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Opinion writers weigh in o these health issues and others.
Editorial pages focus on proposals for health care reform.
Media outlets report on news from California, Tennessee, Ohio, Maryland, Georgia, District of Columbia, Minnesota, Illinois, Florida, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Missouri and North Carolina.
Each week, KHN compiles a selection of recently released health policy studies and briefs.
With Frontotemporal Dementia Parts Of The Brain Associated With Personality Are Often Affected First
Loved ones will notice changes to a person’s behavior rather than notice slips in memory like one would see in Alzheimer’s. Because of this, a frontotemporal dementia can be extremely hard on the families who don’t understand why their loved one is so different. In other public health news: a new HIV strain, insomnia, “femicide,” the practice of dopamine starvation, and more.
Researchers are pushing for more understanding about the nuance that exists under the umbrella term of transgender as a way to better address the mental health needs of the vulnerable population. Other mental health news looks at provider deserts, millennial health, and burnout at work.
Google Takes Steps Into Health Market With Fitbit; Both Companies Say Data Won’t Be Used For Ads
Fitbit, which has been pushing aggressively into health care, is a good fit for Google. It terminated Google Health in 2011 over lack of interest but many changes have occurred since then and tech companies are racing to make inroads. Other health technology news is on a data breach at Veritas Genetics.
CVS Touts Health Hubs, Acquisition Of Aetna After Posting Higher-Than-Expected Third Quarter Profits
The health hubs have performed so well, CVS wants to roll out 1,500 by the end of 2021. Meanwhile, the unit that includes Aetna posted sales of $17.18 billion, helped by lower-than-expected medical costs.
‘All That’s Left Is Damaged Kids’: Side Effects From Lead Poisoning Afflict Flint School System
Nearly 30,000 school children were exposed to the toxins, although medical experts are wary of blaming a rise in neurological and behavioral problems on the toxic levels of lead found in the drinking water for fear of stigmatizing the entire city. News on unsafe drinking water is from D.C., as well.
Ethylene oxide is crucial in the process of sterilizing medical equipment, but because it’s known to cause cancer there’s been a major push to close plants that use it. Either way, Americans’ lives are at stake, and experts wonder if the FDA and the EPA could have come up with a solution had they simply talked earlier.
President Donald Trump who announced in September that flavors other than tobacco would be banned seems to have softened on his stance following a torrent of lobbying from pro-vaping groups and users.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) dove into a hot-button election topic with the release of a sweeping plan to tackle the immigration crisis. On day one of his presidency, Sanders says he would end family separations and shutter for-profit detention centers, among other things.
‘Incredibly Encouraged’: CRISPR Technology Clears Early Safety Hurdles For Treating Cancer Patients
Although the technique itself has proven safe in a very limited trial of three patients, it’s too soon to tell whether it was also effective. However, some see the results as a first step into a new generation of cancer treatment.
Experts see the treatment as helping a small percentage of opioid abusers with the most resistant cravings for opioids, who may face a lifetime of overdoses, relapses, inability to hold a job and other consequences of addiction. Other news on the opioid crisis looks at the Purdue Pharma bankruptcy trial, a crackdown on fentanyl, and more.
Gilead makes more than $3 billion a year on Truvada, a drug that was developed through research funded by the government. Meanwhile, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) hints there might be a new version of a drug pricing bill coming.
A Bumpy Road Marks The Start Of VA’s Attempts To Implement Privatization Measures That Trump Touts
Those implementing the plan say they are unable to guarantee a health care network large enough to accommodate all the veterans who might seek care under the expanded privatization system. They say they might need as much as $75 million more in funding to make it work. Meanwhile in other veterans health news: Apple announces that vets will be able to access their health records through an app, doctors celebrate the success of a penis transplant, horses help overcome trauma, and more.
Judge John Kronstadt of the United States District Court in Los Angeles ordered the federal government to immediately make available mental health screenings and treatment to thousands of families. The judge cited precedent from previous cases where governments can be held liable when with “deliberate indifference” they place people in dangerous situations.
The rule makes it easier for medical personnel to avoid assisting in procedures that they say violates their morals. “Wherever the outermost line where persuasion gives way to coercion lies, the threat to pull all HHS funding here crosses it,” said U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer in Manhattan, noting that the rule would have let HHS withhold billions from hospitals, clinics, universities and other healthcare providers that did not comply. Engelmayer also wrote that the “stated justification for undertaking rule making in the first place — a purported ‘significant increase’ in civilian complaints relating to the conscience provisions — was factually untrue.”
First Health Law Enrollment Numbers Down From Last Year, But Glitch On First Day Could Be To Blame
So far, more than 177,000 people enrolled for coverage under the health law. But during the first week of open enrollment last year — which spanned three days instead of this year’s two — 371,676 people signed up. Meanwhile, anyone signing up for Medicare during its enrollment season should be on high alert for scams.
In Kentucky and Virginia, Democrats won big on health care issues like Medicaid expansion. But in Mississippi, Democrat Jim Hood’s support of a plan that would cover about 300,000 poor residents wasn’t enough for him to win the gubernatorial race. In other elections news: a look at the Virginia Legislature’s priorities now that Democrats are in control.