Latest KFF Health News Stories
In a study looking into California’s “red flag” law, researchers found 21 cases that involved someone who had or soon would have had access to firearms and “made a clear declaration of intent to commit a mass shooting” or exhibited behavior suggesting such an intent. While the scientists couldn’t say whether the shootings would have actually played out without the laws, the study adds heft to a growing push for the strategy.
First Edition: August 20, 2019
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Pesadilla por acariciar a un gato: infecciones, rabia… y cuentas sorpresa
Por un simple gesto de afecto hacia un felino: tres visitas a la sala de emergencias, vacunas contra la rabia, agentes del orden animal y el dolor de no comprender las cuentas de salud.
The Collapse Of A Hospital Empire — And Towns Left In The Wreckage
Jorge A. Perez and his management company, EmpowerHMS, helped run an empire of rural hospitals. Now, in a staggering implosion, 12 of them have entered bankruptcy and eight have closed their doors, leaving hundreds of residents without jobs and their communities without lifesaving emergency medical care. So, what happened?
A Brush With A Notorious Cat, My Rabies Education And The Big Bill That Followed
An encounter with a cat led to rabies shots and provided yet another illustration of how confusing, contrary and expensive the American health care system is.
Tecnología casera ofrece más libertad a los pacientes para controlar su diabetes
La diabetes tipo 1 es una condición crónica que requiere un estricto control de la glucosa y la administración de la cantidad de insulina precisa. Pacientes crearon un sistema para mantener ese equilibrio vital.
Editorial pages express views about the breakthrough in treatment for hard-to-cure Tuberculosis cases.
Opinion writers weigh in on these public health topics and others.
Opinion writers weigh in on health care topics impacting children.
A handful of states are starting to pass legislation allowing dental therapists–a step down from a dentist–to practice basic procedures to help under-served populations. The powerful dental lobby has been active in trying to block such laws, but advocates for the therapists are starting to gain wins. In other public health news: pediatricians, supplements, juice boxes, antibiotics, race, Ebola and autoimmune conditions.
Media outlets report on news from the District Of Columbia, Virginia, Washington, Kansas, California, Ohio, Wisconsin, Massachusetts and Texas.
While Roche’s decision to set its new cancer drug at such a different price level than its competitors sparked worries of a “pricing war in cancer,” the nuances are more complicated.
Most Training Programs For Workers Lacking Skills Show Little Success. This One Was Different.
A program geared toward helping train workers to better position themselves for jobs has found success where others failed. One of the lessons learned, though, is that it takes a lot of investment to do so. In other industry and staffing news, a company that allows health care employers to post job openings for temporary doctors and travel nurses plans to expand.
As Maternal Death Rates Rise, App-Maker Hopes To Reach New Moms In Need Of Care
The goal of tech startup Mahmee is to help connect women to resources and providers during a time when their health can often be neglected. In other health and technology news: a way to ease pain through virtual reality and DIY tech to help those with diabetes.
CDC Investigating Cluster Of Lung Disease Cases That May Be Linked To Vaping
Officials can’t say for certain that the illnesses were caused by vaping, but they said that there was no evidence that an infectious disease. At least 15 states have identified more than 120 cases of the disease.
Emergency room visits can often lead to a court date when the patients can’t pay their bills. In a small Missouri town the practice has become so routine that some people here derisively refer to it as the “follow-up appointment.” In just this town, there can be dozens of cases each week. “I’m trying to make peace with the fact that this debt could sit on me forever,” said Gail Dudley, 31.
A handful of activists in rural Virginia were among the first to raise an alarm about the coming opioid epidemic. Their local efforts, however, were quashed by Purdue Pharma. Looking back, many activists see a tragic path filled with missed opportunities to stop the crisis. Other news on the epidemic focuses on budget cuts, naloxone and vigils.
The high-capacity magazines are “the primary driver for why we’re seeing more mass shootings more regularly,” said David Chipman, who served 25 years as a special agent for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. In other gun violence news: suburban voters want Republicans to act on new regulations; officials thwart three possible attacks over the weekend; “ecofascism” and its link to mass shootings is growing; and more.
Trump Donates Salary Toward Battling Opioid Epidemic, Combating Teenagers’ Use Of E-Cigarettes
President Donald Trump pledged when he took office that he would not accept the $400,000 annual salary that comes with the job. He has donated his salary in quarterly installments to various government agencies, including two within HHS.
Appeals Court Denies Planned Parenthood’s Request To Block Changes To Family Planning Grants
HHS has set a deadline of midnight Monday for providers to either comply with the changes or be kicked out of the federal Title X family planning program and potentially forfeit millions of dollars in federal grants. Planned Parenthood has said it would pull out of the Title X program rather than participate in the so-called “gag rule.”