their price. Meanwhile, better long-term care is urged for the millions who survive the disease, and a report details how drugmakers are tailoring treatments to individuals’ genetic makeups even though that may affect only small numbers of people.
Viewpoints: GOP Needs To Refine Its Message On Health Law; Battle Over School Lunches
A selection of editorials and opinions from around the country.
GOP Candidates Expand Campaign-Trail Message Beyond The Health Law
Increasingly, it appears that Republican candidates are focusing their assaults on more than just the Affordable Care Act. News outlets examine how the overhaul is playing on the campaign trail.
Medicare To Cover Sex-Change Surgery
The ruling, handed down Friday by a Department of Health and Human Services appeals board, reverses a Medicare policy in place since 1981. It covers surgery, but not other treatments like hormones.
Virginia’s Medicaid Expansion Standoff Moves State Toward Budget Shortfall, Government Shutdown
Also in the news, after Louisiana’s Medicaid expansion efforts failed in the legislature, the state is poised to try out Gov. Bobby Jindal’s alternative to the federal health law.
States Focus on Network Adequacy, Other Issues
States are updating rules to better reflect how the health system has changed as a result of the Affordable Care Act, and the Los Angeles Times takes a look at confusion by doctors, as well as consumers, about who’s in the new networks.
With Healthcare.gov The Go-To For 36 States, National Exchange Becoming A Likely Possibility
Politico reports that a national enrollment system is what liberals wanted all along, and now, because some GOP governors took a pass on state-run marketplaces while some Democratic states bungled theirs, it’s picking up steam. News outlets also report on the latest exchange news from Maryland, Illinois, Minnesota and Washington.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about state health law implementation activities as well as the next steps regarding the difficulties at the VA health system.
VA Chief Shinseki Apologizes And Says He Is Replacing Leadership At Troubled Phoenix VA Hospital
Two days after a preliminary Inspector General report confirmed secret waiting lists at a Phoenix veterans hospital, Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki addresses a conference on homeless veterans and says the breach of integrity “is indefensible.” He meets today with President Obama amid calls for his resignation in Congress.
VA Scandal Becomes Issue In Congressional Campaigns
As probes of Veterans Affairs hospitals continue, Democratic and Republican candidates are pointing fingers and attempting to find political advantage in the controversy.
Most Americans Say Health Law Has Not Affected Them
Among those who report being impacted, Republicans are much more likely to say they know someone who has been hurt by the law, while Democrats are more likely to say their families have been helped, according to The Kaiser Family Foundation’s monthly tracking poll.
Research Roundup: Surviving Trauma When Older; ACA’s Big Waiver For States
This week’s studies come from JAMA Internal Medicine; JAMA Surgery; the Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law; The Urban Institute; The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation; and the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research.
Sticker Shock Marks Newly Insured’s Health Law Coverage
Also, federal regulators ponder if e-cigarettes are considered tobacco use — allowing insurers to charge more in premiums to their users. And one Texas family’s Obamacare opt-out story.
CMS Won’t Review Billings Despite IG Report That It Overpays Doctors
The inspector general’s report points at $6.7 billion in overspending in 2010 by Medicare. The HHS inspector general also says that the program paid $457 million in 2012 to detect drugs after a sharp increase in prescription drug abuse.
Medtronic Settles Whistleblower Case For $9.9 Million
Suit accused the medical device maker of giving doctors gifts in return for using its products. Elsewhere, a federal judge denied dismissal of a lawsuit against Novartis alleging a kickback campaign to boost its drugs covered by Medicare and Medicaid.
Oregon Gov. Pursues Lawsuit Against Oracle
Gov. John Kitzhaber asks the state attorney general to start legal proceedings against the company that was paid $130 million to build the state’s online exchange, which never functioned properly.
