Latest KFF Health News Stories
How Germany Averted An Opioid Crisis
Doctors are less likely to prescribe opioids in Germany and quicker to notice if a patient is at risk of abuse. And, for those who do experience addiction, treatment is easier to come by.
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.
Longer Looks: Child Abuse; Social Media And Loneliness; And The Enduring Power Of Asperger’s
Each week, KHN finds interesting reads from around the Web.
Opinion writers weigh in on these health care topics and others.
Media outlets report on news from New York, Oregon, Virginia, Maryland, Massachusetts, California, Tennessee, Louisiana, Ohio, North Carolina, Texas, Minnesota, and New Hampshire.
Leapfrog Issues Semi-Annual Hospital Safety Ratings Report
Media outlets take a look at what area hospitals rated on the closely watched Leapfrog Group report, which bases its rankings on preventable errors, accidents, injuries and infections that occur in hospitals.
The stations that are equipped with tools like blood pressure cuffs and could help people deal with minor health issues like colds can potentially be set up just about anywhere people might need them like airports. Currently, some medical centers and drug stores are testing them out. News on health technology is on data breaches involving 300,000 patients in October, as well.
HSAs Can Be A Powerful Savings Tool–But You Have To Know How To Utilize Them Right
Health savings accounts are unique in the triple tax advantage they offer, but many people can overlook them or find them too confusing to use.
The decision to offer contraception at the pregnancy centers would be a huge cultural shift, but it reflects a growing demand from some in the anti-abortion rights movement for the centers to rebrand themselves amid attacks on Planned Parenthood. Meanwhile, a second judge has struck down the Trump administration’s conscience rules that would make it easier for health care providers to deny care to patients based on moral beliefs.
Red States Go Back To The Drawing Board As Roadblocks Derail Medicaid Work Requirements
Legal rulings have made red states more hesitant to try to implement work requirements, but Republicans aren’t throwing in the towel yet. Work requirements “are not dead, but they’re certainly on life support,” said Joan Alker, of Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy. “The reasons for states not to go down this path are piling up.” Medicaid news comes out of Missouri, Wyoming and Maine, as well.
How A Thriving, Armed White Supremacist Group Operates In Plain Sight
ProPublica spent several months examining the makeup and operations of Patriot Front, a group that was formed in the aftermath of the deadly “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017. In other public health news: childbirth, meth addiction, hygiene, walking, toxic chemicals and more.
An analysis of court documents show that, at the height of the crisis, Walgreens handled one in five pills getting shipped out across America. While most chain and independent pharmacies relied heavily on wholesalers to supply their prescription opioids, Walgreens obtained 97 percent of its pain pills directly from drug manufacturers, putting it in a unique position to be able to see red flags where they might be missed by others.
The company’s decision also follows the release of a study that shows mint is a favored flavor among young vapers. Meanwhile, more than 2,000 cases have now been reported in the mysterious vaping-related lung diseases outbreak.
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) knows the road to universal coverage is full of bumps and potholes. But he sees a way forward through the conservative tenet of granting states more flexibility over their health funding. Meanwhile, “Medicare for All” continues to dominate the conversation in the 2020 presidential race.
First Edition: November 8, 2019
Note to Readers: This weekend is a great time to binge listen to the first two seasons of An Arm And A Leg: A Podcast About The Cost Of Health Care. And you can preview Season 3 too. It drops Thursday, Nov. 14.
Bruising Labor Battles Put Kaiser Permanente’s Reputation On The Line
Kaiser Permanente just avoided a nationwide strike by thousands of workers, but now faces a new strike threat Monday. The labor battles are exposing the health care giant to scrutiny from lawmakers, health care advocates and others who accuse it of no longer living up to its nonprofit ideals.
Listen: How Skimpy Insurance Led To A $21,634 Hospital Bill
KHN editor and correspondent Laura Ungar appeared on Illinois Public Media’s “The 21st” to discuss her reporting for the latest KHN-NPR Bill of the Month installment.
Flavor Bans Multiply, But Menthol Continues to Divide
As states and communities ban the sale of flavored tobacco products linked to vaping, anti-smoking activists are piggybacking on the momentum to target menthol cigarettes. But some African Americans say menthol cigarette bans will lead to discrimination.
Listen: HHS Files Challenge Over Rights To Gilead’s HIV-Prevention Drug
KHN’s Shefali Luthra discusses the recent Trump administration lawsuit regarding the HIV-prevention drug Truvada.
KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: Elections Matter
Key Democratic wins in 2019 state elections in Virginia and (probably) Kentucky could have big implications for health care in general and Medicaid in particular. And in the Democratic presidential primary, Elizabeth Warren is catching flak from all sides over her “Medicare For All” plan. This week, Joanne Kenen of Politico, Caitlin Owens of Axios and Kimberly Leonard of the Washington Examiner join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Plus, Rovner interviews KHN’s Laura Ungar, who wrote the latest KHN-NPR “Bill of the Month.” For “extra credit,” the panelists recommend their favorite health stories of the week.