Latest KFF Health News Stories
Cyber Attackers See Potential Bounty In Targeting Medical Information
Criminals are increasingly seeking to use hacking abilities to collect health information that can be sold for a premium on the black market.
First Edition: February 6, 2015
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Viewpoints: Vaccines Aren’t Red Or Blue; Doc Fixes May Be Good For The Budget
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
Longer Looks: Hospitals On A Weekend; Health Care Costs; Latino Enrollment
Each week, KHN’s Shefali Luthra finds interesting reads from around the Web.
State Highlights: Conn. Hospital Acquisition Talks End
A selection of health policy stories from Connecticut, Colorado and Florida.
Nursing Assistants Face More Workplace Injuries Than Any Other Profession
There are more than 35,000 back and other injuries among nursing employees annually, according to surveys by the Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics. Meanwhile, pharmacists urge Medicare to protect seniors from insurance changes that make it difficult to fill prescriptions.
Report: Health Costs For Alzheimer’s To Soar
A report from the Alzheimer’s Association projects that as the population ages, Medicare and Medicaid costs related to the disease will more than double by 2030.
Calif. Lawmakers Push To End Vaccination Exemption Based On ‘Personal Beliefs’
State legislators introduce a bill that would end the ability of parents to cite their personal beliefs to gain an exemption from the requirement for children to be fully vaccinated before entering school, and the state’s two U.S. senators also called for a change in the law.
Gilead Stock Dips On Details About Discounting Of Hepatitis Drugs
Despite record sales of its new hepatitis C drugs, Gilead Sciences saw its stock price drop as much as 10 percent after the company acknowledged that it planned to double the discounts given on those drugs in 2015. The average discount was more than investors had anticipated.
Tennessee Lawmakers Reject Medicaid Expansion
Gov. Bill Haslam’s plan would have covered 280,000 low-income Tennesseans. Although it contained market -based elements and hospitals had pledged to cover the state’s portion of the bill, lawmakers defeated it in a committee vote.
More Than 900,000 Texans Sign Up For Health Coverage
News outlets look at enrollment results in Texas, Wisconsin and New York.
Marketplace Enrollment Grows To Nearly 10 Million, HHS Reports
With a little more than a week left in the open enrollment period, officials say they have signed up about 7.5 million on the federal exchanges that serve 37 states and 2.4 million on the exchanges run by states.
Rand Paul’s Vaccination Politics Play Role In Larger Ambition
Sen. Rand Paul’s beliefs on childhood vaccination — that it be mostly voluntary — are playing into what some view as a potential run at the Republican nomination for president. Paul’s longtime association with a doctors’ group that opposes mandatory vaccinations is also scrutinized.
Burwell Blasted For Dodging Questions On Subsidy Contingency Plans
Republicans unsuccessfully sought answers from Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell about what the administration would do if the Supreme Court invalidates subsidies in federal exchange states. Meanwhile, a bipartisan bill to exempt veterans from the health law’s employer mandate would add $900 million to the deficit, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
GOP Unveils Obamacare Alternative
The plan, which is not a formal bill, would still guarantee coverage to Americans with pre-existing conditions and offer subsidies to some to afford health coverage, but it would also end most requirements on health plans and transform Medicaid into a system of block grants.
Insurer Anthem Faces Cyberattack; Data Breach Affects Tens Of Millions Of Customers
The nation’s second largest insurer first noted suspicious activity Jan. 27.
First Edition: February 5, 2015
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Viewpoints: Congress Back To Its Old Agenda; Problems With Health Law’s ‘Cadillac’ Tax
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
Commentators Take Parents, Politicians To Task For Lack Of Commitment To Vaccines
The measles outbreak is prompting an outcry among columnists and editorials for children to be inoculated and for elected officials — including N.J. Gov. Chris Christie and Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul — to acknowledge the importance of public health strategies.
A selection of health policy stories from California, Maryland, Arizona, Kansas and Illinois.
