Latest KFF Health News Stories
Watch: The House Approved H.R. 3, The Pelosi Drug Bill. What Does That Mean?
KHN’s Emmarie Huetteman appeared on PBS NewsHour to discuss efforts on Capitol Hill to curb the cost of prescription drugs.
Opinion writers weigh in on universal health care and other health issues.
Longer Looks: A Runner’s Asthma; Choosing The End; Artificial Intelligence; And More
Each week, KHN finds interesting reads from around the Web.
Media outlets report on news from New York, Missouri, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Minnesota, Illinois, Florida, Georgia, California, Oregon, Indiana, New Hampshire, Texas, and Kentucky.
Very Odd Flu Season: It’s Highly Active Among Young Children, Getting Off To Earliest Start In Years
Another difference is the type of influenza being seen in parts of the south: Type B is preceding Type A. So far, the northeast is being spared, but it’s coming, health specialists warn. Public health news is on aims to get consistent results in psychology studies, ways to reduce the risk of dying, treatment of volcano burn victims, and a potential HIV vaccine, as well.
FDA Reverses Course And Approves Once-Rejected Treatment For Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
In August, the maker of the treatment, Sarepta, said the FDA rejected the drug over the risk of infections seen in animal experiments. The new approval announcement made no mention of the prior rejection.
“I told them if they didn’t correct this stuff, they’d have a lot of girls who had cancer,” said Dr. Cheryl Young, an OB/GYN. “I told them that, but they didn’t want to hear it, because they didn’t want to spend the money.” News on health care for inmates is on the enormous financial gains of one doctor, as well.
More physicians are eschewing the traditional insurance model and opening clinics based on set fees or subscriptions. Dr. Timothy Wong talks about why he no longer accepts insurance.
The errors highlight persistent issues at the VA, including failures to update antiquated computer systems and the confusion and lack of accountability that has come from an increase in the use of private health care among veterans. News from the administration also focuses on public housing, medical care for immigrants and deferred deportations.
FCC Unanimously Approves Three-Digit Suicide Prevention Number Amid Escalating Crisis In U.S.
The easy 988 number will replace the clunkier 800-273-TALK (8255) for anyone to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. The FCC said in an earlier report that the increased costs that will come from more calls would likely be offset by avoiding medical costs such as hospitalizations or emergency department visits
Some consumers in North Carolina are receiving robocalls that come across like ads for plans with names like “Trump Health Care” touting affordable coverage. But those options are often skimpy and don’t offer even some of the basic coverage Americans have grown used to under the Affordable Care Act. The deadline for signing up for a 2020 plan is Sunday. News comes out of Georgia, Florida and California, as well.
The changes come in the wake of Los Angeles Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs’s death in July because of an opioid overdose. The new policy also changes the way positive marijuana tests are handled. In other news on the national drug crisis: an opioid unlike any other, a spreading epidemic, the fight for court money, and more.
Former NFL Players Charged In $3.4M Scheme Defrauding League Health Care Program
The players allegedly submitted false claims to the Gene Upshaw NFL Player Health Reimbursement Account Plan for reimbursement for medical equipment costing between $40,000 and $50,000. Players who filed the fraudulent claims on behalf of others received “payment of kickbacks and bribes” of up to $10,000 for each false claim.
The Senate voted 72-18 to confirm Dr. Stephen Hahn as FDA commissioner. Dual public health crises — the opioid epidemic and the vaping boom — have thrust the agency into the spotlight in recent years. Even though Hahn sidestepped questions in his hearing about e-cigarettes, he managed to win support of even longtime critics of the tobacco industry.
An Inspector General report suggests that private insurers are combing through patients’ files and adding on conditions like diabetes to make the patient looks sicker than they were to get more money from the government. A spokeswoman for America’s Health Insurance Plans said the report is based on a type of data with well-documented challenges, and noted that the watchdog didn’t review medical records for the analysis.
Unlike other states that have tried to add work requirements, South Carolina didn’t expand its program under the health law. Advocates denounced the approval, calling it “a new low in the Trump administration’s quest to strip away health coverage for our nation’s low-income residents.”
Democrats Pass Sweeping Drug Legislation As Political Salvo Heading Into 2020
The bill itself, which gives Medicare the power to negotiate drug prices, is likely dead on arrival in the Senate. But it gives Democrats a talking point for a contentious election year.
First Edition: December 13, 2019
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
San Francisco Hopes To Improve Care For People With Mental Illness Living On Streets
Dr. Anton Nigusse Bland, a veteran of public health psychiatry, was appointed by San Francisco’s mayor earlier this year to a newly created job: director of mental health reform. His main task is to improve mental health and addiction treatment for people experiencing homelessness.
In The Fight For Money For The Opioid Crisis, Will The Youngest Victims Be Left Out?
The opioid epidemic is intergenerational, with tens of thousands of babies born every year dependent on opioids. Advocates worry that settlement dollars resulting from lawsuits against the drug industry might not benefit these children.