Latest KFF Health News Stories
No VA Coverage Of In Vitro Fertilization Leaves Disabled Veterans Struggling To Have Kids
In other veterans’ health news, a Washington state VA hospital reports that mental health services are available more quickly, but that average wait times for primary-care appointments are up. And Cerner Corp., which just won a large contract to upgrade the Pentagon’s electronic health records, says it has a model ready to go.
How Do People Really Feel About Obamacare?
CNN Money examines opinions, facts and myths in an attempt to set the record straight. In related news, a label — QHP, which means “qualified health plan” — will be added to health law coverage bought by Texans from healthcare.gov and California purports to have a “secret” formula for keeping premium costs down.
Banned Medicaid Providers Still Participate In Some State Programs, Report Finds
The health law requires that states terminate a health care provider from the health insurance program for low income people if another state dropped the provider for reasons such as fraud or quality problems. But about 12 percent of programs find a way to avoid this circumstance, the inspector general reports.
Senate Bill Seeks To Strengthen Mental Health Tracking In Gun Background Checks
Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn says his legislation will help avert mass shootings by providing financial incentives to states to provide better mental health records to the federal database. The bill is backed by the NRA and some advocacy groups like the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Other groups say it doesn’t go far enough and should expand the national background checks program.
August Break Begins With Big-Ticket Items Left On Senate’s To-Do List
Also in the news, a top health policy aide to House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, will leave Capitol Hill to join a lobbying firm.
Congressional Republicans Scramble Over Strategy To Defund Planned Parenthood
Stopping federal support for the organization is a hot topic among GOP lawmakers, but some congressional leaders are wary that it could become mired in upcoming tax and budget issues. Meanwhile, news outlets explore some of the key issues surrounding fetal tissue research.
Abortion, Health Law, Entitlement Spending May Be Among Topics Of GOP Debate
As the Republican candidates for president gather in Cleveland, news reports explore some of the issues that may come up tonight.
CVS Says It Will Cut Viagra, Weight Loss Remedy And Other Drugs From Insurance Coverage
The decision by the nation’s second-biggest pharmacy benefit manager comes as insurers are challenging the steeply rising costs of new medications.
ER Wait Times, Penalties, Noise Levels: Now Yelp Pairs Data On Providers With User Reviews
ProPublica teams up with Yelp to help consumers make informed health care choices by adding objective government information and ratings on hospitals, nursing homes and dialysis clinics to the website’s existing, more subjective, user-driven reviews.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Viewpoints: Defunding Planned Parenthood May Not Cut Abortions; Debating The Health Law
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
Health care stories are reported from Minnesota, Georgia, Kansas, Texas and North Carolina.
Ala. Legislators Consider Deep Cuts To Medicaid Program To Plug Budget Shortfall
After two days of tense special sessions by lawmakers, Ala. Gov. Robert Bentley called a proposal to slash $156 million from the state’s Medicaid program “unacceptable” and said he was “very disappointed with the Legislature.”
In Mass., Union Presses Effort To Boost Community Hospitals
And in California, a Daughters of Charity deal would keep hospitals there open for five years. Elsewhere, news outlets also report on hospital-related developments at the Mayo Clinic and how public hospitals like Harbor-UCLA are adapting car maker Toyota’s production system — known as lean — to health care.
FDA Issues New Guidelines To Combat ‘Superbug’ Infections Tied To Tainted Scopes
Hospitals should revise disinfection and sterilization processes for medical scopes, as well as conduct microbiological culturing, according to the Food and Drug Administration. Meanwhile, KHN reports on a new study that says that if medical facilities don’t start taking steps to fight antibiotic-resistant germs, contamination rates could increase as much as 10 percent over the next five years.
Bill To Overhaul Mental Health System Introduced By Bipartisan Senate Pair
Sens. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.) unveiled legislation that includes provisions such as a new assistant secretary for mental health and substance abuse, a change to privacy laws, increased funding for youth intervention and compliance measures for existing parity requirements.
As New Video Is Unveiled, Trump Supports Linking Planned Parenthood Cuts To Spending Bill
Donald Trump, who is seeking the GOP presidential nomination, said he supports congressional Republicans’ strategy to add a defunding measure to the federal spending, a proposal that some critics have said could shut down the government. Meanwhile, the Congressional Budget Office releases an analysis suggesting that a halt to federal funding of Planned Parenthood would increase federal spending for Medicaid and other programs. Also, the Center for Medical Progress releases a fifth undercover video of Planned Parenthood officials.
GOP Presidential Hopeful Jeb Bush Questions Women’s Health Funding Levels
During a campaign appearance when asked about efforts to defund Planned Parenthood, Bush said he was less than certain that “half a billion” dollars was needed for women’s health programs. He quickly stepped back from the comment, but not before drawing fire from Democrats.
1.8M Americans Could Face Tax Filing Problems That Jeopardize Next Year’s Subsidies
According to administration officials, those taxpayers will have to act quickly to address this issue. In other health law news, the latest on the failure of CoOportunity Health and Medicaid expansion efforts in Wisconsin, as well as a report about how much Blue Shield of California owes in Obamacare rebates.
Aetna Reports Strong Profits With Better-Than-Expected Second Quarter
The nation’s third-largest insurer also details aspects of how its plan to buy Humana will go forward.
