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Patent Rule Change For Generics Reportedly Could Increase Federal Health Care Costs By $1.3B Over Decade

September 1, 2015 Morning Briefing

Meanwhile, as the skyrocketing costs of prescription drugs grab attention from lawmakers and government officials, Politico reports that disease advocacy groups have been conspicuously quiet in the debate.

Medicare Part B Still A Target For Fraud, Federal Watchdog Says

June 24, 2015 Morning Briefing

Two reports from the HHS Office of the Inspector General highlight the program’s questionable billing patterns and urge the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to do more to protect Medicare Part B.

Patient Safety Advocate Sees ‘Hope And Hype’ In Digital Revolution

By Michelle Andrews April 14, 2015 KFF Health News Original

Dr. Robert Wachter says medicine’s move to a computer age can improve care but patients still face serious challenges in adapting to the new technology and the prospect of overcoming a fragmented health system.

Pentagon’s $4.3B Electronic Health Records Contract Awarded To Leidos, Cerner And Accenture Team

July 30, 2015 Morning Briefing

The work will include overhauling the Pentagon’s health records for about 9.5 million active military and veteran beneficiaries at about 1,000 sites worldwide. The contract starts at 10 years but could extend to 18 years and $9 billion.

How California Can Improve Oversight of Home Caregivers

January 7, 2015 KFF Health News Original

In California, hundreds of thousands of low-income elderly and disabled people receive daily care in their homes from their children, spouses, relatives and others. And, through a program called In-Home Supportive Services, the state pays many of those caregivers about $10 an hour to do the job.

Drug And Device Makers Paid $6.5B To Doctors, Hospitals In 2014

July 1, 2015 Morning Briefing

About 80 percent of the dollars went to doctors for consulting, speeches, research and other activities. Nearly 610,000 doctors received payments, as well as some 1,100 teaching hospitals, according to government data. The effort to highlight potential conflicts of interest is mandated by the Affordable Care Act.

The Extra Cost Of Extra Weight For Older Adults

By Sarah Varney March 2, 2015 KFF Health News Original

Obese people are far more likely to become disabled as they age, and researchers say this burgeoning demographic will strain hospitals and nursing homes.

$49B Federal Price Tag For 10 ‘Breakthrough’ Drugs

June 8, 2015 Morning Briefing

The drugs include several to treat hepatitis C and breast cancer. Elsewhere, the Food and Drug Administration is speeding new cholesterol drugs to trial, a closer look at kids drugs in the “Cures” bill and painkiller abuse still worries some officials, despite efforts to stem their abuse.

Congress May Act Soon To Shore Up VA Budget With $3B Injection, VA Secretary McDonald Says

July 24, 2015 Morning Briefing

The Department of Veteran Affairs’ $2.5 billion budget shortfall has raised the risk of some VA hospitals closing as well as employee furloughs. The beleaguered agency has also made little progress decreasing vets’ wait times for health care or in hiring for 41,500 open medical positions.

Awake, And Safe, All Night Despite Dementia

By Rachel Gotbaum March 9, 2015 KFF Health News Original

A special “daycare at night” program in the Bronx cares for Alzheimer’s patients whose internal clocks mistake night for day.

CDC Panel Urges Expanding Pool Of Young People Who Receive Meningitis B Shot

June 29, 2015 Morning Briefing

An advisory committee for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is recommending that all 16- to 23-year-olds to consider the vaccine. Previous guidance was limited to those at high risk of exposure to the disease, like lab workers and students at colleges with outbreaks.

VA Threatens To Shut Down Hospitals Next Month If Congress Doesn’t Help With $2.5B Budget Shortfall

July 17, 2015 Morning Briefing

In other news on military health care, the Pentagon is narrowing the finalists for a multibillion-dollar contract to overhaul the military’s health IT system, and a Florida lawmaker calls for a former naval hospital in Lake Baldwin to be repurposed as housing for elderly and homeless veterans.

Rural Hospitals, One Of The Cornerstones Of Small Town Life, Face Increasing Pressure

By Guy Gugliotta March 17, 2015 KFF Health News Original

For people in Mount Vernon, Texas, the loss of their hospital means longer trips for treatment and uncertainty when a medical crisis hits.

Government May Pay $50B For New Breakthrough Drugs, Study Estimates

June 9, 2015 Morning Briefing

According to a report by Avalere Health, a consulting firm, Medicare would bear the majority of the cost, spending $31.3 billion over the next 10 years on improved treatments for diseases like Hepatitis C and breast cancer. Medicaid is estimated to spend $15.8 billion on the drugs. Meanwhile, another report finds that health care costs may go up 6.5 percent next year.

What’s At Stake As Health Law Lands At Supreme Court Again

By Sarah Varney March 3, 2015 KFF Health News Original

With a $400 tax credit, Julia Raye of North Carolina has been able to afford health insurance and keep her diabetes under control. She is one of 8.2 million people who could lose that subsidy in a case that goes before the U.S. Supreme Court Wednesday.

Surprises And Standing: Breaking Down Today’s Supreme Court Arguments

March 4, 2015 KFF Health News Original

Supreme Court justices heard oral arguments Wednesday in a case challenging some of the health law’s insurance subsidies, but not before considering whether the plaintiffs had standing in the case. KHN’s Mary Agnes Carey and Julie Rovner discuss surprises from the hearing.

Advocates Worry That Funding Boost For Kids’ Health May Be Used For Other Things

June 23, 2015 Morning Briefing

States are free to use the $5.6 billion increase for the Children’s Health Insurance Program over the next 11 years as they see fit, reports CQ Healthbeat. Meanwhile, a CDC advisory committee is expected to decide later this week whether to recommend a new vaccine for teenagers to prevent meningitis strain B.

State Highlights: Study Finds Nearly $2B In Minn. ER Visits Could Have Been Avoided; Georgia Survey Notes Gap In Rural Health

July 23, 2015 Morning Briefing

Health care stories are reported from Minnesota, Georgia, Kansas, California, North Carolina, Washington, Michigan, North Dakota, Virginia and Montana.

FDA Recommends Approval For New Cholesterol Drug

June 10, 2015 Morning Briefing

But, the Food and Drug Administration panel also said more data are needed to examine its longterm viability as a treatment for heart attacks. Elsewhere, stakeholders await proposed rules on the 340B drug discount program, which may limit prices and provide guidance on civil damages for drugmakers.

Still No Plan B From White House If Supreme Court Strikes Down Obamacare Subsidies

June 5, 2015 Morning Briefing

With a decision expected in just a few days from the high court, many wonder why the Obama administration has not offered a backup plan, even as HHS Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell warns that the number of uninsured could spike if the subsidies are struck down. Delaware joins Pennsylvania, however, in moving to save the health coverage subsidies if they are ruled out.

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