Latest KFF Health News Stories
First Edition: December 12, 2019
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
‘An Arm And A Leg’: Can They Freaking Do That?!?
Introducing a new segment on “An Arm and a Leg” podcast: “Can They Freaking Do That?!?” We take your most vexing medical bill questions and hunt down information and experts who can help.
Battling The Bullets From The Operating Room To The Community
St. Louis trauma surgeon Dr. Laurie Punch is on a mission to stop the bleeding of her patients and the violence-plagued communities around her. But the single mom worries she and her 7-year-old will have to move from their home, where bullets buzz in her backyard.
The Health Care Promises We Cannot Keep
Family caregivers pledge to fulfill their loved ones’ end-of-life wishes. But too often circumstances change, and they must break their word and guard against breaking hearts ― including their own.
Cuando el hijo adolescente maltrata a los padres: el secreto y la vergüenza dificultan buscar ayuda
Si bien la investigación es limitada, una revisión de 2017 de varios trabajos sobre el tema halló que la violencia de hijos a padres es un problema grave que suele no reportarse.
Nueva York es el estado con el número más bajo de suicidios. ¿Por qué?
En 2017, 1.4 millones de adultos intentaron suicidarse, y más de 47,000 lograron acabar con su vida, convirtiendo al suicidio en la décima causa de muerte en el país, según los CDC.
Opinion writers weigh in on these health care issues and others.
Media outlets report on news from the District of Columbia, Florida, Texas, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Maryland, Louisiana, Ohio, Georgia, Louisiana, Oregon, Minnesota, Missouri and California.
The report comes amid the state’s struggle to contain costs for its Medicaid program. Medicaid news comes out of Kentucky, Maine and Wisconsin, as well.
Cigna has been working to trim debt after last year’s acquisition of pharmacy-benefits manager Express Scripts Holding Co. for $54 billion. In other news from the health industry: a corporation misses the deadline to close the deal on four Verity Health hospitals and a look at the small Medicare reduction that could make a big difference in premiums.
How An IRS Letter About Health Care Coverage Ended Up Saving 700 Lives
The letter prompted the recipients to sign up for health coverage to avoid penalties, which in turn prevented premature deaths that would have occurred without it. It was essentially the first rigorous experiment to find that health coverage leads to fewer deaths, a claim that politicians and economists have fiercely debated in recent years
Rear Adm. Weahkee, who tried to turn around a foundering IHS hospital in South Dakota, has been nominated to take over the agency that has been plagued with staffing shortages, quality of care complaints, allegations of abuse, and more. Several Native American groups have expressed support for Adm. Weahkee’s nomination. His Senate confirmation hearing is set for Wednesday.
‘Triumph For Public Health’: FDA Has Authority To Regulate E-Cigs Like Tobacco Products, Court Rules
Public health advocates hailed the federal appeals court’s decision to reject the industry’s challenge against regulations. News outlets also look at how one veteran became addicted to THC to control constant pain and Massachusetts’ and California’s efforts to protect people from addictive products.
“It always bothered me pouring pharmaceuticals down the drain,” a former employee at generic-drug giant Mylan told Stat. Other public health news reports on the development of a potential E. coli vaccine, improving knee health by running marathons (yes), the toll on parents when teens are abusive and a look at why New York has the lowest suicide rates.
Fifty-two top LGBT advocates say Facebook ignored their concerns over the issue. The ads portray PrEP as having dangerous side effects and LGBT advocates and health professionals say they threaten to undermine years of work in promoting a drug that’s been found to be wildly successful in cutting down on HIV transmissions.
The confrontation between the armed suspects and local, state and federal law enforcement officers turned a residential neighborhood into a battle zone, with videos taken by witnesses capturing relentless blasts from guns. Jersey City’s mayor said that officials believed the shooters had “targeted the location they attacked,” which included a kosher market.
It’s likely that Democrats are viewing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s drug pricing bill as a political tool rather than a realistic goal. The legislation is already being used in ads for vulnerable Democrats and candidates are planning to tout it as a main component of their health care agendas. “Republicans will spend the next year defending their decision to block Medicare from lowering prescription drug prices for everyone,” said Jesse Ferguson, a veteran Democratic messaging consultant. After Pelosi secured a deal with the progressive wing of her party, the House is set to vote on the bill on Thursday.
Democrats argue that enshrining a 10-year guarantee in the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement would have tied Congress’ hands if lawmakers wanted to change the threshold. “This deal would have caused prices of prescription drugs in those countries to skyrocket,” said Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.). Pharmaceutical lobbyists were harsh in their assessment: “This was an unforced error and very, very weak negotiating.”
Escalating Public Feud Between Azar And Verma Reaching ‘Soap Opera’ Levels Of Melodrama
Acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney has now summoned HHS Secretary Alex Azar and CMS Administrator Seema Verma to meet at the White House this week to see if they can continue to work together amid the bickering. Meanwhile, allegations continue to emerge about who is leaking what information and the motives behind the riff.
South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg drew fire on the presidential campaign trail for his consulting work for McKinsey. Buttigieg says he “never worked on a project” inconsistent with his values, and maintains that although he worked with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan during his tenure, he focused on expenditures like rent, utilities and company travel. Two years after he worked on the case, the insurer cut up to 1,000 jobs.