Latest KFF Health News Stories
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.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including news stories about healthcare.gov management changes.
Consumer Group Presses Hospitals To Stop ‘Unethical’ Screenings
Public Citizen called on 20 hospitals to stop partnering with companies that promote low-cost medical screenings, which it says can lead to unneeded, expensive and even risky follow-up exams.
N.Y. Lawmakers Reach Medical Marijuana Deal
The agreement would allow doctors to prescribe it for a half-dozen medical conditions, but some lawmakers say the deal was more limited than they had hoped.
Fla. Cancer Docs Bill Often For Controversial Drug
And former Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson is urging Medicare to cover some obesity medicines.
In Letter To Hill, HHS Asserts Authority To Redistribute Money To Insurers
Elsewhere, more subpoenas are issued in the investigation of whether some Hill staffers may have leaked Medicare policy news to stock brokers.
Audit Questions Female Inmate Sterilizations In California
At least 39 female inmates in California prisons underwent sterilizations in which the women’s informed consent was in question, according to a state audit released Thursday.
Preliminary Report Examines Immigrants’ Issues Getting Coverage
A study to be released in the next several weeks by an Illinois advocacy group examines issues that prevented the enrollment of many legal immigrants, The Associated Press reports. Meanwhile, The Washington Post examines a coal mining community’s hostility to the health overhaul despite its residents’ needs.
CDC Says Scientists May Have Been Exposed To Anthrax
As many as 75 researchers in Atlanta may have come in contact with the live virus after workers failed to follow proper safety procedures. CDC says the risk of infection, however, is low.
Montana Medicaid Ballot Initiative Falls Short
Supporters announced that they didn’t have enough signatures by the filing deadline. Meanwhile, in other state news on Medicaid expansion, Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe is facing a deadline on how to respond to the General Assembly’s budget, which did not include his request.
Obama To Extend Full Marriage Benefits To Gay Couples
Same-sex married couples will be eligible for emergency family leave and the full panoply of spousal benefits provided under federal law, regardless of whether the state in which they live recognizes their marriages. In addition, the government plans to extend those benefits to federal employees.
Calif. Marketplace Officials Raise Concerns About Initiative’s Effects
Backers of the ballot measure say it will not disrupt how the exchange works in the state but allow the insurance commissioner more authority over premium increases.
Most People Buying On Exchanges Were Uninsured, Survey Finds
Nearly six in 10 people buying their own health insurance through health law exchanges were previously uninsured — most for at least two years, according to a new survey that looks at the experiences of those most affected by the law.
State Highlights: Suit Over Transgender Medicaid Coverage In N.Y.; Calif. Nursing Home Inspections
A selection of health policy stories from New York, California, Texas, Connecticut, Colorado and Minnesota.
