Latest KFF Health News Stories
In Risky Gamble, Startup Swoops In On One Of Pharmaceutical Industry’s Biggest Flops
Roche Holding shelved a cholesterol drug after a late-stage study found disappointing results. But Roche’s loss is DalCor’s gain, as the startup announces a 5,000 patient trial to test its theory that a genetic variation is key to making the drug a success. Meanwhile, Roche has reported an increase in its first quarter revenue.
La. Governor Announces Medicaid Expansion Will Begin June 1, Save State $677M Over 5 Years
About 375,000 people in Louisiana are expected to enroll in the program for low-income residents. At the same time, officials in Arkansas continue wrestling with the governor’s plan to end the political impasse over expansion.
House Republicans On Health Law Replacement: Give Us ‘Another Month Or So’
House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton, R-Mich., says his four-member task force, charged with finding a replacement plan to the Affordable Care Act, is close to a Republican alternative.
Congress Should Pressure Insurers To Help Tamp Down Drug Costs, Advisory Panel Recommends
The nonpartisan Medicare Payment Advisory Commission says incentives are needed to encourage insurance providers to push for bigger pharmaceutical discounts and manage prescription use. Meanwhile, according to an AARP survey, older Americans also strongly favor a federal role in negotiating Medicare discounts.
UnitedHealth Shows Stronger-Than-Expected Profits
But the insurer’s anticipated further retreat from the health law’s marketplaces could pose difficulties for consumers.
Justice Department, SEC Launch Probes Into Theranos’ Practices And Technology
The investigations, revealed in a letter from the company to its outside partners, are just the latest setback for the blood-testing startup.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
A selection of opinions from around the country.
News outlets report on health issues in Kansas, Wisconsin, Florida, New Hampshire, Vermont and Ohio.
Conn. Dentists Say Plan To Cut Medicaid Reimbursements Threatens Access For Patients
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has proposed trimming payments by 10 percent to dentists for children on Medicaid as part of his efforts to balance the budget. Meanwhile, in Alaska, the legislature also moved to cut Medicaid costs.
Activists, Lawmakers Steer Anti-Abortion Conversation Toward Perinatal Hospice Care
Perinatal hospice care is a birth plan for a woman whose fetus will not survive long outside the womb. And anti-abortion groups see it as an alternative to those patients terminating the pregnancy after they are told of their baby’s diagnosis. Meanwhile, advocates are stepping up efforts to spread the word about misoprostol, a drug that allows women to self-induce an abortion, but it is raising concerns on both sides of the debate.
Customer Refunds Give Pa. Hospital Skin In The Game
Although skeptics worried that greedy patients would abuse the system, officials at a Pennsylvania hospital have found that giving out refunds when someone is unsatisfied with the care they have received has improved the quality of their care, and has let them receive feedback in real time.
How The Mental Health System Failed Family Of Woman With Schizophrenia
Melinda Kavanaugh’s family battled with HIPPA, state budget cuts and laws that never seemed to work in their favor, as Melinda shut down their efforts to help.
Once Seen As Enabling Drug Use, Bronx Needle Exchange Now Embraced As Public Health Strategy
As the opioid epidemic explodes across the country, officials are more and more turning to programs such as St. Ann’s Corner of Harm Reduction, which distributes clean syringes, paraphernalia, condoms and naloxone. And those within the medical field are starting to imbue students and doctors with a better understanding of how to treat pain.
Pharmaceutical Company Warner Chilcott To Pay $125M In Health Care Fraud Case
Meanwhile, news outlets report on prescription medication losses, thefts in Ohio.
Medical Marijuana Activists See Big Pharma Threat Lurking Behind Epilepsy Drug
If Epidiolex is approved by the FDA, doctors would be able to prescribe the cannabis-based drug and insurance would cover it. But activists say that is when the pharmaceutical industry would take over, and patients would lose the ability to use marijuana to treat their symptoms as they see fit. In other news, Pennsylvania has legalized a medical marijuana program, becoming the 24th state to do so.
Immunotherapy Drug Doubles Long-Term Survival Rate For Melanoma Patients
Opdivo is a checkpoint inhibitor, which releases the break on the immune system allowing a patient’s body to fight the cancer. Research released on Sunday shows that patients who received the drug had a 34 percent survival rate 5 years out. A similar immunotherapy drug, Keytruda, was part of Jimmy Carter’s successful treatment for advanced melanoma.
Trying To Save Medicare: CMS Innovation Center Experiments With New Practices
The Associated Press examines the group of doctors, lawyers, health policy experts and career federal employees charged with coming up with ways to save money and improve care in Medicare. Meanwhile, news outlets report on other Medicare developments including bundled payments, hospice use and fraud.
Ark. Governor Hopes To Save Medicaid Expansion With Veto Strategy
As the state Senate balks at funding the expanded program, Gov. Asa Hutchinson is betting that he can use the line item veto to keep it running. Also, news outlets examine Medicaid expansion news in Ohio and New Hampshire.
Analysis: Health Law Has Halted Decades-Long Expansion Of The Gap Between Haves And Have-Nots
The New York Times offers analysis of coverage gains under the Affordable Care Act. In other news, UnitedHealth has announced it will be pulling out of the Michigan exchange, an announcement that comes on the heels of its decision to withdraw from Georgia and Arkansas.
