Health News

Take a look at KHN's lighter side, featuring today's cartoon and health policy haiku.

Editorials and columnists in several papers around the country pressed officials toward accepting a Medicaid expansion and offered suggestions about implementation. Also, comments continued about a recent study on Medicaid.

Bloomberg reports that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has put off more than $765 million in spending authorized for equipment and care. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Times reports on how securing disability compensation has become a battle for many Vietnam Veterans.

Georgia Health News reports on this surprising trend.

Media reports detail the latest on the debate in Mississippi, Michigan, Louisiana, Arizona, California and Iowa.

Mergers between Catholic and secular hospitals could mean wider restriction of abortion, even as lawmakers in many states consider tighter regulation or bans on the procedure.

An analysis by ProPublica and The Washington Post has found that Medicare does little to track doctor prescription patterns when they're prescribing potentially hazardous drugs.

News outlets continue plumbing newly released federal data that details for the first time what hospitals charge for some of the most common in-patient procedures.

A selection of editorials and opinions on health care from around the country.

Also, the Obama administration OKs Utah's dual health exchange while news outlets report on developments from South Carolina, Colorado and Connecticut.

How can a former Ironman triathlete get heart disease? For Rick Del Sontro and most of his family, there’s no escape. It’s a genetic defect that has plagued generation after generation.    

Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports that Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has been seeking out funds from private sources to support efforts to publicize the health law.

A new online tool created by ProPublica allows the public for the first time to search, sort and compare information on physicians and other health care providers who prescribe medication under Medicare Part D. The tool -- called Prescriber Checkup -- accompanies ProPublica's analysis of CMS data on Medicare Part D prescribing patterns. ProPublica/Washington Post, ProPublica.

A report from the American Medical Association's board of trustees states that AMA has concerns about the shift to ICD-10 code sets, but that advancing directly to ICD-11 standards would be "fraught with its own pitfalls" and thus "is not recommended." Modern Physician.

A study finds that about one-third of mobile applications offering guidance on pain management were developed without obvious input from a health care provider, and that about one-third had an indeterminate amount of input from a medical professional. American Medical News.

A MarketsandMarkets report predicts that the global health IT market will reach $56.7 billion by 2017, up from the 2012 market value of $40.4 billion. According to the report, the U.S. and Canada will account for the largest market share. Clinical Innovation & Technology et al.

Lawmakers in the Texas House and Senate have advanced several health IT-related bills. For example, one new proposal would allow health care providers in the state to collect and verify patient data by swiping an individual's driver's license. Texas Tribune/New York Times.

Experts say that hospitals in low-income areas could be hardest hit by a program that aims to curb Medicare readmissions. Most of the California hospitals that have received the program's maximum penalty serve low-income patients. KPCC's "KPCC News."

Garry Maisel, CEO of Western Health Advantage, said at a Drexel University-sponsored event last week that enrollees in individual health plans offered through California's health insurance exchange next year will see premiums grow significantly from current rates. Sacramento Business Journal.

Gov. Brown and Democrats disagree over how to expand Medi-Cal and how much indigent care funding should be provided to counties. Compared with Brown, Democrats want to expand Medi-Cal coverage to more residents and reimburse physicians and hospitals at a higher rate. Los Angeles Times.