Latest KFF Health News Stories
Congress Struggles To Find Consensus On Comprehensive Mental Health Bill
Some high-profile attacks by people with mental health problems have prompted interest in reforming treatment options, but Congress has not yet settled on a policy.
GOP And Dems Still Divided Over Budget Issues As Deadline For Passage Approaches
Funding for the federal government expires on Dec. 11, and the parties are at odds about policy riders and funding decisions that could be part of the bill to keep the government running.
Collapse Of Co-Ops, Other Signs Of Market Instability Draw Concerns From Across The Spectrum
The demise of New York’s Health Republic is the most recent health insurance co-operative to come undone, though some — like a Connecticut co-op — offer a different story.
News outlets also report on a range of issues related to the health law’s implementation, including an upcoming IRS reporting deadline for large and mid-size businesses, as well as how the cancellation of plans causes consumers to scramble and how the rise in premium costs is creating financial pressures for some.
Viewpoints: Prostate Cancer Screening; Another Abortion Review; Successful Ebola Vaccine
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
News outlets report on health care developments in California, Minnesota, Washington and Florida.
Key Scientist At Coke Retires After Memos Show Ties To Anti-Obesity Group
The revelations showed the soda giant helped fund research that critics say minimized the effect of sugary drinks on obesity.
ACLU, Abortion Providers File Lawsuit To Press MaineCare To Fund Abortions
The legal challenge argues that depriving low-income women of abortion coverage is against the state’s constitution. Meanwhile, in Missouri, a Planned Parenthood clinic in Columbia has stopped performing abortions, leaving only one clinic in the state that continues to do the procedure.
CDC Updates Guidelines On Who Should Take HIV Prevention Drug Truvada
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is pushing to increase awareness of the medication, also known as PrEP, since less than 1 percent of at-risk Americans are taking it. And USA Today reports that one-third of primary care doctors don’t know about the drug, according to a not-yet-published national survey.
Feds Propose Major Changes To Rules Protecting People Participating In Medical Tests
While many of the revisions are seen as long overdue, others are triggering debate among scientists who say the language is overly complex or vague. In other public health news, The Marshall Projects reports on the benefits of giving new hepatitis C treatments to inmates, and NPR separates flu-shot fact from fiction.
Drugmaker Will Cut List Price To Hospitals For Anti-Parasitic Drug But Not For Consumers
Turing Pharmaceuticals says hospitals can earn a discount of up to 50 percent depending on how much of the drug they use. But the price will still be well above what the drug sold for before Turing bought the rights to the drug in August.
Carson’s Early Universal Care Plan Failed To Take Flight; O’Malley Unveils Health Proposal
Before entering GOP politics, Dr. Ben Carson tried to develop a nonprofit that would provide financial assistance to patients without insurance, but it didn’t work. In other campaign news, Democratic presidential contender Martin O’Malley offers his plan for health care, and Republican Sen. Marco Rubio refines his comments about abortion.
GOP Readies For Hill Fight On Health Law And Planned Parenthood
The Associated Press examines the tactics and issues that will be involved in the Republican push to overturn the 2010 health law and federal funding of Planned Parenthood. Also, Politico Pro looks at competing congressional strategies on mental health overhauls.
In Some Cities And States, Medicaid Expansion Funds Provide Help To Homeless People
Meanwhile, in Alabama, a recent state task force recommendation gives the idea of Medicaid expansion additional momentum.
Study Finds Link Between Early Cervical Cancer Detection And Young Women’s Increased Health Coverage
Researchers find a substantial increase in the number of women under the age of 26 who get a diagnosis of early-stage cervical cancer since the implementation of the health law, which allowed young adults to stay on their parents’ plans until that age.
Early Effort By Rubio To Limit Federal Payments To Insurers Is At Heart Of Current Turmoil
Some of the co-op failures and the threat from UnitedHealthcare about a possible pull-out in 2017 are prompted by low levels of federal payments to help shield insurers from losses in the exchanges. Rubio helped lead an effort to stop those payments. Meanwhile, HHS Secretary Sylvia Burwell says she is trying to get more information about costs to consumers.
Viewpoints: Pfizer’s Merger Won’t Help Health; Zuckerberg Sets Standard With Paternity Leave
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
State Highlights: N.Y. Seeks Payments From Disabled Who Were Abused; Cancer Surgeries In Calif.
News outlets report on health care developments in New York, California, Iowa, Georgia and New Jersey.
Specialty Medicines Injected By Doctors Straining Budgets Of Medicare And Patients
A study finds that these drugs that must be administered under doctor supervision cost Medicare $20.9 billion in 2013, while the out-of-pocket share for Medicare Part B beneficiaries ranged from $1,900 to $107,000. In other Medicare news, KHN reports on the end of a bonus program that will impact primary care doctors’ pay, and Reuters writes about adult children struggling to care for two parents at once.
Four In 10 Americans Have Known Someone Addicted To Painkillers
The poll from the Kaiser Family Foundation also shows that a quarter of the respondents had a close friend or family member people who is addicted.
