Latest KFF Health News Stories
Smoking Linked To More Cancer Deaths Than Previously Estimated, Study Finds
It’s not just lung cancer: A JAMA Internal Medicine study attributes cigarette use to almost half of the 346,000 deaths from 12 different types of cancers — including esophagus, colon and bladder — in individuals 35 years of age or older in 2011.
Medicare Advisers Urge Congress To Help Cover Seniors’ Rehab Services
An annual report by MedPAC, the panel that advises lawmakers on Medicare issues, called for easing a rule that says patients must be hospitalized for three days before qualifying for rehabilitation at a nursing facility.
CVS To Buy Target’s Drug Store Business For $1.9 Billion
The deal allows CVS to expand into parts of the country where its activities have been limited. It also shows the ambitions of a company that already has big momentum. CVS is the nation’s largest dispenser of prescription drugs and the biggest operator of health care clinics, The New York Times reports.
Merger Mania Seizes Health Insurance Industry
The two biggest health insurers by revenue, UnitedHealth Group and Anthem Inc., are seeking to buy smaller rivals in a bid to boost profits and cut costs.
White House Issues Veto Threat Over Bill To Repeal Medical Device Tax
Also in the news, House Republicans are planning to offset the cost of repealing the health law’s Independent Payment Advisory Board with funds from the overhaul’s preventive health fund — a move that could undermine the repeal effort’s ability to draw Democratic support.
Feds Unable To Verify Payments To Health Insurers Without Back-End System
Delays in completing the data system for the health exchanges means the government has been making billions in payments to insurance companies without being able to confirm how much it owes each insurer, according to an inspector general’s report.
Majority Want Congress To Act If Supreme Court Knocks Down Subsidies, Poll Finds
The Kaiser Family Foundation’s survey also shows that seven of 10 Americans still have not heard much about the legal challenge that could strip 6.4 million of aid to pay for health insurance. Justices are set to rule this month on the case, known as King v. Burwell. On another topic of the polling, a majority places the blame for the rising costs of medications on drug makers.
HHS Gives 3 States Approval To Run Their Own Insurance Marketplaces
The move comes as the U.S. waits for a Supreme Court decision that could strike down premium subsidies for customers in states that use the federal online exchange. The approval would allow Arkansas, Delaware and Pennsylvania to shift their operations if that happens.
Health Law Proponents, Opponents Prepare For Aftermath Of High Court’s Subsidy Decision
There is a lot of jockeying for position as stakeholders, lawmakers and presidential candidates prepare options and scenarios for what will happen after the Supreme Court issues its ruling.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Viewpoints: Confronting A New Epidemic; Abortion Arguments; AMA’s Stand On Billing
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
Views On Health Law: Concerns Awaiting A Court Decision; ‘Sticker Shock’ Myths
A variety of opinions about the effects and future of the health law.
News outlets report on health care developments in Florida, California, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Wyoming, Massachusetts, Colorado, Maryland, New Hampshire, Illinois and North Carolina.
Activists Walk To Washington To Focus Attention On Rate Of Rural Hospitals’ Closures
News outlets from California, Maryland, Wyoming and New Jersey report on other hospital industry news.
Atlanta Faces Growing HIV Crisis; Fla. Insurance Regulator Limits Patients’ HIV Drug Costs
In other HIV/AIDS news, two North Carolina teens are asking the Food and Drug Administration to lift the ban that prevents gay men from donating blood.
Researchers Look For Key To Cures In ‘Exceptional Responders’
Some people respond incredibly well to certain cancer drugs, and the mystery of why has scientists looking at how they can replicate the response in others. ProPublica, in the meantime, examines “toxic residue” from MRI screenings.
New Cures, Big Prices Mean Some Go Without Best Treatments
In other health care marketplace news, a lab prepares to settle over expensive Medicare drug tests, and The New York Times looks more closely at the “female Viagra.” Additionally, biotech jobs are up, but pharma jobs lag, and The Wall Street Journal examines why many don’t buy long-term care insurance.
Hillary Clinton Attacks GOP For Wanting To Repeal Health Law
In a wide-ranging speech, the Democratic presidential-hopeful also hit Republicans on abortion rights. Elsewhere, GOP likely contender Jeb Bush is criticized by a free-market group for increasing spending to lure a biomedical group to Florida.
Sen. Murray Proposes Requiring Insurers Cover Over-The-Counter Birth Control
In other news, President Obama’s loss on a trade bill after Democrats balked at Medicare cuts included in the bill is examined.
Final Bill For Troubled Massachusetts Exchange Site Could Hit $300M
The cost of setting up the Massachusetts health insurance website rose another $47.2 million, bringing the total spent to $281 million with more expenses still expected. Meanwhile, Colorado will post on its insurance site Monday the 2016 rates proposed by providers. And a judge tossed a lawsuit filed by Oracle against five former Oregon governor staffers in a case involving Cover Oregon technology problems.
