Latest KFF Health News Stories
Readers And Tweeters Take Dialysis Providers To Task: Nowhere But In The USA
Kaiser Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
Dialysis Industry Spends Big To Protect Profits
Dialysis companies are fighting a bill in the California legislature that could disrupt their business model. Their weapons: campaign cash and a sophisticated public relations campaign.
KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: All About Medicare
Before “Medicare for All,” there was just Medicare, the federal program that provides insurance to 60 million Americans. This week, KHN’s Julie Rovner talks to Tricia Neuman of the Kaiser Family Foundation about how Medicare works and whom it serves. Then, Joanne Kenen of Politico, Paige Winfield Cunningham of The Washington Post and Kimberly Leonard of the Washington Examiner join Rovner to talk about some current Medicare issues being debated in Washington, D.C.
Opinion writers weigh in on these health topics and others.
Editorial pages focus on health issues impacting illegal and legal migrants.
Research Roundup: Veterans Health Care; Hospital Acquired Infections; And Exchange Enrollment
Each week, KHN compiles a selection of recently released health policy studies and briefs.
Media outlets report on news from New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Florida, Colorado, Wisconsin, Louisiana, California, Texas, District of Columbia, Georgia, Missouri and Wyoming.
With the growing use of consumer DNA tests, many have been left reeling by the news that the sperm donors that their mothers selected are not their fathers. “You build your whole life on your genetic identity, and that’s the foundation,” said one woman. “But when those bottom bricks have been removed or altered, it can be devastating.” In other public health news: Lyme disease, gene editing, a blood test for Alzheimer’s, employee wellness programs and more.
The program is aiming to catch dangerous dental problems before they can result in costly emergency room visits for the Medicaid recipients. Experts were muted in their praise. “It’s a very primitive first step for people who don’t have dental care,” said Dr. Louis DePaola, the associate dean at the University of Maryland’s School of Dentistry. Medicaid news comes out of Minnesota as well.
Dr. Donald Rucker, the chief of the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, said protecting privacy and patients’ rights is a “delicate balancing act.” In other news at the intersection of health and technology: robotic nurses and artificial intelligence’s role in drug development.
Planned Parenthood Braces For Fallout From Title X Decision With Fundraisers, New Fees And Warnings
Clinics across the country are expecting to lose millions in federal funding after Planned Parenthood rejected money that came with a condition the organization deemed a “gag rule.” The women’s reproductive health care provider plans to lean heavily on donors to make up the funding gap while staff members assess how they’ll cope. Other news on abortion comes out of Ohio and Tennessee, as well.
Stories of the fatal decision to skip or ration insulin have filled headlines in recent months, but new government data shows just how many people are taking those dangerous measures because of high costs. In other pharmaceutical news: Gilead’s stand-off with the government over Truvada, tips for shopping abroad for cheaper meds, and more.
Federal and state officials say it does not appear that an infectious disease is responsible for the illnesses, while noting numerous ingredients in e-cigarette aerosol could harm the lungs. News on e-cigarettes also looks at bans against vaping in public places, a new industry probe over health concerns and more.
All five of the states with the highest buprenorphine prescribing rates for Medicaid recipients expanded Medicaid, while only one of the five states with the lowest rates expanded the program. “Expanding Medicaid is probably the most important thing states can do to increase treatment rates,” said Lisa Clemans-Cope, the study’s lead author.
Bernie Sanders Seeks To Sooth Organized Labor’s Fears About ‘Medicare For All’
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) would ensure that labor unions have more negotiating power under his “Medicare for All” plan by forcing employers to pay out any money they save to union members in other benefits. Organized labor members are a much-coveted voter demographic for Democrats. Meanwhile, the president of America’s Health Insurance Plans takes swipes at both Sanders’ and former Vice President Joe Biden’s health plans.
President Donald Trump said the plan will “ensure that our wounded warriors are not saddled with mountains of student debt.” The expedited process for applying for loan forgiveness puts the onus on the Department of Education to identify eligible veterans. In other veteran health news, Trump also said that he’s directed the VA to make a massive purchase of the antidepressant Spravato in an effort to stem suicides among veterans.
HHS Appeals Judge’s Decision On Rule Requiring Drugmakers To Include Drug Prices In TV Ads
U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta ruled in July that Congress had not given HHS the authority to require such disclosures and blocked implementation of the rule just hours before it was slated to go into effect.
The March for Our Lives activists acknowledge their newly released plan to address gun violence is ambitious, but say a bold strategy is what’s need to tackle the issue. Other components of their proposal include: a new multistep gun licensing system that would include in-person interviews and a 10-day wait before gun purchases are approved; a limit of one firearm purchase a month per person; and the establishment of a national director of gun violence prevention.
President Donald Trump is expected to release a series of proposals aimed at curbing gun violence. Trump once again said that he would support closing loopholes in background checks just a day after it was reported that NRA chief Wayne LaPierre had changed the president’s mind on the tactic. “Red flag” laws are also expected to make it into the proposal.
Trump Administration Unveils Rule To Allow Detained Immigrant Children To Be Held Indefinitely
The rule abolishes restrictions put into place by the Flores agreement, which stipulated that children can only be detained for less than 20 days. It will also establish new minimum standards for the conditions in the detention centers where families will be housed. President Donald Trump said the change will deter immigrants trying to enter the U.S.