Medicaid To Fund More Addiction Treatment
By Ben Allen, WITF
January 7, 2016
KFF Health News Original
Some Medicaid plans will now get federal funding for 15 days of inpatient treatment. But Pennsylvania fears the new rule will close a loophole the state has been using to pay for longer stints.
Buying Supplemental Insurance Can Be Hard For Younger Medicare Beneficiaries
By Susan Jaffe
February 3, 2016
KFF Health News Original
Congress left it to states to determine whether private Medigap plans are sold to the more than 9 million disabled people younger than 65 who qualify for Medicare. The result: rules vary across the country.
Want Into A Clinical Trial? Read This First.
By Emily Bazar
January 20, 2016
KFF Health News Original
Experimental drugs might help desperate patients, but don’t count on an easy cure.
Study Raises Autism Concerns For Pregnant Women Regarding Prenatal Vitamins
May 13, 2016
Morning Briefing
Evidence linking excess folate and vitamin B12 on the one hand and autism on the other “is extremely premature,” researchers say. Meanwhile, The Orlando Sentinel reports on a bilingual autism therapy center started by a grandmother.
Medicare Plans Score Higher Ratings And Millions In Bonuses
By Phil Galewitz
March 7, 2016
KFF Health News Original
The share of Medicare Advantage members enrolled in plans with high star ratings has almost doubled since 2013, earning bonuses for private insurers who offer them.
Cleaning Up Hydrogen Bomb Accident May Have Sickened These Airmen, But Proof Is Elusive
June 20, 2016
Morning Briefing
In 1966, the Air Force sent men in to clean up an accident site that may have been contaminated. Decades later, many of those men believe contamination led to a multitude of illnesses, but the Air Force continues to deny it. “They told us it was safe, and we were dumb enough, I guess, to believe them,” says Frank B. Thompson.
State Highlights: HIV Testing Is A Victim Of Ill. Budget Impasse; Calif. Bill Provides $2B To Help Mentally Ill Homeless People
July 5, 2016
Morning Briefing
Outlets report on health news from Illinois, California, Florida, Missouri, Massachusetts, Ohio and Georgia.
Senate Passes $1.1B In Zika Funding With Push From Southern Republicans
May 18, 2016
Morning Briefing
Meanwhile, the House, ignoring veto threats and pleas from Democrats, has put forth legislation that would provide only $622 million in resources to fight the outbreak, about one-third of what President Barack Obama requested.
Life Expectancy Gap Between Black And White Americans Shrinks To Smallest In History
May 9, 2016
Morning Briefing
The gap was seven years in 1990. By 2014, it was down to 3.4 years. In other public health news, The Philadelphia Inquirer reports on hepatitis B trends, and The Associated Press writes about kids being poisoned by e-cigarettes.
Senate Vote To Fund $1.1B Zika Plan Sets Stage For Showdown With The House
May 20, 2016
Morning Briefing
The key difference between the competing versions of the bills is that House GOP conservatives insisted that spending cuts accompany the measure so that its cost isn’t added to the budget deficit.
Answering Your Questions On The ‘Cadillac Tax’
September 2, 2015
KFF Health News Original
The excise tax will be levied on health insurance plans costing more than $10,200 for an individual or $27,500 for a family. Any value over those thresholds will be taxed at 40 percent, and that’s likely to affect consumers’ benefits, share of health care costs or their coverage entirely.
‘Ill-Conceived,’ ‘Devastating’: Comments Flood In Over Medicare Part B Plan, And They Are Not Glowing
May 5, 2016
Morning Briefing
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services proposes dropping payment from 6 percent to 2.5 percent of a drug’s average sales while adding a flat payment of $16.80 per drug a day. The deadline for comments is May 9, and most of the 600 the agency has received have been negative.
Federal Medicaid Officials Extend $3.1B Texas Hospital Funding Temporarily
May 3, 2016
Morning Briefing
The money had been scheduled to end because states had the opportunity to expand Medicaid, which would provide relief to hospitals. Texas opted not to expand the program.
Senate Set To Move On $1.1B For Zika Funding; House Introduces $622M Bill
May 17, 2016
Morning Briefing
Senators are expected to move today on a bipartisan plan to allocate $1.1 billion for the federal government’s response to the Zika virus outbreak, down from the $1.9 billion requested by the Obama administration. A measure unveiled this week by House Republicans cuts the funding further to $622 million.
Readers Ask About Concierge Medicine And Medicare; Insulin Costs And The Doughnut Hole
By Michelle Andrews
September 8, 2015
KFF Health News Original
KHN consumer columnist Michelle Andrews answers questions about Medicare beneficiaries’ costs associated with doctors who have concierge medicine practices, insulin pumps and respite care.
‘Though Not Perfect, It Is Fair’: Court Upholds $1B NFL Concussion Settlement
April 19, 2016
Morning Briefing
The appellants can still ask a larger panel of judges at the Third Circuit to hear their appeal, or they can solicit the Supreme Court, but legal experts say both would be a long shot.
Gilead Eyes Cancer Therapy Acquisition Targets
May 9, 2016
Morning Briefing
In other pharmaceutical news, NPR reports on professional test subjects: “We are selling our bodies, most definitely,” one says. Meanwhile, a cancer medicine improves vision for some with wet age-related macular degeneration and House Democrats back the Obama administration Medicare Part B drug plan.
California AG Under Fire After Raid Over Planned Parenthood Fetal Tissue Videos
April 8, 2016
Morning Briefing
Susan B. Anthony List is calling for the resignation of Attorney General Kamala Harris, who is running for retiring Sen. Barbara Boxer’s seat, after investigators seized videos and other property belonging to David Daleiden.
House Panel Advances Bill That Revises Medicare Hospital Payments
May 25, 2016
Morning Briefing
The legislation would roll back some of the cost-cutting changes made in payments to hospital outpatient departments. It’s not clear yet whether the bill has enough support to make it through Congress. Also in Medicare news, another committee examines the government’s efforts to eliminate waste and a look at one aspect of the administration’s proposal to change payments for Part B drugs.
