Latest KFF Health News Stories
A Thursday report by the Leapfrog Group explored the impact these digital systems are having on patient safety.
Final Medicare Advantage Rates Involve Variety Of Compromises
Analysts say the new rates don’t represent a loss or a gain for industry — but rather a mixed bag.
GAO Finds Significant Cybersecurity Vulnerabilities On Federal Exchanges
Officials say their findings in the investigation, which was initially limited to California, Kentucky and Vermont, likely means that other states’ health exchange websites face similar cyber issues.
Ark. Lawmakers Approve Continuing Medicaid Expansion, But Funding Questions Remain
Opponents hope to stop the program next week when the legislature takes up funding. Also, news outlets report on Medicaid expansion issues in Louisiana, New Hampshire and Florida.
Uninsured Rate Tumbles As Health Law Coverage Expands
The latest Gallup poll finds that only 11 percent of adults and children are without health care coverage. Meanwhile in California, the board that runs the state’s insurance marketplace takes a step toward allowing people in the country illegally to purchase plans.
GOP Experts Exasperated By Trump’s ‘Jumbled Hodgepodge’ Of Health Care Ideas
The Republican front-runner’s mercurial stances on health care are drawing sharp criticism from experts — and it’s not just the Democratic ones. Donald Trump’s health care platform “resembles the efforts of a foreign student trying to learn health policy as a second language,” said Thomas P. Miller, a health economist at the American Enterprise Institute.
Iowa House Republicans Announce Plan For Medicaid Oversight
The proposal follows Democratic criticism of the state’s move to managed care plans to run the Medicaid system. Also in the news, a court in Texas rules that officials had not proved fraud in a key Medicaid case.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
A selection of opinions from around the country.
Perspectives On Tax Inversions And The Pfizer Deal’s Undoing
Columnists and opinion writers offer their thoughts on this headline-grabbing development.
Longer Looks: Urban Obesity; A Hypochondriac’s Nightmare
Each week, KHN’s Shefali Luthra finds interesting reads from around the Web.
News outlets report on health issues in New York, Missouri, California, Florida, Illinois, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Maryland.
Alabama Governor Eyes Cuts In Medicaid Drug Coverage To Fill Budget Gap
Gov. Robert Bentley, who unsuccessfully sought more money from the legislature for Medicaid, says he must now work within the budget and one way to make up the difference could be eliminating prescription drug coverage for adults. Also, several articles examine plans to cut Medicaid spending in Oklahoma.
California Hospitals Give Millions In Support Of Tax Measure
The Associated Press reports that the tax proposal would raise between $5 billion and $11 billion a year. Much of the money would be earmarked for education and health care. News outlets also report on hospital deals and mergers in Michigan and Illinois, as well as other hospital-related news from Massachusetts, Maryland and Minnesota.
Lead Concerns Raised In Communities In Nevada And Michigan
Meanwhile, NPR reports on the history of how lead usage became so common.
HPV Vaccination Rates ‘Dismally Low And Very Alarming’
Despite states’ efforts, parents and doctors aren’t embracing the life-saving vaccine.
As Opioid Epidemic Escalates, Focus Turns To Once-Obscure ‘Sober Homes’
The homes provide a substance-free, supervised setting for recovering addicts. However, some worry there is little regulation over them. “The ones that are good are fantastic,” says Pam Rodriguez, CEO of Treatment Alternatives for Safe Communities. But she also cautions that there are “people exploiting the vulnerability of the population and their desperation to find a safe place to live.”
Billionaire Investor Donating $275M To Create Free Mental Health Clinics For Veterans
Steven A. Cohen is seeking to open 25 clinics by 2020 serving a total of more than 25,000 patients a year. In other news, a report finds manipulated wait times at VA hospitals in New Hampshire and Vermont, and veterans in Michigan will be able to use the Veterans Choice Program to get care at Ascension Michigan locations in the state.
Backlash Swells Over Indiana Abortion Ban
The legislation, signed by Gov. Mike Pence last month, bans abortions sought because of genetic abnormalities, race or gender. Activists have been flooding his office with calls and plan a more formal rally for this weekend. Elsewhere, media outlets report on abortion news from Louisiana, Florida and Oregon.
MedStar Health Denies Report That Flagged Security Flaw Contributed To Hack
The Associated Press reported that the company was warned as early as 2007 about a system weakness. But MedStar says that was not the cause of the recent cyberattack on its system. In other health IT news, hospital software that is supposed to help identify dangerous drug interactions isn’t working as well as it should, a report finds.
