Latest KFF Health News Stories
KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: The Health Care Campaign
Health care is still a top issue in the Democratic primary debate for president, but the candidates’ complicated plans may be doing more to confuse than to educate voters. Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Caitlin Owens of Axios and Julie Appleby of Kaiser Health News join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss this and more health news. Also, for extra credit, the panelists recommend their favorite health policy stories of the week.
Klobuchar Leans In On Support For Roe V. Wade, Planned Parenthood
Some of the numbers cited by the Minnesota senator during Wednesday’s Democratic presidential debate miss the mark.
California: adultos jóvenes indocumentados podrán tener Medicaid… ¿se inscribirán?
Algunos jóvenes ya están diciendo que no se inscribirán para tener cobertura pública porque temen que las políticas federales de inmigración puedan luego penalizarlos.
Opinion writers weigh in on these health topics and others.
Opinion writers weigh in on these public health issues and others.
Media outlets report on news from Illinois, California, Louisiana, Connecticut, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Indiana, Wisconsin, Oregon, and Massachusetts.
Research Roundup: Employer Health Care; PrEP And Primacy Care Physicians; Measles; And More
Each week, KHN compiles a selection of recently released health policy studies and briefs.
A new study from the Commonwealth Fund details how many Americans who have coverage through their employers are still spending too much of their paychecks on health care costs.
Google Fields Questions From Senators Over Its Acquisition Of Millions Of Patients’ Health Records
Democratic senators wrote a letter to Google asking for more information on the initiative dubbed “Project Nightingale,” and about the company’s business relationship with Ascension Health.
The prices negotiated between hospitals and insurers has long been held in secret, and hospitals say that the rule would hurt competition. “What they’re doing is illegal,” said Tom Nickels, executive vice president of the American Hospital Association.
Brokers often make higher commissions on the short-term “junk” plans, health policy experts say, which gives them an incentive to sell them. In other insurance news, Americans struggle to find affordable mental health care coverage.
Beyond Health Insurance: Democrats Touch On Abortion, Paid Paternal Leave, Marijuana And More
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), one of the Democratic frontrunners, was asked if there is room in the party for anti-abortion candidates, like recently-re-elected Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards. “I have made clear what I think the party stands for,” Warren said. “I’m not here to try to drive anyone out of the party.”
In some of the first research into longterm effects of gun violence, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania say not enough is being done to help tens of thousands of patients who can suffer for years from PTSD and other mental health problems following a shooting. Related news is also on: the effects of fatal police shootings and the lives of mass shooters.
Media outlets offer Medicaid news from across the country.
Former Baltimore Mayor Indicted On Fraud Charges Connected To Her ‘Healthy Holly’ Book Scandal
Catherine Pugh’s book — never delivered to Baltimore residents — was at the center of a scheme to defraud health care companies, Baltimore’s school system and taxpayers, prosecutors say. She received between $600,000 and $800,000 for the books before and after she became mayor in 2016, a time period coinciding with her tenure as a member of key health committees in the State Senate.
Mysterious DNA Loops Common In Cancer Cells Could Unlock Key Information About How Our Bodies Work
Scientists have known about the loops of DNA for decades. But they’re starting to realize they could play a bigger role in diseases and aging than previously thought. In other public health news: measles immunity, sleep, speech, and the flu.
“Medicare for All” has been center stage in most of the 2020 Democratic presidential primary debates, often acting as a proxy for a bigger conversation about the moderate and progressive wings of the party. But on Wednesday night, the candidates moved on from the issue quickly.
The announcement follows reporting from multiple news outlets that President Donald Trump is backing away from a strict flavor ban that he announced in September. In other news on the vaping crisis: the administration tables a proposal to set a maximum nicotine level in cigarettes, Congress faces pressure to act, the American Medical Association urges a ban on products, and more.
At a confirmation hearing, several senators pressed President Donald Trump’s nominee to head the FDA, Dr. Stephen Hahn, about whether he would push for a ban on flavored vaping products. Hahn said he was not part of discussions on the policy and hadn’t talked to Trump about it but supported “aggressive action to protect our children.”
The government alleged that various drugmakers use charities like Florida-based The Assistance Fund as a means to improperly pay the co-pay obligations of Medicare patients using their drugs. In other pharmaceutical news: a transparency push from President Donald Trump and lawmakers, and an approval for a pricey drug that treats an ultra-rare metabolic disorder.