Latest KFF Health News Stories
One in six hospital patients in the United States is now treated in a Catholic facility, but most facilities provide little information on procedures they won’t perform, such as a tubal ligation to prevent further pregnancies.
How A Chris Collins’ Obsession With A Small Australian Biotech Firm Upended His Career
Rep. Chris Collins (R-N.Y.) announced over the weekend that he would not be seeking reelection. Collins faces insider-trading charges following his involvement with Innate Immunotherapeutics, a tiny biotech firm. The New York Times looks at the actions that landed the three-term congressman in legal trouble.
Administration Optimistic It Can Sidestep Judge’s Ruling On Kentucky Medicaid Work Requirements
The judge blocked Kentucky’s attempt to add work requirements to its Medicaid program because officials had failed to consider the estimate that it would cause 95,000 low-income people to lose coverage. Now, Trump administration officials say that if they provide a fuller record showing that they considered the evidence that they’ll be able to move forward.
A Green Card Or Health Care? Possible Trump Proposal Could Make Legal Immigrants Have To Choose
Experts are most worried about the way the rule, which would expand the definition of “public charge,” will affect children’s health. The proposal is set to include: children’s health insurance; Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Plan (SNAP, formerly known as food stamps); Supplemental Nutritional Program for Women, Infants and Children, known as WIC; tax credits for low- to moderate-income families; and housing and transit subsidies.
First Edition: August 13, 2018
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Viewpoints: Lessons On Rising Obesity Rates; Warning Signs About Driving While Stoned
Opinion writers focus on these health topics and others.
Editorial pages focus on issues centering on health care programs.
Research Roundup: Single Payer; Health Care Sharing Ministries; And Heart Health
Each week, KHN compiles a selection of recently released health policy studies and briefs.
Media outlets report on news from California, New York, Michigan, Kansas, Florida, Ohio, Georgia, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Texas.
Why Does Spinal Surgery Cost $12,326 At One Hospital And $80,518 At Another In The Same State?
A deep dive into prices at Minnesota’s hospitals reveals wide disparities in what procedures cost, but leaves more questions than answers in its wake.
The government pledged in a new report on the tragedy to invest more than $100 billion in upgrades for infrastructure and health care, noting, “The hurricanes’ devastating effects on people’s health and safety cannot be overstated.”
North Carolina Wants To Shift Medicaid Program To A Managed-Care Model
The Federal government hasn’t approved the transition, but the state expects the waiver to get a green light. Medicaid news comes out of Texas, as well.
The weapons against the body’s immune system could be used as biomarkers to figure out if the patient will respond to a very expensive type of therapy. In other public health news: psychologists at military prisons, cancer-killing drugs, surgery centers, eye worms and more.
Trump Administration Endangered Public Health By Keeping Pesticide On Market, Appeals Court Rules
The court has ordered the EPA to ban chlorpyrifos, which can damage children’s neurodevelopment. A coalition of farmworkers and environmental groups sued last year after then-EPA chief Scott Pruitt reversed an Obama-era effort to ban the pesticide.
As Baby Boomers Age, Non-Emergency Medical Transportation Needs Are Skyrocketing
New companies are trying to fill the demand where taking an Uber or Lyft just won’t cut it. Many patients opt to skip appointments when they can’t find a ride, and those no-shows are costing billions in lost revenue. In other health industry news: Rite Aid has an uncertain future after calling off unpopular merger; the Cigna-Express deal has passions high; and Amazon is considering opening health clinics for its employees.
Number Of Women Who Delivered Babies While Addicted To Opioids Quadrupled In 15-Year Span
The study is the first to examine hospital data about opioid-addicted women delivering babies, and the numbers mirror well-known trends in opioid-exposed newborns.
The letters were sent to doctors of patients who came through the coroner’s office because of a fatal overdose. Though the effects were modest, researchers say it does show that small steps can make a difference in the battle against opioids.
Following Barrage Of Lawsuits, Government Reverses Course On Grants For Preventing Teen Pregnancies
The Trump administration had informed 81 groups last August that their grants would end in 2018 rather than in 2020, but multiple judges ruled the move was unlawful.
The new guidance, which officials say will cut back on the companies’ “abusive behavior,” concerns the rebates that drug makers have to pay back to states when a patient receives one of their medicines. In other pharmaceutical news: the administration is preparing to put action behind its rhetoric on drug pricing; some say Medicare’s new negotiating powers could lead to increased hospitalizations; and more.
Following a recent analysis of the cost of the program, questions arise about how the government would pay for a “Medicare For All” system. But New York congressional candidate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D) says it’s not an impossibility. The single-payer issue also makes campaign waves in Ohio.
