Latest KFF Health News Stories
CVS Health Warns Of Potential Costs From New Cholesterol Medicines
The treatments, which could be approved for some patients this year, could cost between $7,000 and $12,000 a year. This comes as a new poll finds health costs are Americans’ biggest worry about retirement.
Oregon’s Legal War With Oracle Shifts To Medicaid Contract
Oregon’s battle with Oracle over the technological glitches that plagued last year’s exchange operations has spilled over into its separate contract with the company to help enroll tens of thousands of residents into Medicaid. Meanwhile, estimates suggest Wisconsin could save $400 million over two years with an expansion of Medicaid, putting Gov. Scott Walker in a difficult position as he looks at a $2 billion budget deficit. It is a dilemma that other Republican governors have faced.
Calif. Weighs Giving Consumers Facing Tax Penalty New Chance To Enroll In Health Plans
Meanwhile, Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber’s resignation has provided a Republican-controlled congressional panel with a fresh opportunity to examine what went wrong with the state exchange. Other developments are tracked in California, Maryland, Minnesota and Missouri.
Questions Grow About GOP, Administration Plans Should Supreme Court Reject Subsidies
Health and Human Services Secretary Secretary Sylvia Burwell has refused to say what, if any, contingency plans are being made and most Republican governors and lawmakers have offered little encouragement to those getting federal tax credits to buy a health plan. Also, The Washington Post finds that several Republican members of Congress have flip-flopped on the issue at the heart of the case.
Marketplace Website Still Has Many ‘Back End’ Glitches Affecting Insurers
Plans continue to have problems verifying whether consumers have enrolled and subsidy payments are not yet automated. Meanwhile, Democrats are preparing for blowback during tax season from people who realize for the first time that they will pay a penalty for failing to have insurance and some advocates call for a change to make it easier for pregnant women to sign up for coverage.
Obama Announces 11.4 Million People Enroll In Marketplace Plans
The tally, higher than the administration’s estimate but slightly below the CBO’s projection, will likely change as customers granted extra time finish up the process and others fall off after failing to pay premiums.
First Edition: February 18, 2015
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Questions Raised About Report On Morcellator By Surgeons’ Group
The Wall Street Journal reports that an official of the group supporting the use of the controversial surgical device was also a paid consultant to a morcellator’s manufacturer. In other news about the health care industry, the Journal also has a collection of articles about medical innovation, and KHN examines some difficulties for determining if a doctor is in an insurance network.
NPR’s Diane Rehm Plays Role In Right-To-Die Debate
Her husband’s slow and painful death prompted her to speak out about the lack of legal medical help for the dying. Meanwhile, the issue of assisted suicide is playing out in several state legislatures.
Viewpoints: Troubles With The GOP Health Alternative; Rise In Co-Payments Is A Problem
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
News outlets look at health care developments in California, Connecticut, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, North Carolina and Texas.
New Benefits Spotlight Shortage Of Mental Health Providers
Nearly 100 million Americans are living in areas with inadequate numbers of mental health providers, reports The Wall Street Journal. The Kansas City Star looks at the unaddressed mental health problems of children.
States Have The Tough Job Of Deciding When To Require Vaccinations
As some residents grow more concerned with risks of epidemics, they turn to government to intervene. Also, some doctors are learning how to take a harder line with parents who oppose vaccinations.
Veterans Say New ‘Choice Card’ System Is Confusing
The ‘choice card’ was meant to give those facing long waits for health care the option to see a private doctor, but some say it isn’t working. Meanwhile, the head of the embattled agency says he has fired 900 people as part of a process of restoring accountability.
Kitzhaber Faces Questions From Congressional Panel About Cover Oregon
The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform asks the departing governor to save all documents related to the shutdown of Oregon’s troubled insurance exchange. The panel wants to know whether campaign advisers played a role in the decision to switch to the federal health insurance exchange.
Wyo. House Speaker Looks To Expand Medicaid Through Budget Process
The powerful GOP leader of the Wyoming House says a Senate committee’s rejection of expansion did not, in fact, kill the prospects for expansion in his state. Meanwhile, media outlets in California, Wisconsin and North Carolina track Medicaid developments in those states.
Burwell Makes Enrollment Inroads In Texas
The HHS secretary has spent a lot of time in Texas seeking to sell her enrollment message and it seems to be paying off, Politico reports. News outlets also look at enrollment efforts and exchange issues in Washington state and Minnesota.
Millions In Health Coverage ‘Gap’ Won’t Be Penalized
Many low-income, working adults who fall into the so-called coverage gap — meaning they are ineligible for either federal subsidies or Medicaid — may qualify for an exemption to the health law’s penalty for not having insurance. Media outlets also look at how the health law is complicating tax season, why an Iowa co-op failed and how state Republican lawmakers have been more successful at undermining the law than their federal counterparts.
Some GOP Governors Vow To Make No Changes If High Court Invalidates Subsidies
Reuters surveyed officials in the states that would be directly affected if the Supreme Court strikes down federal health care subsidies and five Republican executives said they would not rescue the program. Other news outlets examine Republican strategies and the plaintiffs in the case.
Enrollment Deadline Extended For Those Who Encountered Hiccups
The Obama administration announced a one-week “special enrollment” period ending Feb. 22 for people trying to enroll through healthcare.gov who encountered technical glitches or faced long waits through the call center on the final weekend. Most state exchanges have outlined similar policies.
Meanwhile, Washington state became the first to extend the enrollment period to the April 15 tax filing deadline. Democrats are asking the federal government to do the same.
