Eyes Fixed On California As Governor Ponders Inking Drug Price Transparency Bill
By April Dembosky, KQED
October 6, 2017
KFF Health News Original
“If it gets signed by this governor, it’s going to send shock waves throughout the country,” one legislator says. Pharma has spent $16.8 million lobbying against this bill and other drug laws in California.
States Strive To Curb Costs For A Crucial — But Exorbitant — Hemophilia Treatment
By Barbara Feder Ostrov
Photos by Heidi de Marco
March 6, 2018
KFF Health News Original
Saving the lives of people with the bleeding disorder can require high doses of expensive blood-clotting factor. Taxpayers foot much of the bill as manufacturers profit enormously.
Celgene Expected To Rake In $15B This Year With Strength Of Its Blockbuster Cancer Drug
July 27, 2018
Morning Briefing
But the company is on the look-out for its next blockbuster as Revlimid will face market competition in coming years. Meanwhile, advocate groups ask for insurance commissioners will investigate the growing use of copay accumulators.
Video: Health After A Hurricane
October 11, 2017
KFF Health News Original
In this Kaiser Health News video conversation, senior correspondent Julie Appleby and Georges Benjamin, the executive director of the American Public Health Association, hold a wide-ranging discussion about the continuing public and environmental health issues resulting from Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria, as well as other natural disasters such as the wildfires ravaging California.
Azar Warns Pharma That Administration Will Be ‘Turning On The Pressure’ As He Defends President’s Drug Plan
May 15, 2018
Morning Briefing
HHS Secretary Alex Azar blasted a long-standing Democratic idea for Medicare to negotiate drug prices, saying it would deny access to medicines “through rationing or setting prices,” which he called a “move toward socialized medicine.” However, Azar did promise to upend Medicare Part B’s payment structure.
Cities, Counties and Schools Sidestep FDA Canadian Drug Crackdown, Saving Millions
By Phil Galewitz
December 8, 2017
KFF Health News Original
Medicines are up to 80 percent cheaper north of the border and overseas, so U.S. localities are greasing a pharmaceutical pipeline that the feds warn is illegal and possibly unsafe.
Frail Patients Losing Access To Dental House Calls
By Ana B. Ibarra
Photos by Heidi de Marco
January 2, 2018
KFF Health News Original
Dental hygienists who treat frail and elderly residents in nursing homes and other facilities are dropping out of California’s publicly funded dental program for the poor because of recent changes that cut their pay and create more administrative hurdles.
Appeals Court Delivers Latest Blow To Hospitals By Rejecting Challenge To 340B Changes
July 18, 2018
Morning Briefing
The program helps hospitals cover charity costs related to prescriptions drugs. Last July, the Trump administration proposed slashing its higher reimbursement for the drugs by about 27 percent. A judge ruled that the hospitals had challenged the changes prematurely as none of them had taken effect yet, and the court of appeals on Tuesday affirmed the decision.
Facebook Live: What’s Happening With The Children’s Health Insurance Program?
September 22, 2017
KFF Health News Original
In this Facebook Live, KHN’s Julie Rovner talks to Bruce Lesley, president of First Focus, about the current state of play on CHIP reauthorization.
Of ‘Miracles’ And Money: Why Hemophilia Drugs Are So Expensive
By Jenny Gold
Photos by Heidi de Marco
March 8, 2018
KFF Health News Original
The market is flooded with 28 different medications for just 20,000 patients with the hereditary bleeding disorder. Yet intense competition hasn’t worked to bring costs down. Sales amount to $4.6 billion annually in the U.S.
Quiz: How Well Are You Paying Attention?
September 11, 2017
KFF Health News Original
To strengthen your core knowledge of health care policy, it helps to be a regular reader of Kaiser Health News. Here’s a pop quiz to gauge what you have learned.
Defendiéndose de la mortal temporada de gripe: 5 cosas que hay que saber ahora
By Barbara Feder Ostrov
January 9, 2018
KFF Health News Original
El virus se ha expandido en 46 estados y los síntomas son más feroces. La vacuna ayuda pero no protege ciento por ciento, dicen expertos.
Readers And Tweeters Add Two Cents On Amazon Venture To Repackage Health Care
February 6, 2018
KFF Health News Original
Kaiser Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
Cuts To Medicare Part B Payments At Center Of Oncologists’ Lawsuit Against HHS
June 1, 2018
Morning Briefing
The cancer doctors are suing over ongoing sequestration budget cuts that cut Medicare Part B drug reimbursements by 2 percent. In other medical practice news from the day: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ Merit-based Incentive Payment System hits reporting goals; the NBA names its first director for mental health; and statin tolerance is examined.
Maine Voters Greenlight Medicaid Expansion, But Governor Says Whoa
By Patty Wight, Maine Public Radio
November 9, 2017
KFF Health News Original
A battle brews as Republican Gov. Paul LePage says he won’t implement the Medicaid expansion unless the Legislature funds Maine’s share. Other states, such as Idaho and Utah, are keenly watching.
Texas Hospitals Fear Losing $6.2B Medicaid Deal
By Phil Galewitz
June 26, 2017
KFF Health News Original
Texas is asking the Trump administration to renew a 2011 agreement set to expire in December that helps pay hospitals’ costs of caring for the state’s uninsured residents.
Trump Acting Solo: What You Need To Know About Changes To The Health Law
By Julie Rovner Mary Agnes Carey Julie Appleby
October 13, 2017
KFF Health News Original
A quick guide to revisions to the cost-sharing subsidies for lower-income marketplace customers and the proposal to add different plans to the market.
Absent Federal Action, States Take The Lead On Curbing Drug Costs
By Shefali Luthra
September 29, 2017
KFF Health News Original
Congress has yet to take substantive action on this growing consumer concern, but a number of states are flexing their cost-control muscle.
