Latest KFF Health News Stories
Editorial pages weigh in on a range of public health topics stemming from gun violence.
A selection of stories from around the country, including news from Texas, Tennesseee, California, Georgia and Missouri.
News from state legislatures comes from Tennessee and New Hampshire.
Threat Of Kaiser Permanente Strike Grows As California Union Overwhelmingly Approves Vote
The California union is the largest in a national coalition involved in contract negotiations with Kaiser Permanente, and the first to OK a future strike that could involve up to 80,000 workers. In other health care industry labor news: health care, research and technical employees at the University of California vote to ratify a new contract after two years of negotiations and work stoppages.
Hospital Deals With Drugmakers To Mine Patients’ Genetic Data Raise Privacy Concerns
Drugmakers have been buying access to patients’ genetic code data from hospitals. But those facilities don’t always disclose to patients the full ways their data could be used. In other news, Modern Healthcare reports on how policy differences complicate potential business deals between religious and secular hospitals.
As Environment Heats Up, Working, Playing Shifts To Dawn, Dusk In Phoenix When It’s Slightly Cooler
Phoenix is a good example of how cities will need to adapt as temperatures rise. Zoos are opening earlier in the day. Hikes are encouraged once the sun has started to lower. Workers have learned to work at night on outdoor projects. Other news reports offer tips on how to protect yourself from polluted air.
New Experimental Treatments For Ebola Viewed As Game Changer In Reducing Mortality
According to researchers, the first clearly effective treatments for Ebola, a deadly disease that continues its reach in central Africa, have been identified.
In Search Of New Antibiotics; Hep A Continues To March Across The Country
Other health care findings include reports about obesity drugs, diabetes treatments and a range of other topics.
With an eye to the 2020 Olympics, USA Gymnastics appears to be holding onto its role as chief overseer of the sport and is preparing to seek new sponsors. Its decertification after the Larry Nasser scandal was stayed because it filed for bankruptcy. In other news involving sexual misconduct, Michigan State accepts new requirements to protect students, and a 62% spike is seen in cases filed against California doctors.
Opioid Addiction’s ‘Go-To’ Drug Remains Elusive In Pharmacies
Buprenorphine curbs opioid cravings and treats withdrawal symptoms but there are a number of reasons why pharmacists are hesitant to stock it. Other news related to the nation’s epidemic comes from Missouri, Washington and other states.
Sanders Doubles-Down On Health Care And ‘Medicare For All’ Is Centerpiece
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is stepping up his campaign-trail focus on health care by increasingly touting his single-payer health care policy. At the same time, most 2020 presidential hopefuls seem to “move in lock step” toward gun control policies.
More Patients Are Getting Hit With Surprise Medical Bills, And The Price Tags Are Going Up, Too
A study finds that over 42% of patients hospitalized or treated in an emergency room received surprise bills in 2016. “Out-of-network billing appears to have become common for privately insured patients even when they seek treatment at in-network hospitals,” the researchers concluded. As the costs of health care continue to grow for many Americans, two former collection agency executives are trying to make a dent by forgiving medical debt.
ACA Marketplaces See Drop Among Customers Who Don’t Qualify For Federal Subsidies
From 2016 to 2018, 2.5 million people who were paying their entire Affordable Care Act premiums dropped out of the individual market. The administration says it’s a sign of Obamacare’s high prices, but supporters of the health law say it shows that Republican policies have undermined gains seen early in the law’s implementation.
The attorneys general of both states said they would seek to overturn the new federal rule in court. Meanwhile, some states say the regulations could have serious implications for state economies.
Trump Administration Seeks To Thwart Immigrants Who May Use Public Assistance Programs
The rule would deny green cards to many migrants who use Medicaid, food stamps, housing vouchers or other forms of public assistance.
Chief Adviser On Prescription Drug Pricing To Quit HHS
John O’Brien’s departure comes at a time when the political debate is intensifying over how to control drug costs. The Department of Health and Human Services says John Brooks, principal deputy director of the Center for Medicare, will “expand his current responsibilities to serve as senior advisor for drug-pricing reform.”
First Edition: August 13, 2019
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Hepatitis A Races Across The Country
In the wake of the opioid crisis, the highly communicable hepatitis A virus is spreading in more than half the states and making its way into the general public. Underfunded health officials are valiantly trying to fight it with vaccines.
At This Summer Camp, Struggling With A Disability Is The Point
At a camp for kids in Nashville, physical therapists use “constraint-induced movement therapy.” It makes life tougher, temporarily, in hopes of strengthening the campers’ ability to navigate the world.
Charity Care Spending By Hospitals Plunges
The proportion of money that California hospitals spent on free and discounted care for low-income people dropped by more than half from 2013 to 2017 — even for nonprofit hospitals. Hospitals say there’s less demand for charity care because more people now have health insurance, but consumer advocates counter that people still need help.