Listen: As Puerto Rico Struggles To Rebuild Health System, Changes In Medicaid Loom
May 31, 2018
KFF Health News Original
KHN reporter Carmen Heredia Rodriguez joins in a discussion on WNYC’s “The Takeaway” about health care issues following widespread destruction by Hurricane Maria on the island.
Facing The Upcoming Loss Of Blockbuster Drug’s Patent Protections, AbbVie Buys Allergan In Mega $63B Deal
June 26, 2019
Morning Briefing
“This is the age of blockbusters,” said David Maris, an analyst for Wells Fargo who follows the drug industry. “And when blockbusters start to go away, companies don’t have too many things they can do.” AbbVie is under pressure to diversify its portfolio and its shares have lost more than a third of their value since January 2018 over concerns as the patent expiration on Humira, its top-selling drug, approaches.
Elecciones: la salud es importante para los votantes, pero no es crucial
By Julie Rovner
November 7, 2018
KFF Health News Original
Aunque el tema de la atención de salud pareció no ser crucial para los votantes en las elecciones de medio término, el martes 6 de noviembre fue un buen día para la expansión de Medicaid.
Will Congress Bring Sky-High Air Ambulance Bills Down To Earth?
By Jackie Fortiér, StateImpact Oklahoma
September 27, 2018
KFF Health News Original
Medevac helicopter companies are on the radar of an FAA funding bill likely to pass the House and Senate this week.
Trump Signs $19.1B Disaster Relief Bill That Will Help Victims Of Devastating Wildfires, Floods And Hurricanes
June 7, 2019
Morning Briefing
The bill had been help up in Congress over squabbles about provisions on Puerto Rico and funding for a border wall.
Judge Stops Short Of Permanent Injunction Of 340B Medicare Rate Cuts, But Halts Them For Now
May 8, 2019
Morning Briefing
U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras is ordering the government the deficiencies in the rule. HHS Secretary Alex Azar “patently violated the Medicare Act’s text,” the judge wrote. “Unlike cases in which the agency’s decision may have been lawful, but was inadequately explained … no amount of reasoning on remand will allow the secretary to re-implement the 340B rates in the same manner.”
Podcast: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’ Opioids, EpiPens And Health Funding
August 23, 2018
KFF Health News Original
In this episode of KHN’s “What the Health?” Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Alice Ollstein of Talking Points Memo, Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times and Joanne Kenen of Politico discuss Senate action on health funding and opioid legislation, the state of the individual insurance market and consternation over expiration dates on EpiPens, the self-injected allergy remedy. Also, could an otter with asthma signal a potential public health crisis?
Dissecting The Rhetoric Vs. Reality Of Trump’s Tough Talk On Drug Prices
By Sarah Jane Tribble
April 27, 2018
KFF Health News Original
President Donald Trump’s upcoming speech on drug prices comes after months of public comments and debate about tackling the issue.
Podcast: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’ Ask Us Anything!
August 30, 2018
KFF Health News Original
In this episode of KHN’s “What the Health?” Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times and Joanne Kenen of Politico answer listeners’ questions about health policy and politics.
Texas Disability Groups Want A Voice At The Table In Gun Debate
By Ashley Lopez, KUT
April 23, 2018
KFF Health News Original
A disability rights groups in Texas wants to make sure people who’ve been disabled by gun violence in Texas get a chance to talk to lawmakers.
House’s $99.4B HHS Appropriations Bill Includes Amendment Reversing Ban On Developing Unique Patient PINs
June 14, 2019
Morning Briefing
Lawmakers previously argued a program to develop a national patient identifier could violate privacy issues or raise security concerns, while the medical community and insurers claimed the ban kept them from properly matching patients with the correct medical information–a major issue that health systems are struggling with.
Dialysis Patients Sign Up For November Ballot Fight
By Ana B. Ibarra
April 6, 2018
KFF Health News Original
Frustrated by dialysis centers they call dirty and understaffed, patients and health care workers rallied across California Thursday before delivering more than 600,000 signatures to election offices in support of a ballot initiative intended to improve patient care.
The Feds’ Termination Of A Tiny Contract Inflames Bitter Fight Over Fetal Tissue
By Emmarie Huetteman
October 8, 2018
KFF Health News Original
Just weeks before midterm elections, a move by federal health officials spotlights a contentious issue: the use of human fetal tissue in research. Here’s what you need to know to understand the debate.
C-SPAN: FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb Talks To KHN
April 9, 2018
KFF Health News Original
Kaiser Health News reporter Sarah Jane Tribble sat down with Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb on C-SPAN’s “Newsmakers” program. The conversation ranged from how the nation should combat the opioid epidemic to reining in drug prices.
Must-Reads Of The Week From Brianna Labuskes
By Brianna Labuskes
October 5, 2018
KFF Health News Original
Newsletter editor Brianna Labuskes wades through hundreds of health articles from the week so you don’t have to.
Calif. Leads Nation In Pushing Back Against Trump Administration Health Policies
By Ana B. Ibarra
April 20, 2018
KFF Health News Original
In the face of federal efforts to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, policymakers in the largest state are proposing laws and other changes to counter them. Beyond that, they’re aggressively pushing measures to expand health coverage beyond what the ACA envisioned.
House Approves $4.5B Package To Send Humanitarian Aid To Border To Address ‘Atrocity That Violates Every Value We Have’
June 26, 2019
Morning Briefing
The package faces an uphill battle, though. Democrats will now dive into negotiations with Senate GOP leaders, in a difficult bid to get the long-delayed aid package signed into law before leaving town Thursday for a weeklong recess.
PrEP Campaign Aims To Block HIV Infection And Save Lives In D.C.
By Selena Simmons-Duffin, NPR
April 13, 2018
KFF Health News Original
Washington, D.C., is trying to stop new cases of HIV in the district by making sure residents who might be at risk are taking PrEP, medicine that cuts the risk of contracting the virus by 92 percent.
Senate Rejects House’s Border Aid Bill And Passes Own $4.6B Version, Setting Up Stalemate As Crisis Continues To Worsen
June 27, 2019
Morning Briefing
Lawmakers from both chambers are now facing a ticking clock to make a deal before their scheduled recess, as gruesome reports and heartbreaking photos of conditions from the border continue to capture the nation’s attention. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called President Donald Trump with an appeal to make changes. Trump seemed open, but it’s unclear if the Senate will accept any amendments without assurances from the White House that Trump will sign the measure into law. Meanwhile, the new secretary of Homeland Security faces pressure to resign.
Supreme Court To Hear ‘Bait-And-Switch’ $12B ACA Suit From Insurers Who Claim They Were Hurt By Risk Corridor Program
June 25, 2019
Morning Briefing
The health care law established so-called risk corridors meant to help insurance companies cope with the risks they took on when they decided to participate in the marketplaces. The law’s drafters hoped that payments into the program would offset payments out. However, losses substantially outpaced gains. The government was supposed to make up much of the difference, but Congress later enacted a series of appropriation riders that seemed to bar the promised payments.