Latest KFF Health News Stories
Calif. Sets New Vaccine Requirements For Colleges; Autism Group Urges Measles Shots
Health officials react on different fronts to the measles outbreak, which has been linked to cases in 14 states. Also, a national day-care provider announced that it will require measles vaccines for all staff members who work with children younger than 15 months old.
Insurance Regulators To Investigate Anthem Data Breach; First Lawsuits Filed Related To The Hack
Experts warn that the Anthem cyberattack may be the first of many because of the value of health data on the black market. Meanwhile, news reports examine the security precautions used by health care companies, and what might happen next in terms of protections and policy responses.
Health Law Struggles To Keep Consumer Costs Low, Lower ER Visits
The health law’s goal to shield Americans from high out-of-pocket costs doesn’t always work, The New York Times reports. Also, emergency room use is still high, and small business insurance exchanges and Accountable Care Organizations struggle. In Puerto Rico, the health law gets an “incomplete,” and North Carolina starts paying for some AIDS drugs for those covered under the overhaul.
Wyo. Lawmakers Reject Medicaid Expansion
Meanwhile, the anti-Obamacare group Americans For Prosperity flexes its muscles against the Medicaid expansion in Tennessee and Montana. And in California, a shortage of doctors to see Medi-Cal patients.
The Countdown Is On … Obamacare’s Open Enrollment Season Ends Feb. 15
News outlets report on how state exchanges and healthcare.gov are continuing their outreach efforts and preparing for a last-minute sign-up rush.
Plaintiff’s Standing Questioned In Supreme Court Health Law Challenge
The lead plaintiff in King v. Burwell appears to qualify for veterans’ health coverage, a finding that could weaken the case brought against the health law.
Repeal? Replace? Repair? GOP Lawmakers Contemplate Health Law Strategy
News outlets report that the health law challenge now pending before the Supreme Court poses a challenge for Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill, too.
First Edition: February 9, 2015
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Viewpoints: GOP Alternative Plan Fills Void; Fixing Discrepancies In Medicare Pay
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
Views On Measles: Shaming Parents Won’t Improve Vaccination Rates; Rand Paul’s Gaffes
An epidemiologist examines efforts to get parents to inoculate their children while another commentator profiles one child whose family has taken up the cause of getting kids vaccinated.
Research Roundup: Medicaid Expansion And Consumers’ Costs; Better Use Of Brokers
Each week, KHN compiles a selection of recently released health policy studies and briefs.
State Highlights: Va. Budget And New Mental Illness Money; Medicaid Dilemmas In Rhode Island, Ohio
A selection of health policy stories from Massachusetts, Virginia, Rhode Island, Ohio, Kansas and Arkansas.
FDA Chief Margaret Hamburg Announces Departure Plans
Media outlets review the agency’s accomplishments and controversies during her six-year tenure. The Wall Street Journal speculates that Robert Califf, a widely regarded Duke University cardiologist, who was just hired as the agency’s deputy commissioner, may be her successor.
Medicare To Cover Lung Cancer Screening For Those At Highest Risk
The decision takes effect immediately and applies to Medicare beneficiaries aged 55 to 77 who are smokers or who quit within the last 15 years and racked up at least 30 “pack years.”
Conservative Republicans Ally With Vaccine Skeptics
Elsewhere, The Washington Post factchecks some assertions that illegal immigration is to blame for the recent measles outbreak. And, new vaccine legislation is considered in California and other states.
Democrats Skewer GOP ‘Replacement’ For Obamacare
Democrats say the proposal would leave Americans with less coverage and higher costs. Meanwhile, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal condemns ‘Democrat-Lite Republicans’ who are insufficiently tough on the health law — some say to boost his 2016 presidential prospects.
Arkansas Lawmakers Extend Landmark Medicaid Expansion Plan
The plan, which won federal approval to use health law funds to buy private insurance for the poor, had been under attack by some Republicans. News outlets also track Medicaid expansion developments in Idaho and North Carolina.
Can A Strapped IRS Enforce Obamacare Rules?
The agency’s added responsibilities come as Congress slashed its budget by $346 million this year, reports The Fiscal Times. Other stories look at the continued sign-up problems of legal immigrants and the Virginia man whose name is on the legal challenge to the health law’s subsidies that will be heard this spring by the Supreme Court.
What Consumers Need To Know About The Anthem Hack
News outlets offer tips to help people protect themselves if they are among the tens of millions of customers whose health and personal information was stolen.
Hackers Who Stole Anthem’s Database Got Names, Birthdates, Social Security Numbers
Officials warn customers of possible identity theft from one of the biggest data breaches on record.
