Latest KFF Health News Stories
Democrats had urged the Supreme Court to take up the case in the current term as it is unlikely otherwise to be decided upon before the 2020 elections. The Republicans, including the Trump administration, were given until Friday to respond. They said there’s no need to rush the case through the system.
First Edition: January 13, 2020
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Smokers Need Not Apply: Fairness Of No-Nicotine Hiring Policies Questioned
U-Haul will not hire nicotine users in 21 states where it is legal to do so. Ethicists say such policies disproportionately affect the poor and are a sign of employers becoming overly involved in workers’ lifestyle choices.
Homeless Californians Adapt To Camp Sweeps And ‘The Caltrans Shuffle’
Communities across California, frustrated with the growing number of homeless people living on public property, have tasked police and sanitation workers with dismantling encampments they say pose a risk to health and safety. The routine cleanups have spawned another public health concern: the loss of the displaced people’s personal possessions, including medicines.
Must-Reads Of The Week From Brianna Labuskes
Newsletter editor Brianna Labuskes wades through hundreds of health care policy stories each week, so you don’t have to.
Opinion writers weigh in on health care reform issues and other health topics.
Media outlets report on news from North Carolina, Minnesota, Massachusetts, Virginia, Connecticut, Georgia, New Jersey, Ohio, Texas, Florida, and Missouri.
The Big Question Underlying CES’ Gadget Palooza: Which Actually Help Improve Health Outcomes?
There are countless high-tech gadgets that can flood users’ with information, but what of that data is actually useful? That’s one of the main questions facing health experts who are trying out all the goodies at the big annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
Second Baby Born To Woman Who Had Uterine Transplant From A Deceased Donor
The success of both births have offered hope to people who want to have children but can’t because of a condition called uterine factor infertility, which means they were either born without a uterus, had it removed or had uterine damage.
Massive Genetic Study Reveals Link Between Genes, Anxiety
One of the most useful findings from the study was an association between anxiety and a gene named MAD1L1, which in previous studies has indicated vulnerability to several other psychiatric conditions, including bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. “It keeps coming up over and over again,” said Daniel Levey, a co-author on the anxiety research. In other public health news: suicides, snake bites, pelvic exams, body temperature, and more.
The Quiet Crisis Of Rural Hospital Closures
Hospitals are closing their doors with startling frequency, leaving vulnerable patients with no help in sight. Already this week, the bankrupt owner of St. Vincent Medical Center in Los Angeles said it plans to shut the facility after a failed sale attempt, and it looks like there’s only going to be more pain to come in the future.
The federal government is arguing that insurers received increased subsidies when they raised premiums, which more than compensated their losses. Judges in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims have so far sided with insurers and ruled that their strategies to mitigate losses from CSR payments do not affect their eligibility for repayment. Meanwhile, states report their health law enrollment numbers.
Under federal law, legal immigrants are eligible for government-funded health care. During arguments the three-judge panel questioned why President Donald Trump was allowed to overrule that legislation with his ban.
Lawsuit Against Opioid Drugmakers Seeks Additional Settlement For Babies Exposed During Pregnancy
The brief filed in Cleveland adds to an already existing lawsuit for several thousands clients and states: “This generation of children is not yet lost, but without intervention by this Court, they will be.” News on the opioid crisis is from New Hampshire and Michigan, as well.
Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.) wants to direct his state to sell its own brand of certain generic prescription drugs, with the theory that increased competition will drive down prices. Experts, however, say that while the strategy is a good step, generics aren’t the primary problem.
15-Year-Old In Texas Becomes Youngest Person To Die In Outbreak Of Vaping-Related Lung Disease
The teenager had an underlying chronic health problem, doctors said. There have been 2,602 reported lung injury cases that required hospitalization and 57 deaths linked to vaping. In other vaping and tobacco news; lawsuits over youth vaping, viral social media posts, nicotine use and job prospects, and a menthol ban.
After President Donald Trump seemed to take credit for the dropping rates, advocates and political rivals fired back. “The largest drop in overall cancer mortality ever recorded from 2016 to 2017, reflects prevention, early detection, and treatment advances that occurred in prior years,” said Gary M. Reedy, chief executive officer of the American Cancer Society.
Gov. Laura Kelly (D-Kansas) campaigned on Medicaid expansion and has been pushing the Republican-controlled Legislature to do so since taking office. She has been wrangling with Kansas Senate Majority Leader Jim Denning on the deal, which would cover as many as 150,000 additional people.
First Edition: January 10, 2020
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Some Disability Advocates Delighted With Warren’s Outreach Efforts And The Scope Of Her Plan
“Candidates are actually listening to disabled people,” said Rebecca Cokley, director of the Disability Justice Initiative at the Center for American Progress Action Fund. “This is how policy should be made. It matters who’s at the table.” Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s plan is sprawling, touching on education, employment, Social Security, technology, housing, incarceration, and more, in addition to focusing on health care.