Latest KFF Health News Stories
Viewpoints: The Promise And Price Tag Of A New Cancer Drug; Medicaid In Indian Country
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
Thinking About A Single-Payer System: Pros And Cons Of ‘Medicare For All’
Opinion writers communicate their takes on the health care plan advanced by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).
Newspapers offer their members of Congress a bleak picture of what would happen in their states if the Graham-Cassidy proposal were to become law.
Parsing The Policies: Is This Just Another ‘Lousy’ Bill Or Does It Advance A ‘Great Idea’?
There are a variety of ideas about the Graham-Cassidy bill now pending in the Senate, with some saying it’s “poison” and others praising its intent to give states flexibility.
Political Reverberations: How Graham-Cassidy Impacts The Health Care Debate
Editorial pages feature opinions praising this “last-chance” legislation or calling it “nonsense” and “cynical.” They also detail how, regardless of the outcome of the vote planned for next week, the GOP will own it.
Longer Looks: Cassidy-Graham; A Man-Made Epidemic & A Single-Payer Failure
Each week, KHN’s Shefali Luthra finds interesting reads from around the Web.
Media outlets report on news from Texas, North Carolina, Maine, Florida, California, Nevada, Colorado, Michigan, Missouri, New Hampshire, Louisiana and Minnesota.
CVS To Limit Duration, Dose Of Opioid Prescriptions For Some Patients
Starting in February 2018, if CVS-covered patients arrive at the pharmacy with a prescription above its new limits, the pharmacy will kick it back to the doctor for review.
Bouncing Back From Trauma Is Possible, But Some People Have To Work Harder Than Others
Dr. Dennis Charney has spent years studying trauma. And then he joined the ranks of the patients he worked with. In other public health news, ADHD, embryo editing, effects of gender stereotypes, the science of weight loss, the flu and more.
Florida Closes Nursing Home Tied To 9 Patient Deaths, Issues Rebuke For False Patient Records
Staff at the home entered normal vital signs into the medical records of several residents after they had already been evacuated, Florida officials said.
Pfizer-J&J Legal Brawl Could Set Precedent For Competition In Biosimilar Landscape
If Pfizer is successful, it could discourage brand name companies from using deals with insurers to limit competition in the emerging biosimilar market. If Pfizer loses, the case could highlight a strategy those companies could continue to use to deter competition.
Each one of the chartered flights is estimated to have cost tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars. Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price has advocated cost-cutting at his agency. His predecessors often traveled by commercial flights or on trains.
Children’s Health Program And Community Health Centers’ Funding Stuck In Senate Logjam
A bipartisan deal on the popular Children’s Health Insurance Program was reached by senators earlier this month, but it looks unlikely to get a vote before the program’s authority expires on Sept. 30 because the Senate is consumed with efforts to replace the federal health law. Also in Medicaid news, officials in New Mexico unveil plans to charge enrollees premiums and copayments.
Given State Of Affairs Around Health Law, States Stuck Approving Sharp Premium Increases
Because of all the uncertainty in D.C., states like Kentucky, Mississippi and Virginia are approving average rates for major insurers that are at least 25 percent higher than they were in 2017. Meanwhile, Department of Health and Human Services documents show that outreach efforts under the Obama administration actually were working.
The health policy debate is more complicated than the soundbites from both sides may convey.
‘It Wasn’t Perfect, But It Was Better’: Obama Defends Health Law, Calls Repeal Efforts Aggravating
Former President Barack Obama spoke about the frustration of watching “people trying to undo that hard-won progress for the 50th or 60th time with bills that would raise costs or reduce coverage.”
Insurers Were Reluctant To Criticize Previous GOP Efforts, But New Bill Prompts Them To Speak Out
Not only would the legislation further destabilize the marketplace and jeopardize patient care, but it could potentially allow “government-controlled single payer health care to grow,” said AHIP’s Marilyn B. Tavenner. Among the other groups opposed to the bill are the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, the American Heart Association, the American Medical Association and more.
After Other September Successes, Unlikely Duo ‘Chuck And Nancy’ Set Sights On Health Care
Democrats are trying to rally to stop the last-ditch Republican efforts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. If they can stop it, will Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) convince President Donald Trump to consider modest reform measures?
Trump Predicts Some Furious Lobbying Over Next Few Days, But Thinks Bill Has ‘Very Good Chance’
By President Donald Trump’s reckoning, “we’re at 47 or 48 already, senators, and a lot of others are looking at it very positively.”
McConnell Will Bring Graham-Cassidy To Floor Next Week — But Only If He’s Sure It Will Pass
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) left himself some wiggle room if negotiations don’t go his way.
