Latest KFF Health News Stories
Consumers are filing lawsuits claiming that makers of CBD supplements engaged in “false, fraudulent, unfair, deceptive, and misleading” marketing of their products. But the FDA has struggled to set clear rules of the road over regulations for the industry, muddying the waters for the consumers. In other public health news: taboo topics about women’s health, superfund sites, recalls, and more.
Kansas’ Democratic Governor In Talks With State’s Republican Leadership Over Expanding Medicaid
“I don’t want to jinx it, so I’ll just let it go where we are talking and I’m confident that we’ll get something,” Gov. Laura Kelly said. Medicaid news comes out of Texas, as well.
“We’re interested in diets that have proven staying value — not fad diets that are here today, gone tomorrow,” said Angela Haupt, managing editor of health at U.S. News & World Report, which releases the annual ranking. “The diets that perform well are safe, sensible and backed by sound science. That’s going to be consistent from year to year.”
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) unveiled her plan geared toward helping boost disabled Americans’ financial security, as well as improving their access to health care. She also proposed helping disabled people in the criminal justice system by training law enforcement in de-escalation strategies and stopping funding for police departments who arrest people for living outside.
“Many people are very concerned about their child getting into their bleach or their laundry pods,” said Robert A. Bassett, a Poison Control Center associate medical director. “But based on how little it takes for nicotine to be deadly for a child, nicotine has the potential to be the most lethal agent in someone’s home.” The report comes as President Donald Trump announces his ban on certain vaping flavors. Other vaping news comes out of Georgia, Missouri and D.C.
“The more things change, the more they stay the same,” Piper Jaffray analyst Christopher Raymond wrote in a note to investors, pointing out that the timing and impact are “literally identical to the increases taken last year.”
Other coverage of the opioid crisis reports on a Washington state lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson, nationwide safe disposal instructions, addiction medicine training, overdoses spiking during the holidays, and treatment funds rising for 2020.
The amicus brief was filed in the case about a 2014 Louisiana law that requires doctors performing abortions to have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals. The large number of lawmakers signing the brief suggests that Republicans will emphasize the issue during the 2020 election cycle. The Supreme Court is set to hear oral arguments in March.
The FDA formally announced an order that would stop most cartridge-based e-cigarette flavors from being sold. The rule also exempts e-liquids and devices used in open-tank systems, which typically are sold in vape shops that cater to adults. Critics said that while the final decision is a step in the right direction, it falls short of the total ban the Trump administration had hinted at in the fall. Vaping advocates and the industry view the softer ban as a partial victory after intense lobbying efforts over the past few months.
First Edition: January 3, 2020
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
One-On-One With Trump’s Medicare And Medicaid Chief: Seema Verma
Seema Verma, the administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, sat down for a rare interview with KHN senior correspondent Sarah Varney. They discuss her views on President Donald Trump’s plan for sustaining public health insurance programs, how the administration would respond if Obamacare is struck down by the courts in the future and her thoughts on how the latest “Medicare for All” proposals would affect innovation and access to care.
Watch: Behind The Troubling Rise Of Uninsured American Kids
Kaiser Health News senior correspondent Sarah Varney and PBS NewsHour producer Jason Kane report from Tennessee, where the rate of uninsured kids has soared.
American Pot Is The Gold Standard. But Canada Leads The Export Game — For Now.
American marijuana has a reputation for being the best in the world. But the federal prohibition on marijuana makes shipments across state lines or overseas a pipe dream. While U.S. firms expect the restrictions to drop in the coming years, they are stuck operating within state borders. That’s left Canadian cannabis growers to dominate the export market, with U.S. firms falling further behind each year.
Watch: Woman Hit With $28K Bill For A Throat Swab
A routine doctor’s visit for a sore throat brought more than $28,000 in charges for one New York City woman in our latest “Bill of the Month” installment.
KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: How Do Other Countries Pay For Health Care?
Every country provides and pays for health care differently. Yet surveys show the U.S. health system covers fewer people and costs more than the systems of most other industrialized countries. Are there international systems that the U.S. could emulate or borrow from? On this special episode of KHN’s “What the Health?” host Julie Rovner interviews international health experts Gerard Anderson of Johns Hopkins and Christopher Pope of the Manhattan Institute.
Opinion pages focus on these health topics and others.
Research Roundup: Gun Violence, Antibiotics, Opioid Use And More
Each week, KHN compiles a selection of recently released health policy studies and briefs.
Media outlets report on news from Alaska, Iowa, New York, West Virginia, Kansas, California, Ohio, New Hampshire, Oregon, Texas, Maryland, and Illinois.
Having a parent in prison is a “primal wound” for children, advocates say, and there are at least 5 million of them in America. They face increased risks of psychological and behavioral problems and higher odds of entering the criminal justice system themselves. Public health news is on 2020 health predictions, do-not-resuscitate orders, infectious diseases outbreaks in 2019, sickle cell therapy, to eat meat or not?, life after rehab, intermittent fasting, autism, healthspans, and the benefits of altruism, as well.
Amid Surging Trend Of Hospital Mergers, Research Shows Quality Doesn’t Improve And Can Even Worsen
The study is one of the first large-scale efforts to examine whether hospital combinations deliver benefits to offset higher prices associated with the sector’s consolidation. Other hospital news looks at lawsuits over unpaid bills, violations at psychiatric facilities, hospital infections, and more.