Latest KFF Health News Stories
Call For FDA To Withdraw Preterm Birth Drug Divides Doctors and Insurers
A study ordered by the Food and Drug Administration failed to prove that Makena, the only drug approved to prevent premature birth, is effective. While a panel of experts has recommended withdrawing the drug’s approval, many doctors are wary.
Medi-Cal Benefits Eliminated A Decade Ago, Such As Foot Care And Eyeglasses, Are Back
Budget cuts in 2009, sparked by the Great Recession, eliminated many needed health care services, like regular foot care for people with diabetes to minimize the risk of amputation. The restored benefits also include eyeglasses, speech therapy and hearing exams.
Listen: The Hidden Cost Of Health Systems Gobbling Up Rural Hospitals
Corporate health systems have been purchasing community hospitals, and that can have both positive and negative implications for patients in rural areas.
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.
Something Far Deadlier Than The Wuhan Virus Lurks Near You
There is a virus that has already sickened at least 13 million Americans this winter, hospitalizing 120,000 and killing 6,600 people. You may even know of it.
Opinion writers tackle these and other health issues.
Media outlets report on news from California, Georgia, Iowa, Florida, Mississippi, Massachusetts, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, Texas, Michigan, Oregon, North Carolina, Connecticut, New Hampshire and Missouri.
Longer Looks: Psychology And Western Cultures; Food Deserts; The Gun Show; And More
Each week, KHN finds interesting reads from around the Web.
Ban On Using Campaign Funds For Health Insurance Hurts Working-Class Americans, House Candidate Says
Nabilah Islam, a progressive Democrat from Georgia, says that the ban on using fund for health insurance and other living expenses makes running for Congress cost prohibitive and keeps working-class Americans from running.
Critics of the legislation say that it perpetuates myths about abortions and that there are already safeguards in place for protecting infants. News on abortion laws comes out of Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia, as well.
California Attorney General Xavier Becerra said supporters of the health law should not panic over the delayed timeline as the cases marches slowly toward the Supreme Court. Meanwhile, in California, the number of new enrollees on the state’s exchange surges past last year’s numbers.
Federal prosecutors have said that Insys, based in Arizona, embarked on an intensive marketing plan — including paying doctors for sham educational talks and luring others with lap dances — to sell its under-the-tongue fentanyl spray, Subsys, which was federally approved to treat patients with cancer. Meanwhile, McKesson has reached a settlement with its investors over allegations it missed suspicious opioid shipments.
More than 450 lobbyists were deployed on behalf of the industry last year, and PhRMA broke its all-time annual lobbying record. In other pharmaceutical news: patient groups’ deep ties to the industry and trade wars.
U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams says that it’s shocking to see the statistics that many smokers are not even warned that they should quit the habit. The report also noted that vulnerable populations in particular are not getting the help they need to stop smoking.
Lab-Grown Venom Glands Could Open Door To Better, More Modern Way To Treat Snakebites
Making antivenom still involves milking a snake, injecting a horse with the venom, and then collecting antibodies from the horse. Lab-grown venom glands could modernize the process. In other public health news: depression, genetic testing, uterine fibroids, deadly genetic mutations, and more.
“Make no mistake,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the W.H.O.’s director general. “This is an emergency in China, but it has not yet become a global health emergency. It may yet become one.” The committee weighing the decision was divided.
Public health experts offer insight on the coronavirus. While the illness is spreading quickly, scientists say it does seem less deadly than previous outbreaks caused by the same type of virus. Meanwhile, pharmaceutical companies are racing to come up with a vaccine.
Although there are only two possible cases in the United States so far, the health system has jumped into preparation mode to handle a possible outbreak. Meanwhile, U.S. senators are set to hear from top federal health officials Friday regarding the virus.
The coronavirus has killed at least 26 people and sickened more than 800 in China and at least six other countries. Travel within and to China is being locked down as public health officials try to quell panic while keeping the virus from spreading. Already, criticism is bubbling up about how the government handled the start of the outbreak.
Native American Men File Suit Against Indian Health Service Over Allegations Of Sexual Assault
The suit stems from allegations against IHS pediatrician Stanley Patrick Weber. Weber, who worked for the IHS for nearly 30 years before resigning while under investigation in 2016, was convicted in two different courts of sexually abusing six young boys under his care.