Latest KFF Health News Stories
Supreme Court DNA Ruling Leaves Questions Unanswered
Editorial boards weigh in on what Thursday’s Supreme Court ruling means for medical research and for the medical industry.
Viewpoints: Good News From Medicare Trustees; Medicaid No ‘Cure-All’ For Access To Care
A selection of editorials and opinions on health care from around the country.
Complications Emerge To Administration’s Plan B Proposal
NPR reports on Judge Edward Korman’s response to the Obama administration’s Plan B proposal while CNN Money explores how the “conscience clause” creates challenges for drugstores as they sell the morning-after pill over the counter.
State Highlights: Ga. Ponders Higher Health Plan Rates For Employees
A selection of health policy stories from Georgia, Virginia, California and Oregon.
Texas Scrambles To Find Money For Approved Health Care Projects
In Texas, revenue woes are hampering a series of health care experiments, including how the state gives health care to its poor and uninsured, though federal approval for the projects came in May. In California, lawmakers get set to add some dental coverage for the state’s poorest residents.
In Unanimous Decision, Supreme Court Justices Rule Genes Can’t Be Patented
The decision was applauded by many researchers and drew speculation that it could likely boost patient care. Meanwhile, the stock of Myriad Genetics tumbled after the court’s finding invalidated the company’s hold on testing for two breast cancer genes.
Calif. Regulator Seeks To Bar Anthem From Small Business Health Exchange
Meanwhile, Minnesota officials announce the opening of a call center Sept. 3 to answer consumer questions about the state’s online insurance marketplace, which will begin enrolling people a month later.
Immigrants’ Health Care Costs Are Hot Topic On Capitol Hill
Other media reports detail Sen. Ron Wyden’s proposal to allow accountable care organizations to focus on the sickest, most costly patients; questions from Rep. Darrell Issa, R.-Calif., about the navigator program’s funding; and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi’s, D-Calif., angry response to a reporter’s question about late-term abortions.
This week’s articles come from The Nation, Forbes, The New York Times Magazine, The Atlantic and the Los Angeles Times.
Research Roundup: Studying States’ Readiness For Insurance Exchanges
Health policy research and briefs this week come from Health Affairs, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Dartmouth Atlas Project, the Centers for Studying Health System Change and the California HealthCare Foundation.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about how, after months of battle, Arizona lawmakers endorsed a Medicaid expansion plan backed by Gov. Jan Brewer.
Survey: Employers ‘Pessimistic’ About Health Law Costs
The Wall Street Journal reports on a survey that finds companies increasingly “pessimistic” they can avoid health care cost increases they believe will stem from the overhaul. Politico reports that insurers are showing little interest in small business exchanges. Also in the news, Indiana House Republicans worry that schools are cutting employee hours to avoid health law penalties.
Details Emerging About Costs For Health Plans Available Through Health Exchanges
CNN Money reports that some consumers may be surprised by the out-of-pocket costs — including deductibles and co-payments — these plans include. Other news outlets report on developments related to online marketplaces in California, Minnesota and Colorado.
House Panel Votes To Ban Abortions After 20 Weeks Of Pregnancy
An aide to House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., said a vote by the full House is planned later this month. Rep. Trent Frank, R-Ariz., one of the bill’s sponsors on the House Judiciary Committee, drew criticism for arguing against an amendment to exclude victims of rape and incest by saying that the pregnancy rate from rape is “very low.”
Viewpoints: ‘Tyranny’ Over Insurers; Obama’s Promises; Rep. Franks’s Abortion Claim
A selection of editorials and opinions on health care from around the country.
End-Of-Life Care: Study Finds Quality Improving But Costs Increasing
A brief by the Dartmouth Institute finds that Medicare spending for chronically ill patients at the end of life went up more than 15 percent from 2007 to 2010.
Accenture: Boom Ahead For Retail Health Clinics
According to the consulting firm Accenture, the number of retail clinics will likely double by the end of 2015 — a trend fueled by the demand for care by consumers who will become insured under the health law. Meanwhile, the Fiscal Times examines why some physicians are choosing not to accept any health insurance.
House Lawmakers Closer On Medicare Pay Overhaul, Medicaid Pay Increase
House lawmakers move closer to proposing a plan to overhaul how Medicare pays doctors and wonder how they can increase doctors’ Medicaid pay — typically the purview of states.
Judge OKs Administration Plan On ‘Morning After’ Pill
A federal judge Wednesday accepted the Obama administration’s plan to make the Plan B One-Step “morning after” pill available over the counter to buyers of all ages, winding down a decade-long fight on the pill.
Elsewhere, some groups are pushing back against a plan to push mental health records into a national gun background-check database.
