Latest KFF Health News Stories
When Checks And Balances In The Pharmaceutical Marketplace Fall Short
The Washington Post explores how a trio of very expensive anemia drugs became “superstars” in the marketplace. Also, The Wall Street Journal tracks the process by which certain fake cancer drugs found their way into the United States.
Walgreen, Express Scripts Reach Deal To Renew Relationship
Walgreen and Express Scripts will again do business together, allowing hundreds of thousands of Express Scripts customers to get prescriptions from Walgreens, starting again in September. In other news, Johnson & Johnson has agreed to pay as much as $2.2 billion to resolve a marketing investigation.
A selection of editorials and opinions on health reform efforts.
According to a Congressional Research Service memo, the Supreme Court’s recent health law decision only touches the new Medicaid expansion provision of the health law, not penalty requirements associated with the existing program. Meanwhile, Politico Pro offers a list of states to watch as the expansion efforts continue.
State Roundup: Texas Medicaid Fraud Probes Use Controversial Tool
A selection of health policy stories from Texas, Michigan, Oregon, Georgia, Massachusetts, Maine, Ohio and Colorado.
HHS Report: Hospitals Fall Short In Meeting Error Reporting Requirements
The government report says the failure to report medical errors hampers providers’ ability to identify and fix preventable problems. Meanwhile, new Medicare data shows hospitals are making little progress in reducing preventable readmissions.
Research Roundup: Gastric Bypass Costs, Paying For Psychotherapy
This week’s studies come from the Archives of Surgery, Health Services Research and the Annals of Emergency Medicine, as well as other outlets.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports from the presidential campaign trail and from the health care marketplace.
Polling Indicates Americans Still Divided On Health Law
An NPR poll shows that a slight majority – 51 percent – favored amending rather than doing away with the health law. A Quinnipiac poll in Virginia found that 50 percent of respondents said Congress should repeal the overhaul.
Frist Urges State Leaders To Move Quickly On State-Based Exchanges
In an op-ed published Wednesday in “The Week,” former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., who is also a surgeon, suggested that GOP governors rethink their rejection of the online insurance markets called for in the health law.(Frist is a member of The Kaiser Family Foundation board. KHN is an editorially independent project of the foundation.)
Scalia says press reports of a clash between him and the chief justice on the health law ruling are wrong.
The health law’s insurance exchanges make news in Michigan, where the governor won’t get House approval to start work on the marketplace, and in Oregon, where the exchange board eyes a communication campaign to help insure people.
Maine Governor’s Medicaid Plan Could Lead To ‘Direct Confrontation’ With Feds
Gov. Paul LePage views the recent Supreme Court health law decision as license to make deep cuts to Maine’s Medicaid rolls. Meanwhile, in news related to the Medicaid expansion, Arkansas officials estimate future savings of $372 million if it proceeds with the expansion.
Survey: Medicare Beneficiaries Happier With Coverage Than Younger People On Private Plans
The poll results, published in Health Affairs, found that 8 percent of seniors said their coverage was “fair” or “poor” while 20 percent of those with a plan offered through work said that.
States Draw Stark Lines On Abortion With Lawsuits And Legislation
State laws — 40 of them in 15 states — are making it harder to get an abortion in the U.S., according to a new report. Meanwhile, a House panel approves new measure to curb abortion in the District of Columbia.
House Subcommittee Approves Spending Bill That Deletes Health Law Funding
The measure, which is part of the GOP plan to defund the health overhaul, also deletes all federal funding for Planned Parenthood and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
Economy Dominates Voter Concerns, While Health Law Bubbles On Back Burner
Though the economy seems to be trumping the health law on the campaign trail, the overhaul is one of the flashpoints in what the New York Times describes as a “philosophic clash” over the role of the federal government. Meanwhile, President Barack Obama, campaigning in Florida, is expected to talk Medicare. In the background, Vice President Joseph Biden says Obama expected the political backlash triggered by the health law.
EHR Adoption By Doctors Reaches 55 Percent
Medscape reports that, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 3 in 4 physicians who use electronic health records say the EHRs have enhanced patient care.
Documentary Film Provides Glimpse Into The World Of Public Hospitals
The NewsHour reports that a new documentary provides a “fly-on-th-wall look” at the inside of a public hospital.
Postal Service Expects To Miss Health Benefits Payment
The annual $5.5 billion payment, due Aug. 1, is to a health benefits fund for future retirees. The Postal Service is warning that it will defaut without congressional action.
