Latest KFF Health News Stories
First Edition: November 7, 2019
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
When Caring For A Sick Spouse Shakes A Marriage To The Core
A long illness creates a real risk: that the relationship will be undermined and essential emotional connections lost.
Rural Seasonal Workers Worry About Montana Medicaid’s Work Requirements
Montana is one of several states that want Medicaid recipients to prove they work a steady, minimum number of hours monthly. Will federal courts allow the Montana rule change to stand?
Cuando cuidar al cónyuge enfermo afecta los cimientos del matrimonio
El riesgo es que los matrimonios se vean afectados por la enfermedad y se pierdan las conexiones emocionales esenciales.
La delicada tarea de quitarle el teléfono inteligente a un adulto mayor
Según el Centro de Investigación Pew, el 73% de los adultos mayores de 65 años usaron Internet en 2019, en comparación con el 43% en 2010.
Watch: When Insurance Doesn’t Cover A Mental Health Crisis
CBS This Morning reports on the latest KHN-NPR Bill of the Month.
The Air Ambulance Billed More Than His Surgeon Did For A Lung Transplant
After Tom Saputo underwent double lung transplant surgery in 2018, he was stunned by a surprise bill of more than $11,000 for the 27-mile air ambulance ride to the hospital. State and federal proposals would crack down on extreme air ambulance charges, including a new California law that will limit how much some patients pay for air ambulance rides.
Opinion writers weigh in on these health issues and others.
Editorial pages focus on proposals to reform health care.
Media outlets report on news from California, Texas, Missouri, Louisiana, Ohio, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Minnesota, Georgia, Kansas, and Wyoming.
Although many in the health landscape are starting to look at the economic and environmental drivers of health outcomes to figure out how they can better improve a community’s health, experts say this pledge is “the first time that systems have acknowledged that this strategy of impact investment should be part of their overall strategy for improving health and well-being in their communities.”
As concerns mount over Google’s market power and gathering of health data, consumer groups and some lawmakers are calling for regulators to take a closer look. Google is looking for a stronger presence in wearables.
Gov. Brian Kemp (R) just released a new health care blue print for the state, including limited Medicaid expansion. While critics are glad that something is being accomplished, they’re worried it doesn’t go far enough.
Are Fecal Transplants Lifesavers Or Barriers To Innovative New Drugs? It Depends On Who You Ask.
Experts on both sides of the issue pitched their sides to FDA officials at a meeting on the safety of fecal transplants that follows close on the heels of a study on what went wrong when one patient died following the procedure. In other public health news: CRISPR, memory, ear health, burnout among doctors and nurses, obesity in children and more.
CDC Report Is Latest To Link Childhood Trauma To Long-Lasting Negative Health Effects
“There’s a lot of evidence connecting these things,” and it’s become clear that the more harmful incidents a child suffers, the more likely their health suffers later, said Jim Mercy, who oversees the CDC’s violence prevention programs.
A Reuters investigation reports that the company’s sales force emphasized the device’s unique addictive power by showing store owners charts depicting how the Juul device delivers nicotine to the bloodstream as efficiently as a traditional cigarette. Meanwhile, as the Trump administration mulls a flavored e-cigarette ban, new studies show that teens prefer Juul vaping products and that mint is the favored flavor of many high schoolers.
While plans from Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) target the insurance industry and pharmaceutical companies — both subjects of public ire — South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg takes on politically powerful hospitals with his health care overhaul proposals. Meanwhile, former Vice President Joe Biden bristled over Warren’s dismissal of his criticism of her health plan.
Claiming Victory, Beshear Vows To Rescind Kentucky Governor’s Medicaid Work Requirements Waiver
With a tight lead in the Kentucky gubernatorial race, Attorney General Andy Beshear (D) claimed victory in an election where the debate over Medicaid expansion and work rules featured prominently. In other 2019 election results, Democrats gained control of both houses in Virginia. Lawmakers in the state have promised to tackle gun control reform if they gained control of the Legislature. And in Mississippi, Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves (R) secured the gubernatorial win, all but ending discussion of expanding Medicaid there.
First Edition: November 6, 2019
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Read recent commentaries about drug-cost issues.