Latest KFF Health News Stories
FDA Takes Steps To Encourage Development Of Medication That Can Be Used To Aid Addiction Treatment
Currently, just three drugs exist to treat opioid use disorder: buprenorphine, methadone, and naltrexone. Adherence to the drugs is typically low, and addiction treatment experts have long said medication assisted treatment is vastly underutilized.
The Washington Post fact checks some Democrats’ talking point that a recent working paper supports the idea that the proposal by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) would save $2 trillion in health care spending. To get to that number, one would need to make unrealistic assumptions, the report’s author says.
Republicans Could Pay Political Price For Cementing Conservative Supreme Court, History Shows
There’s a track record in the nation’s history of political backlash reflected in elected positions any time the court goes too far to one ideological side. Meanwhile, Democrats are digging in to possible ties between Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and a judge forced into retirement last year over sexual harassment allegations.
The regulators were particularly concerned about aggressive and possibly misleading marketing strategies to sell the plans that are being touted by the Trump administration following a rule extending the duration that the coverage can be sold.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Opinion writers express views on these health topics and others.
Different Takes: Is ‘Medicare For All’ The New Health Care Debate Or Just An Old One?
Editorial pages focus on the controversy over “Medicare For All” and other health care costs.
Media outlets report on news from California, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Michigan, Connecticut, Georgia and Florida.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who presides over the Texas Senate also came out forcefully against the idea. In other news, media outlets offer a deeper look at the men behind two mass shootings.
Prosecutors had alleged that Prime Healthcare Services unnecessarily admitted Medicare patients who were being treated at the emergency rooms of several hospitals in its system. Medicare pays more for patients who are admitted to hospitals than those who are treated as outpatients.
There are questions about whose bottom-line the new health care initiative founded by Amazon, JPMorgan Chase, and Berkshire Hathaway will benefit despite CEO Dr. Atul Gawande’s reassurances.
In Effort To Increase Transparency, Administration To Require Hospitals To Post Prices Online
Pushing price transparency has been a main goal of the Trump administration’s top health officials. Uncompensated care and Medicare reimbursement rates make the news as well.
Pharma Scores A Victory With New Jersey Supreme Court’s Ruling On Product Liability Litigation
The ruling essentially tightens the rules for what kind of testimony could be used against pharmaceutical companies being sued over allegations that their medications harm patients.
Billionaire Finds Himself At Center Of Contentious Debate Over VA Privatization
Steve Cohen’s organization funded mental health clinics for veterans across the country. The network of facilities has been closely watched by both sides of the debate — to find proof that the private sector can do the job better than the VA or as a way to highlight the dangers of directing taxpayer money to unaccountable private groups.
Ebola Cases Rise In Congo Where War Zone Makes Fighting Deadly Virus An ‘Unprecedented’ Challenge
In a stable region of the country, health officials took months to end the outbreak and now focus on strategies to contain new flare-ups. Meanwhile, the World Health Organization is waiting to find out if the new Ebola outbreak is one for which a vaccination can be used.
Genealogical Sleuthing Sets Scientists On The Trail To Better Understanding Inherited ALS
A small town in Appalachia and a family there could offer clues about the debilitating disease. In other public health news: pregnancy, organ donors, alcohol, soy milk and more.
If Legal Immigrants Used Medicaid They Could Be Denied Green Card Under Proposed Plan From Trump
Under long-standing federal law, a noncitizen can be denied admission or permanent legal status if immigration authorities determine the person is likely to become a “public charge” — that is, someone reliant on government programs. The Trump administration’s proposal would dramatically expand the criteria used to determine whether someone is likely to become a burden.
Lawmakers Turn Up The Heat On Painkiller-Makers In Investigation Of Their Role In Opioid Crisis
The House Energy and Commerce Committee wants Purdue Pharma, Mallinckrodt, and Insys Therapeutics to provide documents about their relationships with doctors and sales reps, among other things. Meanwhile, singer Demi Lovato speaks out about her addiction after being hospitalized for an overdose.
But U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw also directed the ACLU to create a steering committee to work with the federal government in its efforts to locate the parents. Meanwhile, new numbers show that far fewer parents than the government first reported waived the chance to be back together with their children before being deported.
Just Because Extended Short-Term Plans Are Allowed Doesn’t Mean Insurers Are Ready To Offer Them
With such short notice for the upcoming year, experts predict consumers will see more changes in insurers’ plans in 2019 rather than an immediate rush to make sweeping changes.
