CMS Axes New York’s Plan To Extend Its Medicaid Reform Program After State Asked For $8B In Funding
February 26, 2020
Morning Briefing
In denying New York’s request, the federal government is refusing to support the way the state is trying to change its delivery system to care for people in community medical facilities rather than in hospitals. It is rejecting the application but not eliminating funding that was already promised. Other Medicaid news comes from Minnesota and West Virginia.
Amid Ongoing Vaping Crisis And Legal Battles, Altria Takes $4.1B Hit On Juul Investment
January 31, 2020
Morning Briefing
Altria bought its stake in Juul as it was looking to shift away from cigarettes. The e-cigarette start-up, at the time experiencing explosive growth, was valued at $38 billion.
What The Trump Home Dialysis Plan Would Really Look Like
By Judith Graham
August 16, 2019
KFF Health News Original
It takes more than an executive order to shift kidney disease patients from dialysis centers to home care. These patients show it takes discipline, skill, will and support.
TV Ads Must Trumpet Drug Prices, Trump Administration Says. Pharma Tries A Plan B.
By Shefali Luthra and Sarah Jane Tribble
October 15, 2018
KFF Health News Original
Drug pricing is a top issue in the run-up to the midterm elections.
Podcast: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’ Live From D.C.: A Look Ahead At Health Policy In 2019
January 31, 2019
KFF Health News Original
Congress and President Donald Trump are starting to wrestle with health policy issues, and health is already a key debate point in the early run-up to the 2020 Democratic presidential primaries. Might any major health policy legislation be passed and signed this year? Joanne Kenen of Politico, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News and Kimberly Leonard of The Washington Examiner, along with special guest Tom Miller of the American Enterprise Institute, join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and take questions from a live studio audience.
McConnell Unveils $1T Stimulus Plan: $1,200 Checks For Some Americans, Loans For Airlines, $300B Pot For Small Businesses
March 19, 2020
Morning Briefing
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) released his proposed $1 trillion package, but some financial experts think it’s still not enough to counter the financial devastation of the coronavirus. Meanwhile, lobbyists and hospitals scramble to get a piece of the action.
Readers React: UVA Doctors Outraged Over Their Own Health System’s Billing Practices
November 23, 2019
KFF Health News Original
Kaiser Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
VA Opts To Delay Training On New $10B Electronic Health Record System As First Site’s Deadline Draws Near
February 12, 2020
Morning Briefing
The VA said the planning with Cerner is “proceeding deliberately and thoughtfully to adhere to the project’s ten-year timeline, which calls for a rolling implementation schedule through 2027.” Other health technology news is on AdventHealth’s plans to switch from Cerner and privacy issues, as well.
Needle Exchanges Find New Champions Among Republicans
By Victoria Knight
May 9, 2019
KFF Health News Original
More Republicans, at the statehouse level, are saying research and results support their endorsement of a once-controversial plan to limit disease among drug users.
Trump Highlights Health Agenda With Vow To Lower ‘Unfair’ Drug Prices
By Julie Rovner
February 6, 2019
KFF Health News Original
The president laid out a series of goals, including lowering prescription prices, pursuing an end to the HIV epidemic and boosting funding for childhood cancers.
Following Earthquakes, HUD Will Lift Months-Long Block On $8.2B In Disaster Aid For Puerto Rico
January 15, 2020
Morning Briefing
Back in September, the Trump administration said it needed to ensure financial safeguards were put in place in light of recent political unrest on the island. The delay in funding incensed Democrats and other critics as Puerto Rico continues to struggle in the aftermath of multiple natural disasters.
Officials Point To Drug Spending For Jump In Medicare’s Part B Premiums
November 11, 2019
Morning Briefing
“For people who live with little to no savings, any increase in Medicare premiums or drug costs is going to be a struggle,” said Fred Riccardi, president of the Medicare Rights Center.
HHS Finalizes Rule Seeking To Expel Planned Parenthood From Family Planning Program
By Julie Rovner
February 22, 2019
KFF Health News Original
The new regulation would drop previous rules for the Title X program requiring that women with unintended pregnancies be told about all options, including abortion. It would also mandate that organizations separate facilities providing federally funded services from those providing abortions.
California Looks To Lead Nation In Unraveling Childhood Trauma
By Anna Maria Barry-Jester
March 6, 2019
KFF Health News Original
The Golden State, in a movement spearheaded by its first-ever surgeon general, stands to become a vanguard for the nation in tracing adverse childhood experiences, or ACEs, to the onset of physical and mental illness. But what can a pediatrician, with her 15-minute time slots and extensive to-do list, do about the ills of an absent parent or a neighborhood riddled with gun violence?
Hospitales infantiles claman de nuevo por la ayuda de los votantes, pero ¿la necesitan?
By Ana B. Ibarra
October 18, 2018
KFF Health News Original
A pesar de la naturaleza positiva de estos pedidos, algunos expertos en salud y analistas electorales cuestionan que los hospitales le pidan dinero tantas veces a los contribuyentes.
Children’s Hospitals Again Cry For Help From Voters. But Are They Really Hurting?
By Ana B. Ibarra
October 18, 2018
KFF Health News Original
California’s 13 children’s hospitals are asking voters in November to approve $1.5 billion in bonds to help them pay for construction and equipment, the third such measure in 14 years. Some health care experts and election analysts believe the repeated financial requests aren’t justified.
Newsom Diverges Sharply From Washington With Health Care Budget
By Samantha Young and Ana B. Ibarra
January 11, 2019
KFF Health News Original
California Gov. Gavin Newsom made health care a priority in his proposed state budget, asking lawmakers to authorize state-funded financial aid for health insurance, impose a penalty on uninsured Californians and expand Medicaid coverage to unauthorized immigrants.
New Medicare Advantage Tool To Lower Drug Prices Puts Crimp In Patients’ Choices
By Susan Jaffe
September 17, 2018
KFF Health News Original
Federal officials are allowing the private insurance plans to use “step therapy” for drugs administered by doctors. In step therapy, patients must first use cheaper drugs to see if they work before receiving more expensive options.
Mulvaney: Trump Brought Down Drug Prices For The First Time In 50 Years
By Shefali Luthra
April 15, 2019
KFF Health News Original
It’s “within spitting distance of something that’s true,” said one health economist. But our fact check found it wasn’t quite there.
Trump To Become First President To Speak In Person At March For Life Event
January 23, 2020
Morning Briefing
Although in the past, President Donald Trump described himself as “pro-choice,” since he ran his 2016 campaign he’s ardently courted supporters within the antiabortion movement. The announcement comes just a few days after the Susan B. Anthony List and its affiliated super PAC said it would spend $52 million to help the president’s reelection.