Latest KFF Health News Stories
It’s Not Just Hospitals That Sue Patients Who Can’t Pay
Until very recently, the separate company that runs the emergency department at Nashville General Hospital in Tennessee was continuing to haul patients who couldn’t pay medical bills into court.
Listen: Missouri Efforts Show How Hard It Is To Treat Pain Without Opioids
KHN Midwest correspondent Lauren Weber was interviewed by KBIA’s Sebastián Martínez Valdivia to discuss the challenges Missouri faces in managing patients’ pain amid the opioid epidemic.
KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: The Labor Pains Of ‘Medicare For All’
Organized labor is divided over whether to support “Medicare for All.” Meanwhile, many of the Democratic presidential candidates seem unable to use the health issue to their advantage. Rebecca Adams of CQ Roll Call, Jennifer Haberkorn of the Los Angeles Times and Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss this and more. Also, for extra credit, the panelists offer their favorite health policy stories of the week they think you should read, too.
Editorial pages address these and other health care topics.
Research Roundup: Anti-MRSA Therapy, Health Spending On Homeless, Vaccinations, And More
Each week, KHN compiles a selection of recently released health policy studies and briefs.
Media outlets report on news from Michigan, Connecticut, California, Maryland, Georgia, Iowa, Indiana, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Missouri, Florida, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Tennessee, and Vermont.
Researchers have found that 80 seems to be the threshold in doctors’ minds for when a patient shouldn’t undergo open-heart surgery.
A new study found that one in five Americans have donated to a medical crowdfunding campaign or live with someone who has.
Experts say the food stamp program is for now working as it should, but new policies from the Trump administration might add restrictions that would affect people who wouldn’t have otherwise naturally come off the rolls.
California’s homeless population soared at least 16% last year and has been a focal point for Gov. Gavin Newsom since he came into office. Many of Newsom’s proposals were aimed at cutting red tape and providing faster solutions. “We need more housing, not more delays,” he said. He also focused on the role mental health plays in tandem with homelessness.
Is There Room Left In Democratic Party For Anti-Abortion Lawmakers? One Race May Reveal That Answer
Many advocates and other Democrats say Rep. Dan Lipinski of Illinois, who does not support abortion rights, is too conservative for his district. Lipinski, meanwhile, makes the argument that one in three Democrats say they are anti-abortion. “It’s a dangerous message for the party to send that to be pro-life you aren’t welcome in the party,” he says.
When Health Care Workers Misuse Opioids, Getting Them Help Poses Complicated Challenges
States can deny doctors access to medication approved to help them recover from opioid addiction, precisely because they practice medicine, according to a Boston Globe story. News on the epidemic is from Pennsylvania and Massachusetts, as well.
Gun Control Advocates Contribute $8M To Texas Races To Gain Control Of House
The Michael Bloomberg-backed groups hope to overturn Republican-controlled districts, a strategy that worked in Virginia in 2018. Since then, Virginia has started passing gun control legislation for the first time. News on gun violence is from New Hampshire and Florida, as well.
New Way To Study Organs?: Research Holds Promise For Getting Transparent Views Scans Don’t Offer
The technology is still in the early stages, but “… we can see every single cell in an entire human organ,” said Ali Ertürk, director of the study. Public health news is on antibiotic links to birth defects, DNA databases, injection drug users, skin cancer, veterans’ vascular health, tired teens, and benefits of lobster blood, as well.
What happened to the once powerful lobby? Voter dismay about drug prices, backlash over the opioid crisis, miscalculations by the drug industry and its lobbyists, and the populist wave that brought President Donald Trump into office is weakening loyalties to the industry.
Warren Dismisses Rivals’ Health Care Plans As ‘Paper Thin,’ Able to Fit On A Post-It Note
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) went after moderates for what she deemed as “thin” health care plans, while also blasting progressive rival Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) for not being realistic or ready to compromise. The sharper attacks were indicative of a tense night on stage at the latest Democratic debate, as newcomer Mike Bloomberg drew vitriol and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg’s feud boiled over. Meanwhile, former Vice President Joe Biden singled Bloomberg out for calling the Affordable Care Act a disgrace when it was first passed, but the claim requires some context that Biden left out.
For now, AI disease-alert systems can still resemble car alarms — easily triggered and sometimes ignored. A network of medical sleuths must still do the hard work of sifting through rumors to piece together the fuller picture. In other news on the science behind the coronavirus outbreak: treatments, why the virus is lethal to a small few, “super spreading events,” vaccines, and more.
Lawmakers To Call Hearing On U.S. Coronavirus Response, Urge HHS To Request Emergency Funding
The Senate Health Committee hearing is set for the first week of March and will focus on how to “prevent the potential spread of disease in the United States.” Meanwhile, President Donald Trump reiterates his confidence that China is “trying very hard” to properly handle the outbreak. And thousands of Americans voluntarily self-quarantine after possible exposure to the virus while abroad.
The number of new cases in China once again declined in a trend that some see as hopeful. But experts have warned there could be a renewed increase in cases once China properly returns to work late this week or next.
Criticism Against Japan’s ‘Chaotic’ Response Ramps Up After Deaths Of 2 Elderly Cruise Passengers
Hundreds of passengers were finally released from the quarantined cruise ship that’s been docked off the coast of Japan and has been criticized as a floating petri dish for the coronavirus. Japan is weathering harsh criticism over how it handled the quarantine, underscored by the deaths of two older passengers who had previous medical conditions.