Latest KFF Health News Stories
Moody’s Says Trump’s Medicaid Cuts Would ‘Pressure States’ And Harm Nonprofit Hospitals
The credit rating agency says changes in Medicaid “would force states to make difficult decisions about safety-net spending for hospitals that serve large numbers of indigent patients.” Also, the Dallas Morning News examines how Medicaid cuts will affect state residents.
Green Bay voters gathered to express concerns about the legislation despite knowing Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) wouldn’t be there. Meanwhile, in North Carolina, dozens were arrested following a health care protest.
Dirt-Cheap ‘Junk Insurance’ Plans, Wiped Out By ACA, Could Reappear Under GOP Health Bill
The Congressional Budget Office says the plans are so low-quality that it considers people who have them to be uninsured. In other news on the Republican health care plan, former patients speak out against the high-risk pools central to the legislation, Democrats criticize the Medicaid cuts they say will hurt rural Americans and a look at preexisting condition coverage.
CMS Chief Lumps Marketplace Woes Onto Obamacare’s Shoulders
Seema Verma, the head of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, says that the buck stops with the creators of the Affordable Care Act over high premiums and an unstable marketplace. In other news, House Republicans defend their decision to seek delays in the insurer cost-sharing reduction lawsuit, and Connecticut might be left without any insurers offering plans under Obamacare.
Majority Of Americans Don’t Like GOP’s Health Care Plan, Poll Finds
But about two-thirds of Republicans support the legislation.
Two Republican Senators Temper Expectations On Completely Scrapping Health Law
Sens. Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst, both Republicans from Iowa who are active players in the health care debate, admitted that completely repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act doesn’t look like it’s going to be in the cards. But, the forecast looked just as gloomy a few weeks ago in the House.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
Memorial Day Thoughts On Veterans’ Health
Opinion writers pause on the holiday to urge recognition of soldiers who deal with mental health injuries when they return from war as well as other issues — including President Donald Trump’s budget — related to vets’ health care.
Opinions continue to swirl regarding the status of the Affordable Care Act’s marketplaces and about the challenges involved in advancing California’s health insurance reform plan as well as how the Trump administration budget blueprint deals with the safety net.
Repeal-And-Replace Perspectives: Tough Talk About The GOP Health Care Plan Continues
Editorial pages skewer a variety of aspects of the House-passed GOP health plan. Some, however, counter these arguments with skepticism.
Media outlets report on news from California, Connecticut, Wisconsin, Kansas, Texas, New York, Michigan, Georgia, Minnesota, Maryland and Iowa.
As Population Ages, Communities Face Tough Choices On Supporting Local Nursing Homes
Some jurisdictions are opting to use general fund money to cover costs for necessary services, while others are selling the facilities to private companies. Also, the top complaint among nursing home residents is eviction.
Apple’s ResearchKit Poised To Become Actually Medically Useful
Much of the early research scientists were doing with ResearchKit wasn’t clinical in nature; rather it simply studied the feasibility of using mobile apps to collect health data. But that may be about to change. In other health IT news, Molina Healthcare is investigating a potential data breach.
Public Health Roundup: Losing Sleep Over Climate Change; Immunotherapy And Hope; And Youth Suicides
Also in more public health news: rheumatic heart disease, gay and transgender patients, adult ADHD, reading and the brain, bullying with peanuts, and more.
Profit Mining The Opioid Epidemic: These Middlemen Are Turning ‘Patients Into Paychecks’
Patient brokers can earn up to tens of thousands of dollars a year by wooing vulnerable addicts for treatment centers that often provide few services and sometimes are run by disreputable operators with no training or expertise. Meanwhile, there are tools people can turn to in order to manage chronic pain, but the treatments costs thousands of dollars.
Women Feel Impact Of Texas’ Roundabout Ways Of Chipping Away At Planned Parenthood Funds
By 2013, the state’s maneuvers prompted 82 Texas clinics to close or stop offering family planning services. None of the clinics performed abortions. In related news, a sweeping anti-abortion bill passes the Texas legislature.
Drug, Opioid Thefts A Stubborn Problem At VA Hospitals
In February the agency announced it was putting safeguards in place to combat the problem, but criminal investigators say it’s hard to tell if they’re working.
Former Theranos Directors Did Not Follow Up On Public Allegations, Court Documents Reveal
“It didn’t occur to me,” one said when asked if he probed into whether the company’s much-hyped proprietary technology was working.
Cuts To Biosecurity In Trump Budget Leaves ‘The American People Very Vulnerable,’ Experts Say
The Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response, which tracks outbreaks of disease, would be cut by $136 million, or 9.7 percent, while the branch of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that fights threats like anthrax and Ebola would be cut by $65 million, or 11 percent. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump tweeted that he wanted to allocate more money toward health care, which is in direct contrast to both his proposed budget and the House GOP health bill.
