Latest KFF Health News Stories
FDA Warns About Herbal Supplement Used As Addiction Treatment
Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said the supplement kratom is responsible for at least 36 recent deaths.
In Anticipated Study, Monthly Opioid Treatment Shown To Be About As Effective As Daily Pill
But the monthly treatment is more difficult because participants have to wean themselves off opioids for a period of three days before they could start taking Vivitrol. Because of that hurdle, patients failed to start on Vivitrol at four times the rate that they did on the daily medication Suboxone.
During HHS Nominee’s Tenure At Eli Lilly, Company Tripled Price Of A Top-Selling Insulin Drug
President Donald Trump touted Alex Azar as a “star” who could help combat high drug prices. But Azar’s history as a top pharma executive has critics worried.
Democrats Use CBO Report To Warn Tax Bill Will Trigger Medicare Cuts
The Congressional Budget Office warned that the tax bill could set off a budget rule that would necessitate cuts to Medicare of as much as $25 billion next year.
GOP Slips Repeal Of Individual Mandate Into Tax Bill In Hopes Of Scoring Two-In-One Victory
Not only would repealing the individual mandate save billions over the next decade, but it would allow Republicans to fulfill a years-long promise to voters. The Democrats and many in the health industry, however, are ardently opposed to the move.
First Edition: November 15, 2017
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Repeal Of ACA Individual Mandate To Be Added To Senate Tax Bill
Following a renewed push from President Donald Trump and conservative senators, Senate Republicans agree to include a measure repealing the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate to their version of the tax bill.
Viewpoints: Trump’s Pick To Head HHS Draws Criticism For Pharma Ties; HIV Quarantine?
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
Opinion writers offer their thoughts on a range of health policy topics, including future congressional efforts to move on the Alexander-Murray bill, the importance of access to health insurance and the latest on Medicaid from Ohio and Iowa.
Media outlets report on news from Illinois, California, Massachusetts, Arkansas, Texas and Ohio.
Spotlight On Assaults At Minn. Long-Term Care Centers: 97% Of Cases Never Investigated
A series by the Minneapolis Star Tribune examines how state officials handle the hundreds of assaults, rapes and robberies at senior care centers.
San Francisco Wages Quiet Battle Against Hep C With Patched-Together Budget, Determination
The city’s campaign is the result of an alliance among health officials, hospitals, advocates, and clinicians to cobble together funding, coordinate care, and combat the stigma of a disease associated with prison, drug use, and unsafe sex. In other public health news: high blood pressure, immunotherapy, health health and sex, genetic engineering, and soda.
Bill Gates Notes Family History Of Alzheimer’s While Pledging $50M To Help Fight Disease
“I know how awful it is to watch people you love struggle as the disease robs them of their mental capacity, and there is nothing you can do about it,” Bill Gates said. “It feels a lot like you’re experiencing a gradual death of the person that you knew.”
The app lets law enforcement officials track overdoses in real time, a rarity in the data-starved landscape of the opioid epidemic. Media outlets report on the crisis out of New York and Massachusetts as well.
Data Is Starting To Pull Curtain Back On Health Costs, But There’s Still A Long Way To Go
Experts hope the extra transparency, though, will change Americans’ behavior as consumers. In other news on medical costs, the toll of the Las Vegas shooting, Medicare billing and virtual doctors.
Vets Who Are Denied Benefits Face Antiquated Appeals System That Can Take Decades
The Department of Veterans Affairs pays benefits to about 5 million people, but more than 470,000 veterans have been denied and are appealing. Those appeals can be mired in bureacracy for years. Also in the news, an Arizona-based company that oversees care for some veterans is hoping to extend its contract — even as it’s a target of a federal grand jury investigation.
Digital Pill Approved By FDA, But Some Worry It’s The Medical Equivalent Of A Tattletale
The pill has sensors that alert doctors to when patients take their medication. But some warn the device could breed mistrust.
Senate Keeps Medical Expense Deduction, But It Could Still Be Cut During Tax Bill Negotiations
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump is once again calling for lawmakers to include the repeal of the health law’s individual mandate in their tax plan.
Decades-Old Law Lets Insurer Skirt Health Law Regulations, Providing Tempting Model For GOP
Tennessee Farm Bureau Health Plans is still allowed to use patients’ health status to determine their rates and eligibility, which is illegal elsewhere under the Affordable Care Act. In other news, The New York Times looks at how red states have been subsidizing blue states’ health insurance for years.
Supreme Court To Hear Free Speech Case Involving Calif. Pregnancy Centers
A California state law requires pregnancy centers to provide information about abortion options to its patients. The centers say the law violates their right to free speech by forcing them to convey messages at odds with their beliefs.
