Morning Breakouts

Latest KFF Health News Stories

New Allegations Of Sexual Abuse, Neglect Of Children In State Care Surface At Psychiatric Hospital In Chicago

Morning Briefing

Federal authorities have told the Aurora Chicago Lakeshore Hospital it will cut off funding vital to staying open if it doesn’t implement immediate changes. Other hospital news comes from Texas, Virginia, Arizona and Georgia.

EPA Signs Off On Continued Use Of Bayer Weedkiller Farmers Say Damaged Hundreds Of Crop Fields

Morning Briefing

Also, environmental news focuses on a toxic paint stripper still on the market, a groundskeeper’s acceptance of a judge’s decision to lower his lawsuit award from Bayer and Los Angeles County’s takeover of a water agency that allegedly serves smelly water.

Treadmill Stress Test Data Supports Strong Link Between Endurance And Living A Long Life

Morning Briefing

The greater someone’s fitness, the less likely he or she was to have died prematurely and vice versa, the numbers from the Cleveland Clinic showed. Those with high fitness lived longer than those whose fitness was above average. Other public health news focuses on diabetes, homeless veterans, Alzheimer’s, medical education and more.

Shingles Vaccine Lifts Glaxo’s Third-Quarter Earnings Forecast

Morning Briefing

GlaxoSmithKline reports that demand for Shingrix — the drugmaker’s new shingles vaccine that was granted favored status by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last year — is driving healthy profits.

Ohio Medicaid To Begin Treatment For Hepatitis C At Earlier Stage

Morning Briefing

Beginning Jan. 1, 2019, the Ohio Department of Medicaid will begin covering the disease when it first develops. Meanwhile, an audit of California’s Medicaid program made an estimated $4 billion in questionable payments over a four-year period to insurers and medical providers.

If Dems Take The House, What Tops The To-Do List

Morning Briefing

News outlets examine some of the key issues the Democrats could choose to take on, including the high cost of prescription drugs and improvements to the Affordable Care Act. Meanwhile, health care issues continue to be hot topics on the campaign trail. A congressional candidate in Washington, who is also a doctor, is using her first-hand experiences with diabetes and as being a parent to discuss insurance issues. The Washington Post offers a fact check on how GOP candidates are talking about related issues on the campaign trail. And there are a range of state and local ballot questions worthy of a look.

In Some States, Tough Insurance Rules May Thwart Concerns About Cheaper, Skimpier Plans

Morning Briefing

The Kansas City Star looks at how Kansas and Missouri’s laws can help protect consumers considering the less expensive short-term plans that federal officials have been promoting as an alternative to the health law’s more comprehensive policies.

As ACA Marketplaces Open, The Effects Of GOP Changes To Insurance Rules Will Come Into Focus

Morning Briefing

Once again, all eyes are on the federal health law’s exchanges to see how major changes will affect enrollment. The penalty for not having insurance expires at the end of this year. Plus the Trump administration has set new rules promoting short-term health plans that could have lower premiums but also likely will not cover many basic medical expenses or preexisting conditions.