Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Kaiser Health News: You Can Buy Insulin Without A Prescription, But Should You?
WCPN's Sarah Jane Tribble, working in partnership with Kaiser Health News and NPR, reports: "As anyone who needs insulin to treat diabetes can tell you, that usually means regular checkups at the doctor’s office to fine-tune the dosage, monitor blood-sugar levels and check for complications. But here’s a little known fact: Some forms of insulin can be bought without a prescription." (Tribble, 12/14)
Kaiser Health News: California Exchange Targets 'Hot Spots' With High Rates Of Uninsured
Reporting for Kaiser Health News, Barbara Feder Ostrov writes: "Tuesday is the deadline to sign up for health coverage that begins in January, so Covered California is boosting enrollment efforts in certain underserved communities." (Feder Ostrov, 12/11)
Kaiser Health News: Connecticut Governor Targets Hospital Funds To Close Budget Gap
WNPR's Jeff Cohen, working in partnership with Kaiser Health News and NPR, reports: "When Gov. Dannel Malloy pushed to tax Connecticut hospitals in 2012, he said the money would come back to the institutions through state funding. Now the hospital association says he is reneging, and they are threatening a lawsuit." (Cohen, 12/11)
The Associated Press: Crunch Time Again For Health Law; Tuesday Sign-Up Deadline
Rising premiums and downbeat forecasts from some major insurers have cast a cloud over sign-up season for President Barack Obama's health care law. Now, it's crunch time again. Tuesday is the deadline for millions of still-uninsured procrastinators to sign up in time to have coverage begin Jan. 1. (12/14)
Reuters: Valeant Hires Attorney, Crisis Management Firm As U.S. Scrutiny Mounts
U.S. pharmaceuticals firm Valeant, under mounting pressure from Congress and prosecutors over its drug pricing, has hired an attorney in Washington, DC and crisis public relations experts with political connections, according to sources familiar with the matter. The move, confirmed by sources and through documents viewed by Reuters, signals a shift for Valeant Pharmaceuticals, which does not maintain a large presence on Capitol Hill. (12/13)
The Associated Press: Planned Parenthood Sues Ohio In Dispute Over Fetal Tissue
The federal lawsuit filed in Columbus follows an investigation by the state's attorney general into the organization's three facilities in Ohio that provide abortions. Attorney General Mike DeWine announced the probe in mid-July after anti-abortion activists began releasing undercover videos they said showed Planned Parenthood personnel negotiating the sale of fetal organs. (12/13)
Reuters: Planned Parenthood Files Federal Lawsuit Against Ohio Health Department
Attorneys for Planned Parenthood sued Ohio on Sunday, asking a judge to block what it argues is an attempt by the state's top attorney to stop the organization from providing abortion services, court filings showed. The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Cincinnati on behalf of three Planned Parenthood locations where abortions are performed, is seeking a restraining order and a preliminary injunction against the state of Ohio. (12/13)
USA Today: Ohio Planned Parenthood Sues To 'Protect Abortion Access'
Planned Parenthood filed a federal lawsuit Sunday to "protect abortion access" in Ohio following Attorney General Mike DeWine's report that facilities in Cincinnati, Columbus and Cleveland improperly disposed of fetal remains. DeWine announced Friday that a four-month investigation of the three facilities found aborted fetuses from Planned Parenthood of Southwest Ohio in Mount Auburn and the Columbus clinic contracted with a company that heats the tissue to kill bacteria and disposes of the remains in a Kentucky landfill. (Butts, 12/13)
The Washington Post: How Health Care For 9/11 Responders Became Just Another Political Football
House Speaker Paul D. Ryan assured House Republicans in a closed-door conference meeting that the 9/11 health program would be taken care of. But it remains uncertain exactly how that will happen. “Everyone said they were for it,” said Rep. Carolyn Maloney on Thursday. "But if everyone’s for it, why couldn’t you pass it?"
The Washington Post: All That Advice On How To Save Money? Lots Of It Goes Down The Drain, Watchdogs Tell Congress
Federal watchdogs told Senate lawmakers Thursday that thousands of their recommendations for eliminating millions of wasted dollars every year get swept under the rug and simply never implemented. ... The auditors have made many recommendations for savings to Medicare, but although the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said it would take auditors’ findings into consideration, as of April 2015 the agency has not established a time frame for improving the accuracy of its adjustments. (Rein, 12/11)
The Wall Street Journal: Millennium Health Chapter 11 Plan Clears Crucial Hurdle
Millennium Health LLC’s chapter 11 plan cleared a major hurdle Friday when a bankruptcy judge brushed aside objections to the plan, which funds a $256 million settlement of fraud accusations with the Justice Department. Judge Laurie Selber Silverstein approved the bulk of a reorganization strategy designed as a fresh start for the drug-testing company. Millennium hasn’t admitted to civil charges that it fraudulently billed taxpayers. The judge withheld her signature while pondering the form of the order she is being asked to sign. (Brickley, 12/11)
The Associated Press: New Laws To Ease Doctor Shortage See Long Delays, Criticism
Several new state laws intended to boost the ranks of doctors in underserved areas have yet to produce any actual results. The laws in Missouri, Arkansas and Kansas allow new medical school graduates to start treating patients immediately, without going through years of traditional residency programs. (12/12)
McClatchy: Feds' Zeal To Pare Costs Targets Nuclear Workers' Health Benefits
Inside a closely guarded 16,000-acre facility in the Texas Panhandle, nuclear workers have the perilous task of taking apart aging nuclear warheads and rebuilding them into upgraded nuclear weapons. The secretive toil at the Pantex Plant, 17 miles north of Amarillo, is part the U.S. government's push to modernize its entire nuclear arsenal, an ambitious effort estimated to cost upward of $1 trillion over the next three decades. But even as the federal government ramps up spending on refurbished nukes, it has been looking for ways to cut costs. (Wise, Berard and son, 12/13)
The Associated Press: Faced With Federal Fee, Oregon Reconsiders Own Exchange
With a new fee for some states using the federal health insurance portal on the horizon, Oregon says it’s looking into running its own exchange again, but with another state’s software. Oregon officials say they’re planning to solicit proposals this month for technology that’s successfully running an existing health insurance exchange. (Wozniacka, 12/11)
The Washington Post: Tenn. Woman Charged With Attempted Murder For Failed Coat Hanger Abortion
Anna Yocca was 24 weeks pregnant when police say she filled a bathtub with water, untwisted the wire of a coat hanger and plunged it into her womb in an attempt at “self abortion.” Now, Yocca is facing an indictment for first-degree attempted murder. (Kaplan, 12/14)
