Southern Lawmakers Rethink Long-Standing Opposition to Medicaid Expansion
By Daniel Chang and Andy Miller
February 16, 2024
KFF Health News Original
While many Republican state lawmakers remain firmly against Medicaid expansion, some key leaders in holdout states are showing a willingness to reconsider. Public opinion, financial incentives, and widening health care needs make resistance harder.
Patients See First Savings From Biden’s Drug Price Push, as Pharma Lines Up Its Lawyers
By Arthur Allen
February 16, 2024
KFF Health News Original
A restructuring of the Medicare drug benefit has wiped out big drug bills for people who need expensive medicines. But the legal battle over drug negotiations means uncertainty over long-term savings.
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Biden Wins Early Court Test for Medicare Drug Negotiations
February 15, 2024
Podcast
A federal district court judge dismissed a lawsuit attempting to invalidate the Biden administration’s Medicare prescription-drug price negotiation program. But the suit turned on a technicality, and several more court challenges are in the pipeline. Meanwhile, health policy pops up in Super Bowl ads, as Congress approaches yet another funding deadline. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Lauren Weber of The Washington Post, and Rachel Cohrs of Stat join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Plus, for “extra credit,” the panelists suggest health policy stories they read this week they think you should read, too.
States Get in on the Prior Authorization Crackdown
By Bram Sable-Smith
February 15, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Last month, my colleague Lauren Sausser told you about the Biden administration’s crackdown on insurance plans’ prior authorization policies, with new rules for certain health plans participating in federal programs such as Medicare Advantage or the Affordable Care Act marketplace. States are getting in on the action, too. Prior authorization, sometimes called pre-certification, requires patients […]
Research Roundup: Antibiotic Overuse; Heart Disease; Covid; Alzheimer’s
February 15, 2024
Morning Briefing
Each week, KFF Health News compiles a selection of recently released health policy studies and briefs.
Viewpoints: Are Weight-Loss Drugs Effective Or Dangerous?; Independent Physicians Are Disappearing
February 15, 2024
Morning Briefing
Editorial writers tackle weight-loss drugs, independent doctors, abortion bans, and more.
NIH Boosts Long Covid Study Funding By $515 Million
February 15, 2024
Morning Briefing
This is a nearly 50% increase on the project’s budget, Stat reports. Separately, research found that the risk of suffering chronic fatigue is much higher among covid patients than for people who haven’t had covid. Scientists also concluded that covid home test accuracy matches clinician-given tests.
1,000 People A Day Signed Up In North Carolina’s Medicaid Expansion
February 15, 2024
Morning Briefing
When North Carolina launched its Medicaid expansion on Dec. 1, it was estimated some 600,000 people would get coverage over two years. In the first two months, 58% of that goal has been reached. Also in the news: nearly all states have extended postpartum coverage; and California’s new Medi-Cal eligibility rules.
Joyous Super Bowl Celebration Turns To Horror After Gunfire Erupts In KC
February 15, 2024
Morning Briefing
Tens of thousands of people fled the scene in chaos after shots were fired into the crowd, killing one woman and injuring 21 other people, including children. The attack came on the sixth anniversary of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., that killed 17 people.
Eicos Science Injection Is First FDA-Approved Frostbite Treatment
February 15, 2024
Morning Briefing
The drug will be sold under the brand name Aurlumyn and is expected to be available in the spring, though pricing is not yet known. Meanwhile, prescriptions for the first pill to treat postpartum depression are said to be “off to a promising start” after its launch.
To Tackle Staffing Shortage, University Of Georgia Gets A Medical School
February 15, 2024
Morning Briefing
The university will launch an independent medical school amid the ongoing shortage of medical professionals. In other industry news, cyberattacks on hospitals are expected to increase; some services are restored at Lurie Children’s Hospital after a cyberattack; and more.
Fitness Tracker Data Hints At Body Temps As A Depression Symptom
February 15, 2024
Morning Briefing
A new study found participants with higher body temperatures also reported higher rates of depressive symptoms, though it’s not clear which way the causal link flows. Also in the news: Science finds walking, yoga and strength training can tackle depression as well as therapy.
Morning Briefing for Thursday, February 15, 2024
February 15, 2024
Morning Briefing
Drug shortages, Medicaid expansion, FDA action, medical education, long covid, gun violence, depression, and more are in the news.
FTC To Investigate How Purchasing Organizations Impact Drug Shortages
February 15, 2024
Morning Briefing
Stat reports that the FTC will look into the role that group purchasing organizations (GPOs) and wholesalers play in controlling the availability and cost of critical medicines to hospitals and other medical facilities in the U.S.
Nuevas normas de elegibilidad son un alivio financiero para casi 2 millones de personas en Medi-Cal
By Bernard J. Wolfson
February 15, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Este grupo se equiparará a los aproximadamente 12 millones de otros beneficiarios que no tienen límites de activos.
First Edition: Feb. 15, 2024
February 15, 2024
Morning Briefing
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Watch: The Feds Reexamine Covid Protocols. Here’s Why You Should Care.
February 15, 2024
KFF Health News Original
KFF Health News’ Céline Gounder explains the “five-day rule” on covid safety, how guidelines and testing have evolved, and how best to protect yourself and others.
Early Detection May Help Kentucky Tamp Down Its Lung Cancer Crisis
By Charlotte Huff
February 15, 2024
KFF Health News Original
After a decade of work, a Kentucky program launched to diagnose lung cancer earlier is beginning to change the prognosis for residents by catching tumors when they’re more treatable.
New Eligibility Rules Are a Financial Salve for Nearly 2 Million on Medi-Cal
By Bernard J. Wolfson
February 15, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Nearly 2 million Medi-Cal enrollees, mainly people who are aged, disabled, or in long-term care, can now accumulate savings and property without limitations and still qualify for the state’s health insurance program for low-income residents. They join an additional roughly 12 million enrollees who already had no asset limits.
The No Surprises Act Comes With Some Surprises
By Elisabeth Rosenthal
February 14, 2024
KFF Health News Original
The No Surprises Act, the landmark law intended to protect patients from surprise out-of-network medical bills, has come with, well, some surprises. A little more than two years after it took effect, there’s good and bad news about how it’s working. First, it’s important to note that the law has successfully protected millions of patients […]