Latest KFF Health News Stories
Read recent commentaries about drug-cost issues.
Constituents Hold Lawmakers’ Feet To The Fire Over Promises On Lowering Drug Prices
News outlets report on stories related to pharmaceutical pricing.
Joe Camel Was Forced Out Of Ads. So Why Is Juul Allowed On TV?
For nearly 50 years, cigarette advertising has been banned from TV and radio. But the marketing of electronic cigarettes isn’t constrained by that law.
MDMA, Or Ecstasy, Shows Promise As A PTSD Treatment
MDMA, the psychoactive ingredient in the club drug known as molly or ecstasy, is being tested in combination with therapy as a treatment for severe trauma.
Watch: Trump-Pence Policy Shift Makes Birth Control Harder To Get
The Trump administration’s policy shift on Title X family planning funds is likely to make birth control harder to get and more expensive for low-income women. It will also shift funds from organizations like Planned Parenthood to the Obria Group, which does not give women hormonal contraceptives or condoms in its clinics.
Democrats’ Different Takes On Tackling Health Care
KHN reporter Emmarie Huetteman joined Connecticut Public Radio’s Lucy Nalpathanchil on the “Where We Live” program Tuesday to talk about the variety of options that Democratic presidential candidates are proposing for voters.
Opinion writers express views about these public health issues and others.
Media outlets report on news from North Carolina, New York, Alaska, California, Florida, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Mississippi, Arizona, Missouri, Massachusetts and Virginia.
While car crashes are a leading killer of children, seats have only been tested for head-on crashes. Since the early 2000s, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has pushed for new seats that also protect children from side-impact crashes as well. ProPublica reports on what’s taking so long and how the industry is dragging its heals. Public health news looks at dementia, measles, vaccines, diets and telemedicine, as well.
Missouri Speaker of the House Elijah Haahr said the software found that a significant number of people weren’t eligible based on income. However, critics remain skeptical. “Most of those kids probably should be eligible for Medicaid unless their parents’ income doubled or tripled,” said Washington University Health Economics Professor Tim McBride. Medicaid news comes out of Louisiana, as well.
Controversial Methodology Used In CMS’ Hospital Star Ratings To Be Altered
CMS said it plans to use the feedback from the public input request to guide its proposed changes to the star ratings. The methodology currently used has garnered many complaints in the past.
A 19-year-old is suing the two companies using the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, claiming that “the defendants prey on youth for financial gain.” The suit is just the latest litigation over the e-cigarette maker’s marketing tactics. In other news: the prevalence of e-cigarettes in classrooms, legal smoking ages, and lung disease possibly linked to vaping.
‘Financially Devastating’ Air Ambulance Rides Can Both Save Lives And Ruin Them
Courts have ruled air ambulances can charge anything they want, and many patients are getting stuck with sky-high bills. Meanwhile, Texas lawmakers signed aggressive legislation into law that was meant to protect the state’s residents from surprise medical bills, but millions remain unprotected.
There was a similar spike in numbers in 2016, although the rates have been trending downward in the state over the past 25 years. Meanwhile, attorneys for the state defended recent anti-abortion legislation as “constitutional and justified.”
Smaller Players In Sweeping Opioid Case Against Drugmakers Closing In On Potential Settlements
Drugmakers Endo International and Allergan are both in talks to settle over allegations about the role they played in the opioid crisis. The two companies have drawn less attention than bigger players like Purdue Pharma. The nationwide, consolidated lawsuit that will be heard in Ohio is being closely watched and likened to the Big Tobacco reckoning of the 1990s. Other opioid news focuses on supervised injection facilities, the effect of the drugs on the country’s life expectancy, and more.
The lawsuit is one of the first arguing that Immigration and Customs Enforcement is deliberately and systematically denying care to about 55,000 migrants in custody at county jails and at both privately and publicly run detention centers.
A Look At How The Health Law Marketplaces Are Faring As Open Enrollment Nears
Supporters see some promising signals on the horizon, but it’s not all positive news as the political landscape continues to roil the exchanges.
In the immediate aftermath of dual mass shootings earlier in the month in Texas and Ohio, President Donald Trump spoke about moving forward on tougher background checks, a strategy that conservatives have shied away from in the past. Now, after talks with gun rights advocates, Trump appears to be reverting back to his previous talking points, saying that he is “very, very concerned with the Second Amendment, more so than most presidents would be,” and adding that “people don’t realize we have very strong background checks right now.”
Planned Parenthood Rejects Family Planning Funds Rather Than Comply With What It Deems A Gag Rule
A new Trump administration rule for Title X funding forbids referrals to doctors who can perform abortions. Planned Parenthood has called the change both a targeted attack on its organization and a gag rule that would hurt its patients. Currently, Planned Parenthood receives about $60 million annually through the federal program. “Our patients deserve to make their own health care decisions, not to be forced to have Donald Trump or Mike Pence make those decisions for them,” said Alexis McGill Johnson, Planned Parenthood’s acting president and CEO. Media outlets look at how the decision will effect local facilities, as well.
High Lead Levels In Water Has Plagued Newark Neighborhood For Years
The contamination of water in Newark’s West Ward shows how the lead epidemic predominately affects the city’s low-income, minority residents. “To think we could be like Flint, and we’re such a big city, it’s terrifying,” said resident Rasheeda Scott. Environmental health news comes out of New Hampshire, South Carolina and Georgia, as well.