Latest Kaiser Health News Stories
KHN’s ‘What The Health’: Politics Heading Into 2020: Live From Aspen!
How big an issue will health really be in the 2020 election? Will the Republicans find their political footing on the issue? In this episode of KHN’s “What the Health?” Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Joanne Kenen of Politico and Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times report from the Aspen Ideas: Health festival in Aspen, Colo. Joining them are Chris Jennings, who advised Democratic Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama on health policy, and Lanhee Chen, who advised GOP presidential candidates Mitt Romney and Marco Rubio.
Podcast: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’ ‘Conscience’ Rules, Rx Prices and Still More Medicare
Joanne Kenen of Politico, Jen Haberkorn of the Los Angeles Times and Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss the latest news about the Trump administration’s effort to allow health care practitioners and organizations to refuse to provide care or refer patients for services that violate their conscience or religion. Also this week, the administration orders TV ads for prescription drugs to include list prices. And Tennessee wants free rein from the federal government to run its Medicaid program. Plus, Rovner interviews Joan Biskupic, author of a new book on Chief Justice John Roberts, about the behind-the-scenes negotiations that led to the 2012 ruling upholding the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act.
Feds Want To Show Health Care Costs On Your Phone, But That Could Take Years
Giving consumers more knowledge about the costs of care has long been desired, but administration officials cautioned it could take two years or more for useful data to appear in a phone app.
With Head Injuries Mounting, Will Cities Put Their Feet Down On E-Scooters?
As dockless electric scooters run roughshod through cities nationwide, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issues its first assessment on injuries and safety. It studied the injuries linked to riding e-scooters in Austin, Texas, from September through November. More than 200 people were hurt in scooter crashes and mishaps — with nearly half suffering head injuries.
HHS Finalizes Rule Seeking To Expel Planned Parenthood From Family Planning Program
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.
Too High To Drive: States Grapple With Setting Limits On Weed Use Behind Wheel
States that have legalized marijuana are trying to set standards for pot impairment that would help keep the roadways safe. But the science behind it is not clear-cut.
More Than Half Of California Nursing Homes Balk At Stricter Staffing Rules
Patient advocates say the state’s new staffing regulations are a good start toward better protecting the frail, but the nursing home industry contends they’re too burdensome.
Podcast: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’ A Detour On A Smoking Off-Ramp
In this episode of KHN’s “What the Health?” Sarah Jane Tribble of Kaiser Health News, Stephanie Armour of The Wall Street Journal, Kimberly Leonard of the Washington Examiner and Rebecca Adams of CQ Roll Call talk about the Food and Drug Administration’s latest actions to address teenagers’ use of e-cigarettes, Arkansas’ Medicaid work requirements and news about the uninsured from the latest federal Census report.
Unwitting Patients, Copycat Comments Play Hidden Role In Federal Rule-Making
As HHS decided to cut $1.6 billion in drug payments to hospitals, it weighed thousands of comments generated by a pharmaceutical-funded advocacy group.
Cancer, Schmancer. In California, Coffee Is King
The Golden State, with the rare support of the Trump administration, is seeking to circumvent a court order that would require cancer warnings in every establishment that sells a hot cup of Joe.
Parent Alert! Your Kid May Be Vaping More Than Nicotine
Educators and researchers say that as vaping becomes more common among young people, some are putting pot in their pods.
Trump Administration Loosens Restrictions On Short-Term Health Plans
The administration says these plans, which can now last as long as 12 months and be renewed for two years, will give consumers another less-pricey insurance option. Critics say the new rule is yet another swipe at the Affordable Care Act.
Trump Proposes Cutting Planned Parenthood Funds. What Does That Mean?
The Trump administration is pulling out an old regulation that it believes will be able to meet a key conservative goal: withholding some federal funding for Planned Parenthood in the government’s family planning program.
Trump Administration Proposes Rule To Loosen Curbs On Short-Term Health Plans
The policy change is likely to entice younger and healthier people from the general insurance pool by allowing a range of lower-cost options that don’t include all the benefits required by the federal health law.
Trump’s Work-For-Medicaid Rule Puts Work On States’ Shoulders
States that opt to change their Medicaid program must figure out how to delineate who is covered by the new mandate, how to enforce the rules and how to handle the people seeking exemptions.
Trump Administration Clears Way To Force Some Medicaid Enrollees To Work
Allowing states to mandate that non-disabled Medicaid enrollees work as a condition for coverage would mark one of the biggest changes to the program since it began more than 50 years ago. A decision on the first of the state requests could come within days.
High Praise: Pot Churches Proliferate As States Ease Access To Marijuana
Churches that offer marijuana as a sacrament are popping up across California and the U.S., vexing state and local officials who say they’re simply pot shops in disguise.
Nursing Home Disaster Plans Often Faulted As ‘Paper Tigers’
Too often enforcement of rules for dealing with crisis is lax, advocates for nursing home residents say.
Transgender Health Care Targeted In Crusade To Undo ACA
HHS Secretary Tom Price and President Donald Trump have vowed to use administrative powers to mitigate the health law rules that created “burdens” or that don’t match up with their agenda.
Consumer Advocates Wary Of New Marketplace Rules For Brokers
Federal officials relaxed their rules this month about how brokers and insurers can work with individuals to apply for health law policies.
