Latest KFF Health News Stories
Here Are The Lawmakers Who May Take The Gavels Of Committees That Oversee Health Care
When Democrats assume the House majority in January, the committees overseeing health care will see a shake up in leadership. But in the Senate, where Republicans will maintain control, the changes will be more modest.
Tackling High Drug Prices Likely At The Top Of Agenda For 116th Congress
The issue is one that lawmakers from both parties, as well as President Donald Trump, are eager to address. But other health care priorities from the Democrats might be checked by the cushy majority the Republicans hold in the Senate.
Health Care Stocks Soar As Threat To Health Law Fades With Democrats’ House Victory
Analysts have called a split Congress the best case scenario for the marketplace. “We expect to see legislative deadlock for the next two years, with an uptick in House hearings and political posturing while President Trump continues to push his agenda through executive action and the judiciary,” Leerink analyst Ana Gupte said.
Media outlets across the country offer a look at 2018 races that affected their states.
The gun safety movement was unable to turn the tide in some key races in Florida, but the Parkland students say they are encouraged by how close some of the results were. “Things didn’t necessarily go our way but we know that this is the start, that it’s going to be a long road,” one of the most vocal students, David Hogg, said on Wednesday. “The Florida elections were very close, which is encouraging. For us, the loss in Florida is a call to action.”
Successful Ballot Initiatives Lay Groundwork For Banning Abortion If Roe V. Wade is Overturned
Both Alabama and West Virginia voters approved measures that alter the abortion protections in their state constitutions. West Virginia residents also voted to cut off Medicaid funding for abortions and set a jail sentence of three to 10 years for anyone who performs or receives the procedure.
This election delivered wins on more liberal ballot measures even in states where voters elected politicians with deeply conservative views. The dissonance could show a way forward for advocates looking to focus on policy rather than politics. “Americans want everyone to make a living wage and be able to go to the doctor when they got sick,” said Jonathan Schleifer, executive director of the Fairness Project. “Ballot initiatives shows there’s an agenda that can bring people together across party lines.”
Approved ballot measures in red states Idaho, Nebraska and Utah were successful in circumventing the states’ legislatures, which have blocked Medicaid expansion. Those three states will join Virginia, which approved expansion last spring, and Maine, where voters approved an expansion last year that has been blocked by Republican Gov. Paul LePage. The incoming Democratic governor, Janet Mills, says she will let the measure go forward. In all, nearly 800,000 people could be newly eligible for the program across the five states.
Democrats’ House Win Is Likely End For Republicans’ Years-Long ‘Repeal And Replace’ Battle
“I think it is very obvious that a Democratic House is not going to be interested in” changes to the health law, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said. The battle over health care will likely shift toward “Medicare for all,” a plan touted by the progressive wing of the Democratic Party. Meanwhile, 26 percent of voters said health care was the most important issue for them in deciding their vote, and three out of four voters who listed health care as their top issue voted for Democrats.
First Edition: November 8, 2018
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Editorial pages focus on these public health issues and others.
Different Takes: GOP Incoherence On Health Law Cost Them In Midterms; Time To Shore Up The ACA
Opinion writers weigh in on the health law’s role in the midterm elections and other health care topics.
Perspectives: Can Drug Pricing Legislation Gain Traction In This Post-Election Washington?
Read recent commentaries about drug-cost issues.
Drugmakers Lobby Trump Administration To Halt Discounts For Seniors
News outlets report on stories related to pharmaceutical pricing.
Media outlets report on news from New Hampshire, California, Illinois, Texas and other states.
‘Alarming’ Staffing Vacancy Rate Undermines Care For Veterans, Report Finds
Most of the nearly 40,000 vacancies are for medical and dental staff such as doctors and nurses. In other health news on veterans, Georgia is undergoing an increase in homeless women veterans.
Lower taxes in the third quarter also helped CVS, which says it will complete the purchase of the health care insurer before Thanksgiving and begin expanding the care it provides through many of its nearly 10,000 stores.
Among the many other ballot measures voters considered across the country: California opted to have ambulance crews stay on duty while eating lunch, approved new funding for California’s children’s hospitals; Massachusetts rejected hospital staffing ratios; and Missouri approved medical marijuana.
One Of This Election Day’s Biggest Winners: Medicaid Expansion
Voters in three states — Utah, Idaho and Nebraska — voted for ballot measures to expand Medicaid, even though their governors and state legislatures may have thought differently. Votes are still being counted in Montana, where an initiative proposed continued funding for Medicaid expansion through a tobacco tax.
New Democratic Governors In Wis., Kan. And Calif. Could Impact Health Policies
The Republicans in Wisconsin and Kansas had opposed parts of the federal health plan. In California, Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom has supported a single-payer health system.
