Anti-Abortion Groups Rejuvenated By Trump Win
December 12, 2016
Morning Briefing
“This is the strongest the pro-life movement has been since 1973,” said Marjorie Dannenfelser, the president of the Susan B. Anthony List. A renewed push for “personhood” laws is expected to be one of its first moves.
Fantasy Sports Fueling A Rise In Online Gambling Addiction
By Ana B. Ibarra
March 30, 2016
KFF Health News Original
Seeing more problem gamblers than ever before, the state is investing in education, training and prevention.
Gun Violence And Mental Health Laws, 50 Years After Texas Tower Sniper
By Lauren Silverman, KERA
August 2, 2016
KFF Health News Original
Trying to prevent gun violence by tying it to mental health legislation began in 1966 when a young gunman killed 16 people in Austin, Texas. But some believe the approach is misguided.
Abbott Sues To Halt Its Troubled $5.8B Merger With Alere
December 8, 2016
Morning Briefing
Abbott Laboratories cites a drop in in the medical test-developer’s financial outlook in the lawsuit. Alere says it has complied with terms of the merger deal and that the filing is “without merit.”
Drugmakers Manipulate Orphan Drug Rules To Create Prized Monopolies
By Sarah Jane Tribble and Sydney Lupkin
January 17, 2017
KFF Health News Original
Drugmakers have brought almost 450 orphan drugs to market and collected rich incentives but nearly a third of those products aren’t new or were repurposed multiple times, an investigation shows.
HHS Announces Plans To Curtail Consumers’ Use Of Short-Term Insurance Policies
By Jordan Rau
June 8, 2016
KFF Health News Original
The plans, which do not qualify as coverage under the Affordable Care Act and put consumers at risk of a tax penalty, can siphon healthy people away from the online marketplaces because they are generally less expensive.
Montana’s ‘Pain Refugees’ Leave State To Get Prescribed Opioids
By Corin Cates-Carney, Montana Public Radio
July 22, 2016
KFF Health News Original
With rising awareness of opioid abuse, some pain patients say doctors are less likely to prescribe them. One Montana sufferer goes to great lengths to get his prescription — he flies to California.
Medicare Sets Modest Part B Premium Increases For 2017
November 11, 2016
Morning Briefing
Federal officials say they will tap reserves to help keep beneficiaries’ costs down.
Ga., Calif. Hospitals Sue Blue Cross Plan For Sending ER Reimbursements To Patients
By Andy Miller, Georgia Health News
June 30, 2016
KFF Health News Original
The lawsuits allege that the practice costs the hospitals money because the patients often spend the funds.
Medicare Payment Changes Lead More Men To Get Screening Colonoscopies
By Michelle Andrews
December 24, 2015
KFF Health News Original
The health law waived Medicare’s Part B deductible and dropped the 20 percent copayment for the preventive tests.
Old Motels Get New Life Helping Homeless Heal
By David Gorn
Photos by Heidi de Marco
June 29, 2016
KFF Health News Original
Using run-down motels to care for and temporarily house homeless people recently discharged from the hospital helps stabilize them inexpensively, preventing unnecessary and costly returns to ERs and hospitals.
Vaccines Are Not Just For Kids
By Anna Gorman
July 13, 2016
KFF Health News Original
California’s leading physician organization is heading a drive to convince adults they need their vaccinations, too.
Medicare’s Efforts To Curb Backlog Of Appeals Not Sufficient, GAO Reports
By Susan Jaffe
June 10, 2016
KFF Health News Original
Investigators from the GAO call for HHS to improve oversight of the Medicare appeals process and streamline it to make sure repetitive claims are handled more efficiently.
Single Mom’s Search For Therapist Foiled By Insurance Companies
By April Dembosky, KQED
July 28, 2016
KFF Health News Original
A single mom, a son with autism and a maddening search for the help she badly needed.
How Medicare Drug Plans Hope To Follow Private Sector Lead
By Julie Appleby
March 18, 2016
KFF Health News Original
The proposal that Medicare made this month to better control prescription drug costs involves testing strategies used with some success in the private sector.
Anthem Deal Would Result In $3B Being Passed On To Employers, Company’s Expert Testifies
December 2, 2016
Morning Briefing
Economist Mark Israel defended the Anthem-Cigna merger and said the Justice Department’s expert erred in ignoring savings from reduced medical costs estimated in his analysis of the deal’s impact. Meanwhile, Anthem could face a $3 billion penalty from Blue Cross Blue Shield Association if it acquires Cigna and the Aetna-Humana trial is set to start on Monday.
State Highlights: Little Has Changed With Pa. Mental Health Care Following Lawsuit; Calif.’s Health Care Liability Jumps By $2.5B
January 26, 2017
Morning Briefing
Outlets report on news from Pennsylvania, California, Virginia, Minnesota, Kansas, Texas, Louisiana, Arizona and Florida.
For Doctors-In-Training, A Dose Of Health Policy Can Help The Medicine Go Down
By Julie Rovner
June 10, 2016
KFF Health News Original
Medical residents at George Washington University spend three weeks examining and diagnosing the nation’s health care system.
After Eleventh-Hour Negotiations, House Set To Vote On $6.3B Cures Bill
November 30, 2016
Morning Briefing
While Democrats are still unhappy with some aspects of the legislation, it’s expected to make it through the House and move on to a Senate vote next week.
Rise In Oncologists Working For Hospitals Spurs Higher Chemo Costs: Study
By Michelle Andrews
April 15, 2016
KFF Health News Original
Researchers found that the facility fees hospitals and their clinics routinely add to the bill helps drive the price increases.