Latest KFF Health News Stories
Bill Banning 20-Week Abortions Sails Through House, But Faces Likely Demise In Senate
With overwhelming Democratic opposition in the upper chamber, it would be nearly impossible for the legislation to get the 60 votes. In other news: in many parts of the country abortion clinics are few and far between; Planned Parenthood and the ACLU are both suing over restrictions on abortion pills; a ruling will allow Planned Parenthood to seek more abortion licenses in Missouri; and more.
Postponing A Delay To Funding Cut For Hospitals’ Uncompensated-Care Costs Floated By House Committee
The House Energy and Commerce panel added the delay of disproportionate-share hospital funding cuts to the CHIP reauthorization bill. Hospitals in New Jersey, Texas and Massachusetts also make headlines today.
Former HHS Secretary Testifies About ‘Unusual’ Meeting With Menendez On Medicare Billing
Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) is accused of misusing his office to do favors for a wealthy Florida eye doctor and political donor, in exchange for hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions. Prosecutors say Menendez took bribes to help the doctor with a Medicare dispute.
Senator Pushes For Fast Action On Right-To-Try Bill, But House Is Being Cautious
The House Energy and Commerce Committee on Tuesday heard from Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, who shared his concerns about the scope of the Senate’s measure.
Scott Gottlieb has won over many criticis by seeking to widen access to generic drugs, asserting that the agency should play a role in addressing the nation’s opioid epidemic, and announcing plans to tighten regulations on tobacco products. In other news, House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) reportedly asked the White House to reconsider Tom Price’s departure before the resignation of the secretary of Health and Human Services was announced.
Medical Debt Is Generally Higher In States That Didn’t Expand Medicaid
A study finds states that didn’t expanded their Medicaid programs under the federal health law saw the percentage of people with unpaid medical bills fall only about half as much as in states that expanded. Also, a plan to reform Michigan’s auto insurance could backfire on the Medicaid program, and questions are raised about Kentucky officials’ attempts to keep documents private dealing with their efforts to revamp the state’s Medicaid program.
Storm-Struck Puerto Rico May Get Another $1B In Medicaid Funding
The House Energy and Commerce Committee tucked the request into the bill to reauthorize the Children’s Health Insurance Program.
GOP’s Plan To Pay For CHIP May Derail Efforts To Renew Funding Of Popular Program
Democrats oppose Republicans’ efforts to scrap the Affordble Care Act’s prevention fund, which has been criticized as a “slush fund,” and don’t like the GOP’s proposal to remove lottery winners from state Medicaid programs. Meanwhile, states are bracing for the impact if the money is not renewed.
Cassidy Says He Plans To Modify Bill To Replace Health Law And That CBO Will Issue Full Analysis
Despite the push by Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) to revive the stalled Republican Graham-Cassidy legislation, Senate leaders and committees have not given any hints that they expect the measure to come up again soon.
“It’s very hard for a regulator to deny those rate increases when we can take a look at their bottom line and can tell they can’t continue if they can’t keep their head above water,” said Mike Kreidler, Washington State’s insurance commissioner and a supporter of the health law. Meanwhile, lawmakers are moving forward with bipartisan talks to try to stabilize the marketplace.
First Edition: October 4, 2017
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
Media outlets report on news from Maryland, Florida, Texas and Georgia.
New York Governor, NYC Mayor Bicker Publicly Over Hospital Funding
Congress let payments to Disproportionate Share Hospital expire on Sunday, which results in about a $1.1 billion loss for New York’s neediest hospitals. Gov. Andrew Cuomo and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s office took to Twitter to air grievances over funding for the city’s municipal public hospital system.
Supporters Of Medicaid Expansion In Utah File Initial Paperwork To Get It On The 2018 Ballot
If the wording for the referendum passes muster, the supporters must still hold public hearings and gather 113,000 signatures to put the measure before the voters.
Republicans Say That Planned Parenthood Clinics Are Mostly In Urban Areas. That’s Not Quite True.
Roughly half of the organization’s clinics are located in areas that are rural, or are federally designated as medically underserved or health professional shortage areas. In other women’s health news: a conservative group urges Congress to vote on a bill to ban abortions after 20 weeks, an appeals court has a change of heart about Missouri abortion restrictions, and more.
Worried About CHIP Funding Stalled In Congress, State Officials Start Drawing Up Plan Bs
Although Congress missed a deadline to renew funding for the popular program that provides health care for children, money won’t run out for the states until the end of the year. Officials, however, are already concerned about the impact the uncertainty of it all will have.
Shire Files Anti-Trust Suit Against Allergan: ‘There Was Not A Level Playing Field’
Shire says it offered discounts to Medicare Part D plans, but the program refused due to Allergan’s “bundled discounts, exclusive dealing” and other tactics.
Gottlieb Says FDA Is Encouraging Production Of Complex Generic Drugs To Bring Down Prices
The head of the Food and Drug Administration says in a blog post that his agency will provide guidance to drugmakers on how to win approvals for these medications that are especially hard to make. In congressional testimony, he also says the agency supports “right-to-try” legislation that allows people with serious illnesses access to experimental drugs, but he would like the measure to apply only to people with terminal diseases.
Chatter Over Next HHS Chief Includes A Strident Opponent Of ACA, A Pragmatist And An Obama Holdover
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Chief Seema Verma and Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb are two of the top names that keep coming up. But others — like Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin and former Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal — are also in the mix.
