Latest KFF Health News Stories
Lawmakers On Capitol Hill Weigh Adding Billions To NIH Budget
The medical research agency’s popularity, fears that the U.S. is losing ground to foreign competitors and congressional efforts to show bipartisanship are contributing to political support for the proposed funding increase.
CMS Softens On New Medical Billing Code, Offers Transition Period
The new codes, known as ICD-10, are seen by some as overly bureaucratic, but are slated to begin Oct. 1. The Obama administration says it won’t deny most claims during a 12-month transition. Elsewhere, the lack of federal data on industry payments to nurses is scrutinized, while sick docs and telemedicine are also examined.
Antitrust Jitters Surround Humana, Aetna Merger
Despite Aetna CEO’s assurances that antitrust concerns would not stop the company’s purchase of its smaller rival Humana, shares of Humana closed Monday 15.4 percent below the value of Aetna’s cash-and-stock offer, suggesting investors had worries. Aetna’s stock also fell Monday.
San Francisco Worries About Obamacare’s Financial Burdens
County officials are considering helping residents pay for health insurance plans offered through Covered California, the state’s online marketplace. Meanwhile, a study confirms what many consumers already know — figuring out which doctors are in Obamacare plans is difficult.
GOP Eyes Medical Device Tax, Change To Filibuster Rules To Fight Health Law
Congressional Republicans think they may have the votes to force President Barack Obama to accept a repeal of the medical device tax, which helps fund the health law, thanks to support from some Democrats. Some Republican candidates for president are also pushing for a change in the Senate’s filibuster rules so they can vote to repeal the law but others in the party oppose that.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Viewpoints: Birthday Fixes For Medicare, Medicaid; Law Reduces Competition
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
Media outlets cover health care developments in California, Colorado, Maryland, New Jersey, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, Florida, New Hampshire, Kansas, Virginia and Washington.
Veterans Seeking Private Care Finding Delays Similar To VA System, Inspector Says
A program meant to provide private health care to help expedite treatment for veterans who were suffering long delays inside the VA health system is suffering from the same delays, the VA’s watchdog says. And a veterans hotline meant to help those returning from service struggles without Pentagon funding.
Medicare May Soon Pay Doctors For End-Of-Life Planning, Advocates Say
A provision like this in early drafts of the health law spurred concerns about “death panels” among the law’s critics, but advocates say such conversations would help patients and reduce costs. Other Medicare news looks at telemedicine reimbursement.
U.S. Sees First Measles Death Since 2003
The disease killed a Washington state woman who had other health conditions and was taking medications that suppressed her immune system. Officials think the woman was exposed in a health facility.
Study: States Have Enacted 51 Abortion Restrictions This Year
The report from the Guttmacher Institute, which supports abortion rights, said lawmakers have enacted more restrictions so far this year than all of last year. Elsewhere, a federal lawsuit over the safety of a laparoscopic power morcellator, used in hysterectomies, is settled for an undisclosed amount.
Some States Seek To Cushion Patients’ Out-Of-Pocket Costs For Drugs
The move by a handful of states comes as increasing numbers of expensive specialty drugs arrive on the market, according to Stateline. In other news, The Washington Post examines navigators who help cancer patients and the changes in lifestyle that some people are making to fight Alzheimer’s. Also, The New York Times looks at the growing field of concussion medicine and concerns that much of the science around it is “sketchy.”
House Bill Would Cut NIH Spending Boost
GOP leaders released an updated version of the medical cures bill just before the long weekend that slightly reduces a funding increase for the National Institutes of Health. Meanwhile, the implications of FDA approval of a costly cystic fibrosis treatment are explored. Other stories look at FDA approval of a new blood test developed by Theranos and the agency’s plans to investigate codeine cold and cough drugs for children.
Doctors, Hospitals Receive $20 Million In AstraZeneca’s Promotion Of Diabetes Drug
Bloomberg, in an analysis of federal data, says that is the highest payment to providers for any drug last year. The Baltimore Sun also reviewed that data to look at what payments Maryland providers received.
Medicaid Insurer Centene To Purchase Health Net
The deal will allow Centene to expand its Medicaid managed care business and also move into the Medicare Advantage market.
Insurance Merger Raises Questions For Consumers
The companies suggest they will be able to serve customers better at lower rates, but the long-term effects on consumers’ choices and costs are uncertain, analysts suggest. News reports also look at the health law’s impact on the merger.
Aetna To Buy Rival Humana As Insurance Market Consolidates
The merger increases Aetna’s share of Medicare Advantage customers. Meanwhile, Bloomberg reports that Cigna’s tie-up with Anthem could be next.
Many Conservatives Watching Indiana’s Medicaid Expansion As Possible Model For Other States
When Indiana opted to expand its Medicaid program, it instituted a requirement for enrollees to pay small premiums for their care. That idea is attractive to other Republican-led states, including Ohio. Also, the issue of expansion continues to roil North Carolina lawmakers, and women’s groups in Illinois are seeking state help to get free coverage for breast feeding services that they say were guaranteed under the health law.
Health Law Spurs For-Profit Diet Clinics
The New York Times reports on how a provision in the law that requires insurers to pay for nutrition and obesity screening has been a boon for some of these clinics. Also in the news about the health law’s implementation are reports about how hospitals are changing how they care for chronically ill patients, a deeper look at Chief Justice John Roberts’ opinion to uphold the law’s subsidies and other GOP efforts to chip away at the law.
