Latest KFF Health News Stories
Cómo y cuándo el uso de beneficios del gobierno afectaría el estatus de inmigrantes con papeles
La regla permitiría al gobierno federal negar más fácilmente la residencia permanente a los solicitantes que usan, o se considere que pueden usar, programas financiados con fondos federales.
Editorial writers weigh in on these public health topics and other health issues.
Media outlets report on news from North Carolina, Puerto Rico, California, Arizona, Connecticut, Georgia, Missouri, Minnesota, Florida and Texas.
Different Takes: Judgment Against Johnson & Johnson In Opioid Lawsuit Provides Moment Of Hope
Opinion writers weigh in on lawsuits addressing the opioid epidemic.
Heat-related deaths are tripling in some cities, according to the latest information from the CDC, causing health officials to look at new ways to combat rising temperatures. “Phoenix and other cities of the Southwest are the canary in the coal mine,” said David Hondula, a professor at the School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning at Arizona State University. Public health news looks at live donor advantages, optimism and longevity, erectile dysfunction among football players, children’s nutrition, impending crisis in elder care, healthy dog owners, vaping injuries and marijuana brownies.
In Midst Of Escalating Water Crisis, Newark Reveals $120M Plan To Expedite Replacement Of Lead Pipes
The New Jersey city was recently forced to start distributing bottled water when testing found filters were failing to adequately remove lead. But the issue has been around for years, provoking anger and confusion from the residents.
‘Let’s Have Some Courage’: Powerful Teachers’ Union Implores Congress To Pass Common-Sense Gun Laws
The American Federation of Teachers’ proposals “have been informed by members’ firsthand experiences in schools and communities touched by gun massacres,” said President Randi Weingarten. Meanwhile, public officials in St. Louis and Kansas City are grappling with an alarming upswing in gun violence in recent weeks.
Stat has been in a years-long legal battle in the Kentucky court system to unseal the records. Those files could contain new information about how Purdue promoted OxyContin and what executives knew about the risk of addiction that came with the drug. Other news on the opioid crisis comes out of New York, Florida and Illinois.
As cancer treatments become more personalized and expensive, insurers are putting their foot down over covering the care when less-expensive options are available. Meanwhile, an Iowa man had his insurance cut off because he worked too few hours — after having a heart attack.
Advocates, lawyers, doctors, and lawmakers said the blanket policy change was made without any consideration of the potentially disastrous health affects it will have on children and adults whose home countries don’t have treatment for HIV, muscular dystrophy, epilepsy, leukemia, and other diseases. “Can anyone imagine the government ordering you to disconnect your child from life-saving care — to pull them from a hospital bed — knowing that it will cost them their lives?” said Anthony Marino, head of immigration legal services at the Irish International Immigrant Center.
An FDA said Novartis scientists were “already aware” of the issues with the test and had run an independent analysis of corrected data the company submitted to the agency. In other pharmaceutical news, Britsol-Myers moves closer to completing its acquisition of Celgene.
Decision Expected Today In Lawsuit Against Missouri’s Strict 8-Week Abortion Ban
The Missouri law is scheduled to take effect Wednesday. Similar bans have been knocked down by the courts, and the state’s argument relied heavily on whether Planned Parenthood and the ACLU have legal standing to oppose the law rather than the constitutionality of the legislation. Other abortion and women’s health news comes out of California and Louisiana.
Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), as well as South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, sound off on rising suicide rates with nearly 50,000 Americans dying every year.
The Trump administration has argued that smugglers are using the Flores agreement and other court rulings to their advantage, and the new rules will help stop the flow of immigrants entering the country illegally. The states say that the new rules could lead to the prolonged detention of minors, and in turn cause increased trauma for tens of thousands of children and their families.
Johnson & Johnson’s stock actually rallied at the news of Cleveland County District Judge Thad Balkman’s landmark decision, likely because the company was braced for a higher amount. In his ruling, Balkman wrote that Johnson & Johnson had promulgated “false, misleading, and dangerous marketing campaigns” that had “caused exponentially increasing rates of addiction, overdose deaths” and babies born exposed to opioids. But he also found that Oklahoma did not provide “sufficient evidence” of the time and money needed to respond after the first year. The ruling was watched as a bellwether to a consolidated, nationwide trial scheduled to begin in October.
First Edition: August 27, 2019
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Mysterious Vaping Lung Injuries May Have Flown Under Regulatory Radar
Doctors who saw patients with a mysterious lung illness in the past suspected vaping as the cause but didn’t know where to report such cases.
Pharma Cash Rolls Into Congress To Defend An Embattled Industry
Congress has a variety of reforms in mind that could roil the drugmaking business and potentially slash prices.
How And When Immigrants’ Use Of Government Benefits Might Affect Their Legal Status
Confusion about a new federal rule to restrict legal immigration based on the use of public benefits may dampen sign-ups for health care, housing and food aid even among immigrants not directly targeted by the rule. Here are some answers to frequently asked questions that will help clear up some of the misunderstanding.
Judge Cites Opioid ‘Menace,’ Awards Oklahoma $572M In Landmark Case
The state judge ruled that drugmaker Johnson & Johnson contributed to the opioid epidemic that has claimed the lives of 6,000 Oklahomans.