Latest KFF Health News Stories
Possibility Of Zika Contamination Flagged For Miami-Area Sperm Banks
Today’s other public health stories report on developments related to a proposed bill requiring employees to submit to genetic testing, the concerning rise in suicides among middle-aged men, the fight against malaria, children’s impact on longevity, sugar and salt content in food and more.
City Sues OxyContin-Maker For Allegedly Allowing Drug To Funnel To Black Market
In the lawsuit in federal court, Everett, Wash., officials are seeking to hold Purdue Pharma liable for “supplying OxyContin to obviously suspicious pharmacies and physicians and enabling the illegal diversion of OxyContin into the black market.” In other news on nation’s opioid epidemic, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio pledges increased funding and resources to fight the growing number of overdoses.
Canadians With Cystic Fibrosis Outlive American Patients By 10 Years
The study suggests access to lung transplants and health insurance may play a role in the survival gap. Canadians survived longer than uninsured patients in the U.S. and those on Medicaid, but U.S. patients with private health insurance had similar life spans to Canadians.
Right-To-Try Drug Laws Create Chaos, Villainize FDA, Experts Say
The popular measures undermine a more thoughtful federal program that balances patients’ need for options, drug companies’ desire to protect their investments, and the government’s duty to evaluate drug safety and effectiveness, they say.
Justice Department Urges Appeals Court To Uphold Anthem-Cigna Ruling
The government lawyers and some states are asking the court to keep a federal judge’s ruling that blocked a planned merger. Meanwhile, Anthem officials notify Connecticut that the company may not participate in the 2018 online marketplace because of “uncertainties” in the market right now.
Indiana Governor Wants To Keep State’s Medicaid Expansion
Gov. Eric Holcomb says he is talking to federal officials to make sure “we’re compassionate and that we cover the Hoosiers that we are right now.” In other news, Medicaid expansion developments in New Jersey, New Hampshire and Kansas.
Senate Confirms Seema Verma To Head Agency Overseeing Medicare And Medicaid
Verma helped engineer Indiana’s Medicaid expansion, which requires many enrollees to contribute toward their health care premiums.
GOP’s Strategy Starkly Different Than Democrats’ When Crafting Health Law
The Republicans’ efforts to move the replacement plan through quickly could cause problems down the road. Meanwhile, the number of members in their own party who have voiced concerns over the bill could be enough to kill it in both chambers.
Trump: ACA Is Similar To Obama, You Only Like It When It’s Gone
President Donald Trump hosted a receptive audience of voters who oppose the Affordable Care Act at a listening session in the White House. “When [Obama] left, people liked him. When he was here, people didn’t like him so much. That’s the way life goes. It’s human nature,” the president said.
Despite Efforts To Discredit CBO, White House’s Own Analysis Is Even More Grim
The executive branch’s projections, obtained by Politico, show 26 million people would lose insurance over the next decade — 2 million more than the Congressional Budget Office estimate.
CBO Numbers A Boon To Replacement Plan’s Critics
Democrats say the nonpartisan CBO’s score is evidence that the GOP legislation will provide hundreds of billions of dollars in tax breaks to the rich while yanking health coverage from the poor.
‘Eye-Popping’ CBO Analysis Sends Republicans Into Damage Control Mode
While Republicans tried to soften the news by pointing out more optimistic parts of the report, the White House slammed the analysis as “just not believable.”
States From Calif. To Conn. Weigh Impact Of Loss Of Coverage Under GOP Plan
Older and poorer people who gained coverage under the federal health law are most at risk, according to advocates in places that have embraced Obamacare.
24 Million More Would Be Uninsured Under GOP Replacement Plan By 2026
The highly anticipated Congressional Budget Office analysis of the American Health Care Act projects grim coverage numbers for the Republicans’ bill.
CBO Estimates 14 Million More Would Be Uninsured Next Year Under GOP Repeal Plan
The Congressional Budget Office releases its anticipated analysis of the American Health Care Act, Republican’s replacement plan for the Affordable Care Act.
Viewpoints: A Doctor To Treat The FDA’s Issues; Confronting The Nation’s Drug Problem
A selection of opinions on health care from across the country.
Different Takes On How The Republican Health Plan Might Impact States, Individuals
In newspaper editorial pages from around the country take a look at how the GOP’s American Health Care Act could affect local health care systems and the safety net.
Perspectives: Bracing For The CBO’s Estimates; What Would Change Under GOP Health Plan?
Opinion writers examine expectations of what the Congressional Budget Office might have to say about the Republican’s plan to dismantle Obamacare, handicap how that repeal-and-replace effort is proceeding and take a hard look at how it could play out.
