Latest KFF Health News Stories
Republican Senate Majority Leader Jim Denning has a proposal that he hopes appeals to Republicans and Democrats. The blueprint toward expansion contains ideas to draw lawmakers from both sides of the aisle but it also includes things that could be dealbreakers for either party. Medicaid news comes out of Oklahoma, Tennessee and Minnesota, as well.
Section 6(b) of the Federal Trade Commission Act, which the FTC cited in its information demands, gives the agency broad investigative authority to demand information from companies for use in research, legal experts point out. Other health system and hospital news comes out of Florida, Illinois, New York, Oregon and Wisconsin.
Health systems use the algorithm — from Optum — for 100 million people across the country to find patients with diabetes, heart disease and other chronic ailments. “What the algorithm is doing is letting healthier white patients cut in line ahead of sicker black patients,” said Dr. Ziad Obermeyer, the study’s lead author.
The Office of Accountability and Whistleblower Protection was supposed to help eliminate wrongdoing in the VA. Instead Peter O’Rourke and his successor, Kirk Nicholas, ended investigations into allies of senior officials, failed to consistently report to Congress and refused to honor whistleblowers’ demands for anonymity, a new report finds.
The insurers’ lawsuit against the federal government revolves around cost-sharing reduction subsidies that were intended to lower healthcare costs for certain people who bought coverage on the Affordable Care Act exchanges. While the judge’s decision is likely to be appealed, it could foretell an expensive outcome for the administration.
Pharma Sells States On ‘Netflix Model’ To Wipe Out Hep C. But At What Price?
Manufacturers of lucrative drugs say they’re offering discounts off the high sticker prices ― but taxpayers footing the big bills might never know what the state is paying or if it’s getting a good deal.
The New Normal: How Humans Are Going To Have To Adjust To A World On Fire
As California continues to burn for the third record year in a row, some experts warn that we need to reconcile the fact that fires aren’t going away. “I think the perception is that we’re supposed to control them. But in a lot of cases we cannot,” said John Abatzoglou, an associate professor at the University of Idaho. “And that may allow us to think a little bit differently about how we live with fire. We call it wildfire for reason — it’s not domesticated fire.”
Major Retailers Yank 22-Ounce Johnson & Johnson Baby Powder To Avoid Confusion Following Recall
J&J, which is facing thousands of lawsuits over a variety of products, said last week it was recalling around 33,000 bottles of baby powder in the United States after U.S. health regulators found trace amounts of asbestos in samples taken from a bottle purchased online. Walmart, CVS and Rite Aid are taking steps to remove all 22-ounce bottles from their stores as well.
Pelosi’s Drug Pricing Plan Could Violate Three Parts Of Constitution, Congress’ Legal Experts Warn
And the potential constitutional issues with the bill can’t be fixed with a few tweaks — they relate to the central crux of the bill, according to a report by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. Meanwhile, a watchdog report flags safety and reliability concerns over drug imports from China. And in other pharmaceutical news: patents legislation, the roller coaster of Biogen’s Alzheimer’s drug, and an investigation into carcinogens.
HHS had vowed to ban all vaping products except tobacco flavor, but that decision sparked political backlash for the administration. Meanwhile, the number of vaping-related illnesses continues to climb, but at a slower rate. Officials warned that could be because of reporting delays rather than progress being made in the outbreak, though.
Smaller States Worry Sweeping $48B Opioid Settlement Won’t Be Fairly Divided In Terms Of Need
States have been trying to hammer out a settlement with drug companies, but with so many voices in the conversation, it’s been tricky to find compromises that satisfy everyone’s concerns. “Any global opioid settlement that doesn’t reflect the unique and unprecedented damage imposed on West Virginia through the opioid epidemic should be DOA,” West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey tweeted. In other news on the opioid epidemic: hospitals take a page from the cities and states; overdose deaths go beyond fentanyl; and how doctors are avoiding pain patients.
1,556 More Kids Were Separated From Families Than Previously Reported, ACLU Says
The ACLU said that more than 5,400 children in total were taken from their parents and released from federal shelters sometime between July 2017 and June 2018. The majority of them were ages 12 and under.
Experts Weigh In As Warren Scrambles For Plan To Pay For ‘Medicare For All’
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) has promised to unveil a plan on how to pay for “Medicare for All” after receiving criticism that she was being vague on the details. But experts say it is going to be a struggle to both please progressives and avoid a middle class tax increase.
First Edition: October 25, 2019
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Los Angeles Vape District A Black-Market Gateway
A seedy section of downtown Los Angeles has become the go-to place for those who trade in wholesale — and sometimes counterfeit — vaping products. As more people fall ill with a mysterious lung disease linked to e-cigarette use, the manufacture and distribution of vaping products face increased scrutiny.
KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: All About Medicaid
Medicare’s sister program actually covers more people than Medicare. It’s complex and sometimes confusing, but Medicaid is critical to states, health care providers and the more than 70 million people it serves. In this episode of KHN’s “What the Health?” host Julie Rovner interviews Diane Rowland, formerly EVP and Executive Director of the Medicaid Program at the Kaiser Family Foundation and one of the nation’s top Medicaid experts. Then Rovner, Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Tami Luhby of CNN and Joanne Kenen of Politico discuss some of the current debates surrounding Medicaid and its future.
A medida que evolucionan los dispositivos para vapear, aparecen nuevos peligros
Investigadores encuentran más evidencia de que la forma en que los dispositivos de vapeo y los líquidos electrónicos interactúan podría dañar a los consumidores.
Editorial writers express views on these health issues and others.
Media outlets report on news from Colorado, Connecticut, California, Pennsylvania, Washington, New York, Maryland, North Carolina, Ohio, Massachusetts, Iowa, Utah and Arizona.
While there’s a big push to mine medical data from patient records, research, medical devices and technology such as smartwatches, privacy protections don’t appear to go far enough, according to new research. Other news on health technology is on finding jobs for autistic people, anti-vaccine Facebook content, substitutes for stethoscopes, stress from social media use, and a Montana data breach, as well.