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.
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 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.
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.
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.
‘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.
‘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.
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.
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.
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.
Patients Want To Price-Shop For Care, But Online Tools Unreliable
By Elana Gordon, WHYY
November 30, 2015
KFF Health News Original
A tough diagnosis and a high-deductible insurance plan motivated one couple to shop carefully for care. But they hit a snag — inaccurate prices on online calculators. Who can comparison shop if the price tags are wrong?
Why Don’t We Have Mental Health Parity?
August 27, 2015
KFF Health News Original
The law says insurance companies must pay for mental health benefits the same as they do everything else. Addiction as much as diabetes. Depression as much as cancer. But around the country, consumers are taking their insurers to court saying the companies are refusing to pay up. The insurance providers say mental health is complicated, […]
Buyer Beware: A Mammogram’s Price Can Vary By Nearly $1,000, Study Finds
By Jordan Rau
October 7, 2015
KFF Health News Original
Researchers looked at women’s health services around the country and found stark disparities between cities but also within health care markets.
A Med School Teaches Science And Data Mining
By Julie Rovner
October 30, 2015
KFF Health News Original
At NYU medical school, students learn to access huge troves of data to become doctors who understand the health care system, and individual ailments, better.
Watchdog Report Sharply Criticizes Fed’s Efforts To Recoup Medicare Advantage Overcharges
May 10, 2016
Morning Briefing
The Government Accountability Office said that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has spent about $117 million on Medicare Advantage overbilling audits, but so far has recouped just $14 million. Meanwhile, some Democrats are speaking up for the Medicare Part B change in the face of intense criticism. Also, fee-for-service payments are published and health systems offset Medicare losses.
In Caring For Sickest Infants, Doctors Tap Parents For Tough Calls
By Jenny Gold
November 17, 2015
KFF Health News Original
Doctors were once unquestioned authorities on how aggressively to treat the sickest and most premature babies. Now, they increasingly include parents in these wrenching choices.
It’s Never Too Soon To Plan Your ‘Driving Retirement’
By John Daley, Colorado Public Radio
November 9, 2015
KFF Health News Original
Experts say families should re-think how seniors give up the car keys. Planning transportation options way ahead of time can avoid often painful conversations and confrontations.
The Battle Over Planned Parenthood
August 11, 2015
KFF Health News Original
Kaiser Health News correspondent Julie Rovner discusses the efforts to defund Planned Parenthood on NPR’s On Point with Tom Ashbrook.