Latest KFF Health News Stories
“Days make a difference with a disease like this,” said Dr. Bruce Aylward, the World Health Organization’s envoy to China. “Time is everything in this disease.” Meanwhile, talk of a potential pandemic is throwing the fate of the summer Olympics into question. Media outlets take a look at the emerging cases from around the globe.
Both Democrats And Republicans Upset With How Trump Administration Is Handling Coronavirus Threat
Administration officials fielded questions from more than a dozen senators for about an hour while HHS Secretary Alex Azar and acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf faced sharp interrogations at a pair of Senate budget hearings. And criticism didn’t just come from the Democrats. “It seems to me at the outset that this request for the money, the supplemental, is low-balling it, possibly, and you can’t afford to do that,” Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) said of the Trump administration’s initial emergency funding request. Meanwhile, the White House is scrambling to control the negative messaging around the virus as stocks plunge on fears of an outbreak.
Not A Question Of If But When: CDC Warns Americans To Prepare For Disruptive Coronavirus Outbreak
Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said cities and towns should plan to take measures to brace for and then contain the spread of the virus, while everyday Americans should begin thinking about working from home. “We are asking the American public to work with us to prepare, in the expectation that this could be bad,” Messonnier said. The messaging seems at odds with WHO, which has continued to emphasize that countries can curb an outbreak. In other news from the United States: San Francisco declares a state of emergency, a U.S. soldier tests positive for the virus, racism continues to persist, and more.
Many Coronavirus Cases Are Mild, But Mortality Rate Is Still Soberingly High, Experts Say
It’s hard to determine the exact mortality rate because even experts disagree over whether there are mild or asymptomatic cases going unreported. But even at the lowest estimate — 0.7% in China outside the epicenter — it would still kill seven times more people than the flu. Meanwhile, the first clinical trial for a treatment is underway in Nebraska.
First Edition: February 26, 2020
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
As The Coronavirus Spreads, Americans Lose Ground Against Other Health Threats
Health care experts thought the battle was won against heart disease, measles, smoking, STDs and other life-threatening conditions and behaviors. Better think again.
Trusting Injection Drug Users With IV Antibiotics At Home: It Can Work
When patients need long-term treatment with intravenous antibiotics, hospitals usually let them manage their treatment at home — but not if they have a history of injection drug use. A Boston program wants to change that.
Democrats Sharpen Health Care Attacks As Primaries Heat Up
The stakes appeared higher in this debate as candidates focused on the upcoming South Carolina primary this weekend and Super Tuesday.
Sanders Embraces New Study That Lowers ‘Medicare For All’s’ Cost, But Skepticism Abounds
The research exaggerates potential savings, cherry-picks evidence and downplays some of the potential trade-offs.
Read recent commentaries about drug-cost issues.
Read about the biggest pharmaceutical development and pricing stories from the past week in KHN’s Prescription Drug Watch roundup.
Past As Prologue: Questioning Buttigieg’s Claim About Keeping Your Health Care
It’s “déjà vu all over again.”
U.S. Medical Panel Thinks Twice About Pushing Cognitive Screening For Dementia
Because seniors are at higher risk of cognitive impairment, proponents say screening asymptomatic older adults is an important strategy to identify people who may be developing dementia and to improve their care. But the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force cited insufficient evidence the tests are helpful.
Opinion writers weigh in on these health care issues and others.
Editorial pages focus on best ways to stem dangers of coronavirus.
The tests that sort through DNA are costly, but Kevin Outterson, a professor of health law at Boston University, says they “advance what we do by more than a century.” Public health news is on mental health, ADHD in adults, mammograms and aging, mental health in jails, unsafe public housing, eye diseases, tetanus, lower sperm counts, and marijuana use among seniors, as well.
Media outlets report on news from New Jersey, Georgia, California, Virginia, Connecticut, Texas, Illinois, New Hampshire, New York, Washington, Hawaii, Colorado, Arizona, Utah, New Mexico, Michigan, Pennsylvania, D.C. and Maryland.
Anonymized data is a gold mine for health research–but it’s not going to come easily. The Google researchers experimented with four different ways of de-identifying data, and in the end, even the most labor-intensive methods succeeded in anonymizing only 97% to 99% of the data. Other health technology news focuses on online predators, missing person identification, HHS’ interoperability rules, and video counseling.
1,200 Plus Opioids Given To 3 Sisters: Appalachian Task Force Convicts Tennessee Psychiatrist
The verdict was against Richard Farmer, accused of accepting sexual favors for drugs. “Doctors who take advantage of patients suffering from addiction are no different than street corner drug dealers,” said the DEA’s J. Todd Scott. News on the epidemic is on a drug manufacturer’s proposed settlement, an Arizona candidate’s overdose, treatment in jails, and alleged dangers of relapsing after using Vivitrol, as well.
Juul To Propose Selling E-Cigarette That Will Only Unlock For Users Who Are At Least 21 Years Old
Juul, which has been under public and congressional scrutiny over allegations that it marketed its product for young users, intends to submit to the FDA more than 250,000 pages, including scientific research, marketing materials and an update on its efforts to curb illegal sales to minors. By May 12, for the first time ever, all vaping manufacturers will have to file applications with the agency.