Latest KFF Health News Stories
Viewpoints: Kasich’s Compassionate Conservatism; Medicare’s Hospice Care Plan
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
Health care stories are reported from Massachusetts, Colorado, North Carolina, California, Minnesota, South Carolina and Kansas.
Start-Up Company Using Computer’s Artificial Intelligence To Study Genetic Data, Mutations
And in other genetic news, a Google company is planning to use Ancestry.com’s DNA database to look for hereditary influences on longevity.
Evidence Suggests Women’s Brains May Be More Vulnerable To Alzheimer’s
Research presented this week at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference found that women with cognitive impairment tend to decline faster than men.
Insurance Merger Raising Questions In Ill. About Consolidation Of Medicare Advantage Market
Humana and Aetna are the second- and third-largest Medicare Advantage companies in the state. Also in the news, Novartis reports flat sales in its eye-care business.
New Cholesterol-Lowering Drugs Could Be Next Salvo In Debate About Rising Drug Costs
In related news, The Wall Street Journal reports on the growing backlash to prescription medication costs and a recent court ruling for Novartis.
Lawmakers Push To Add Medical Industry, Citizen Members To Preventive Services Task Force
The federal panel is responsible for setting public health guidelines like its controversial recommendation on a more limited use of mammography. In other legislative news, a bill increasing funding for meals, home-based care and transportation services for low-income seniors could stall in the House.
Videos Fuel GOP Efforts To Defund Planned Parenthood
The release of a second covert video related to fetal parts has put the organization on the defensive. Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., acknowledged that the videos raise questions but maintains that Planned Parenthood hasn’t broken the law.
Ohio Gov. Kasich Officially Enters GOP Presidential Primary Race
Meanwhile, Wis. Gov. Scott Walker raised more than $20 million from a PAC named after his battle with the state’s public-sector unions in which he proposed ending collective bargaining for most public workers and also wanted public employees to pay more for health insurance.
Potential For New Costs From Health Law, Other Regs Trigger Business, Worker Concerns
One report looks at anxiety about a future tax on generous health plans, while another article focuses on small business owners, whose worries include requirements for health coverage for employees and new costs from mandated pay increases and paid sick leave laws in some states and cities.
States Likely To Seek Funding Help From Hospitals For Medicaid Expansion
In 2017, states will be on the hook for a small percentage of the cost of covering people who came into the Medicaid system through the health law’s expansion efforts. The enrollment numbers are larger than many states anticipated, so they could look to hospitals to help cover the costs.
Maryland, Feds To Recoup $45M From Noridian For Botched Health Exchange Website
The company will make this payment to settle claims and avoid legal action in an agreement announced Tuesday.
Many Doctors Use False Addresses In Medicare, GAO Finds
In a new report, federal investigators found that some screening problems persist among the 1.8 million providers enrolled in the program. For instance, about 23,400 addresses might be invalid.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Viewpoints: Alaska Medicaid Expansion Improves Indian Health; Bolstering Home Health Options
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
Health care stories are reported from Missouri, Kansas, Georgia, California, Maryland, Massachusetts, Indiana, North Carolina and South Carolina.
Georgia VA Center Manager Indicted For Directing Staff To Falsify Wait-Time Records
This pair of Washington Post stories details the latest tales of wrongdoing at a Veterans Affairs facility in Georgia.
Have Efforts To Change Doctor Pay Impacted The System?
The Washington Post explores physician payments while Politico Pro reports on the American Medical Association’s investment in repealing Medicare’s sustainable growth rate.
Medicare To Test Allowing Both End-Of-Life And Curative Care For Hospice Patients
The pilot project, mandated by the health law, is a change to the policy that terminally ill patients are required to forego curative treatments to qualify for Medicare-paid hospice. The project will be limited at first to 140 hospices.
Insurers Often Refuse Coverage For Injuries Sustained In Illegal Activities
The New York Times examines how some patients who are never charged with a crime can have their health claims denied by insurers because they reportedly were hurt while engaging in an illegal act. Meanwhile, The Washington Post looks at the large hospital bill one California man received after a dangerous snake bite.
