Latest KFF Health News Stories
‘Pharma Bro’ Martin Shkreli’s Fate On The Line As Judge Gets Ready To Hand Down Fraud Sentence
Prosecutors are asking for Martin Shkreli, who became the face of exorbitant drug costs, to get 15 years behind bars.
Amazon Has Been Slowly Poaching Employees With Drug Pricing Expertise In A Sign Of Things To Come
Experts say the level of inefficiency in the country’s current drug pipeline creates an enormous opportunity for Amazon, which has built a business empire on using technology to take time and cost out of unnecessarily clunky shopping experiences.
In Ever-Evolving Health Industry Landscape, Companies Realizing They Can’t Go It Alone Anymore
Cigna’s announcement that it will buy Express Scripts is just the latest in a flurry of mergers and acquisitions that has companies in the health care industry partnering up to survive. The proposed plan will face a antitrust merger review, though, which has brought down other deals.
President Doesn’t Seem To Have His Mind Made Up About Violent Media’s Link To Gun Violence
President Donald Trump hosted a “lively” conversation on the topic, but he reportedly seemed more on a fact-finding mission than anything else. Advocates weren’t hopeful any productive action would come from the listening session. Meanwhile, in Florida gun legislation is sitting on Gov. Rick Scott’s desk but he hasn’t indicated whether he plans to sign it.
Republicans’ Abortion Measures Are Deal Breakers For Democrats, Setting Up Spending Bill Battle
The government’s current funding expires on March 23, and Republicans are pushing provisions related to women’s reproductive health that Democrats say they won’t give in on. Meanwhile, one lawmaker wants to include a proposal to fight high drug prices in the final spending bill.
Adding Lifetime Limits To Medicaid Would Be ‘Unspeakably Cruel,’ Democrats Tell HHS Secretary
So far, five states — Maine, Arizona, Utah, Wisconsin and Kansas — have applied for waivers from the Health and Human Services Department to put a cap on how long Medicaid beneficiaries can receive health benefits. In other news, the Medicaid expansion stalemate in Virginia continues as lawmakers say they won’t be able to reach a budget deal by the scheduled conclusion of the session.
Some Areas Of Country Could See ‘Catastrophic’ Premium Increase In Next Three Years
The analysis found that the elimination of the individual mandate in 2019 will be the main driver of the spike in premiums. “The middle class will be priced out of insurance in about a third of America,” said Peter Lee, executive director of Covered California.
Administration Rejects Idaho’s Attempt To Skirt Health Law Rules, But Offers Another Path Forward
Idaho invited insurers to submit coverage plans that don’t measure up to the health law’s requirements. While CMS Administrator Seema Verma said the government has a duty to enforce and uphold the law, she also suggested that with slight modifications the coverage could be legally offered as a short-term plan.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Editorial pages highlight these health issues and others.
Longer Looks: Mental Illness And Homelessness; Death By Bacon; The End Of Mall-Walkers
Each week, KHN’s Shefali Luthra finds interesting reads from around the Web.
Media outlets report on news from Hawaii, Georgia, California, New York, Florida, Maryland and Montana.
Mississippi Poised To Pass 15-Week Abortion Ban That Would Challenge Supreme Court Ruling
The effort is the latest attempt by states seeking to test the Supreme Court’s ruling on when abortions can be performed. Meanwhile, the Indiana Legislature sent a bill to the governor that would change the way medical providers report on abortion complications.
Oklahoma Is Latest State To Signal Interest In Adding Medicaid Work Requirements
After the Trump administration released guidance that work mandates would be approved, many red states have begun jumping at the chance to add restrictions to their Medicaid programs. Media outlets report on Medicaid news out of Virginia, Arkansas and Florida, as well.
Study Upends Widely Held Belief That Adults Can Create New Neurons, Uproar Ensues
If the UCSF researchers are right that the adult human brain does not produce any detectable new neurons in the area that’s supposedly ground zero for neuronal creation, 20 years of neuroscience textbooks have to be rewritten. In other public health news: pre-teen suicide, male doctors in gynecology, probiotics, cancer, and aging.
U.S. District Judge Dan Polster is overseeing a case that consolidated more than 350 lawsuits from cities and states across the country against drugmakers for their alleged role in the opioid epidemic. Although Polster has been pushing for both sides to talk and get to the root of the crisis, it may end up going to court.
Defying NRA, Florida Lawmakers Send Gun Control Legislation To Governor’s Desk
Although the legislation falls short of many of the demands from students affected by the Parkland shooting and other advocates, if it is signed the bill will be the first successful gun control measure in Florida in more than 20 years. Media outlets take a look at what made it in the final draft.
Drugmakers’ ‘Sham Transactions’ With Tribes To Game Patent System Targeted By Lawmakers
The latest legislation introduced in the Senate would limit the ability of a company to transfer patent rights to a foreign country or under legal claims of tribal sovereign immunity.
FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb’s sharp words for the pharmaceutical industry are seen as a strong signal of his interest in curbing high drug costs.
With Women’s Health Riders, Republicans Throw Wrench In Otherwise Smooth Budget Talks
Democrats are opposed to new additions to the fiscal 2018 Labor-Health and Human Services funding measure that target Planned Parenthood and other reproductive health programs.
