You searched for - Page 255 of 6584 - KFF Health News

House Bill To Extend Pediatric Rare Disease Aid Clears Committee

September 19, 2024 Morning Briefing

Passage of the measure would tee it up to be added to government funding legislation. It also would ensure the voucher program would be in place another five years. Meanwhile, the House rejected the stopgap spending bill as the deadline to avert a government shutdown nears.

Report: US Ranks Worst In Health Care Among 10 Developed Nations

September 19, 2024 Morning Briefing

NBC News reports on the new data from The Commonwealth Fund, which found that Americans die the youngest and experience the most preventable deaths, despite that the U.S. spends nearly double what the other nine countries do. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Francis Collins are also in the news.

Ascension Suffered $1.3 Billion Hit From Cyberattack, Analysis Finds

September 19, 2024 Morning Briefing

The attack happened in May, forcing Ascension to close access to its electronic health records, and now financial data analyzed by STAT shows how much impact the hack had on the nonprofit hospital system. Separately, critics say the federal response to health industry cyberattacks is weak.

Insurers Begin To Tackle Complex Mental Health Compliance Rules

September 19, 2024 Morning Briefing

The industry is tasked with bringing mental health services in line with medical benefits in an effort to make it easier for Americans to find the care they need. Elsewhere, St. Paul plans to streamline its 911 services, and 988 counselors contend with “bogus sex calls.”

Neuralink ‘Blindsight’ Brain Implant Gets FDA ‘Breakthrough Device’ Nod

September 19, 2024 Morning Briefing

The device is a variant of Neuralink’s brain implant technology, in this case designed to “enable even those who have lost both eyes” to see, according to owner Elon Musk. Separately, progress is reported in a gene therapy program to beat macular degeneration.

First Edition: Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024

September 19, 2024 Morning Briefing

Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.

Abortion Clinics — And Patients — Are on the Move, as State Laws Keep Shifting

By Bram Sable-Smith Illustration by Oona Zenda September 19, 2024 KFF Health News Original

Clinics in states where most abortions are legal, such as Kansas and Illinois, are reporting an influx of inquiries from patients hundreds of miles away — and are expanding in response. Despite the Supreme Court’s overturning of federal protections in 2022, abortions are now at their highest numbers in a decade.

California Medicaid Ballot Measure Is Popular, Well Funded — And Perilous, Opponents Warn

By Bernard J. Wolfson September 19, 2024 KFF Health News Original

Proposition 35, which would use revenue from a tax on managed-care plans to raise the pay of health care providers who serve Medi-Cal patients, has united a broad swath of California’s health care, business, and political establishments. But a newly formed, smaller group of opponents says it will do more harm than good.

These Alabama Workers Were Swamped by Medical Debt. Then Their Employer Stepped In.

By Noam N. Levey September 19, 2024 KFF Health News Original

A decades-old manufacturing company opened a clinic and made primary care and prescriptions free for employees and their families.

Cyberattacks Plague the Health Industry. Critics Call Feds’ Response Feeble and Fractured.

By Darius Tahir September 19, 2024 KFF Health News Original

Health care weathered more ransomware attacks last year than any other sector, and that was before a debilitating February hack of payments manager Change Healthcare. Executives, lawyers, and policymakers are worried the federal government’s response is underpowered, underfunded, and too focused on hospital security.

Unpacking the FDA’s Non-Recall Recalls

By David Hilzenrath September 18, 2024 KFF Health News Original

When the Agriculture Department posted a recall of chicken nuggets that might be contaminated, it directed consumers to return them or throw the stuff away. When the Consumer Product Safety Commission announced that poorly designed baby loungers could suffocate babies, it warned consumers to immediately stop using them. But when it comes to medical devices, […]

Express Scripts Sues FTC, Calls Report About Drug Middlemen ‘Erroneous’