Latest KFF Health News Stories
One possible way to solve the debate over how to end surprise medical billing disputes is make it a loser pays system with a neutral arbitrator. Each side would submit a price, and the arbiter chooses one. Both sides are bound by the decision, while patients’ charges for out-of-network care are limited to what they would owe to in-network providers. By forcing an arbiter to pick an offer, rather than forging a compromise, both parties are, in theory, encouraged to moderate their bids.
Getting Insulin Without The Prick? High-Tech Pill Would Inject Drugs Into The Stomach
Many drugs, like insulin, can’t survive the harsh trip through the digestive system. But the new invention would involve a swallowable capsule that contains a micro-injector that would pop out and inject the stomach wall.
The cure rates are skewed because of the tremendous progress that’s been made with childhood leukemia, but in other pediatric cancers, the cure rates haven’t changed in 20 years. And scientists have a short-list of ideas how how they want to spend the extra money that President Donald Trump pledged in his State of the Union address. Meanwhile, HIV advocates say that to make inroads against the disease, which Trump also made a priority in his address, officials need to increase outreach to black women.
Walgreens Put On Notice By FDA Over Sales Of Tobacco Products To Minors
Walgreens has racked up nearly 1,800 violations for selling tobacco products to minors, the agency reported. FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said Thursday he is requesting a meeting with Walgreens’ corporate management.
Commander Jonathan White of the U.S. Public Health Service testified at a hearing about the Trump administration’s “zero tolerance” policy. “There is no evidence that HHS leaders ever tried to stop this abhorrent policy,” said subcommittee leader, Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.) “As the agency dedicated to the health and welfare of children, we need to know why.” White said he was not aware that anyone at HHS knew the policy was coming.
Trump To Undergo Next Annual Physical With New Doctor
Last year, his personal physician, Dr. Ronny L. Jackson, had declared him to be in “excellent health” because of his “very good genes.” Jackson was replaced last year after Trump nominated him to lead the Veterans Affairs Department, which revealed a controversy involving alleged on-the-job drunkenness. This year, Trump will be examined Dr. Sean Conley, a Navy veteran and doctor of osteopathic medicine.
Despite Possible Political Dangers, Georgia Governor Takes Steps Toward Partial Medicaid Expansion
Gov. Brian Kemp’s aides maintain that he won’t support outright Medicaid expansion, but that he will direct a consultant to devise several options, including some that could allow a more limited expansion of the program, like adding work requirements to the program. Other Medicaid news comes out of Missouri, Tennessee, Utah and Arizona.
There were 19 suicides on VA campuses from October 2017 to November 2018, including a Marine Colonel who — dressed in his uniform blues and medals — sat on top of his military and VA records and killed himself with a rifle outside the Bay Pines Department of Veterans Affairs. “It’s very important for the VA to recognize that the place of a suicide can have great meaning. There is a real moral imperative and invitation here to take a close inspection of the quality of services at the facility level,” said Eric Caine, director of the Injury Control Research Center for Suicide Prevention at the University of Rochester.
Analysis Reveals Uneven Quality Of Care At VA Hospitals Across The Country
USA Today’s analysis shows VA facilities have lower death rates than civilian hospitals, but many also have higher rates of preventable infections and severe bed sores — a sign of potential neglect.
New White House Report Hints That Trump Wants To Move On From Battle Over Health Law
The shift in tone in the Council of Economic Advisers may reflect an acknowledgment that the Democrats successfully campaigned in the midterms on saving the health law.
The tone has been set among the huge field of emerging 2020 presidential contenders: drug prices are a winning issue. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and a slew of other Democrats have signed on to support legislation that would allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices and strip patent exclusivity from pharmaceutical companies if those negotiations fail. The bill faces longshot odds in the Republican-controlled Senate, but it follows the recent trend of lawmakers getting tough on the pharmaceutical industry. In other news, Johnson & Johnson will become the first drugmaker to start listing prices in TV ads.
The poll found a mix of results about what people favored when it came to where health care should be headed. “Folks are clearly saying the system is still sort of broken to some degree, but there isn’t a lot of consensus around how to fix it in one way or another,” said Mohamed Younis, editor-in-chief of Gallup. Meanwhile, a new “Medicare for All” bill would set up a system that would pre-pay hospitals for care.
“He had a long tradition of introducing legislation on the first day of each new Congress to guarantee health care for every single American,” former President Barack Obama wrote of former Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.), who died Thursday. “Because of him, we’ve come closer to that vision than ever before. And when we finally achieve it — and we will — we’ll all owe him our gratitude.”
The case provided the first significant test of abortion rights since the July retirement of Justice Anthony Kennedy, a Reagan appointee who was a pivotal middle-ground figure on the issue. Chief Justice John Roberts joined the liberals to form the majority on the case. The Louisiana admitting privileges law is similar to one out of Texas that was knocked down by the Supreme Court. With this decision, the justices likely committed themselves to giving a full review of the Louisiana case during their next term.
First Edition: February 8, 2019
Mark your calendar: Join our Facebook Live chat, “Helping People Age With Independence,” with KHN columnist Judith Graham on Tuesday, Feb. 12, at 12:30 p.m. Share your questions or experiences ahead of time, or ask questions on Facebook during the event.
Editorial writers focus on these health issues and others.
Different Takes: No Going Backwards On ‘Medicare For All’; Mining The GOP For New Health Care Ideas
Opinion writers weigh in on health care policies.
Research Roundup: Health Law Coverage; HPV Vaccine; And Medicare Part D
Each week, KHN compiles a selection of recently released health policy studies and briefs.
Media outlets report on news from New York, Texas, Massachusetts, Michigan, California, North Carolina, Ohio, Florida, Georgia and Arizona.
It is not uncommon for patients to share the same name and birthday, which can get confusing for traditional record-keeping systems. But technology that relies on things like fingerprints or other physical characteristics could hold the key to eliminating some of the mistakes can result from those mix-ups. In other health technology news: the challenges of telemedicine, virtual reality and childbirth, and electronic health records.
