Latest KFF Health News Stories
Lawmaker Targets Infinite Scroll, Other Techniques To Keep Users Mindlessly Engaged In Apps
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) accused Big Tech of embracing “a business model of addiction.” His bill doesn’t go as far as outright banning social media platforms, but it proposes regulatory measures that would force users to actively choose to engage for prolonged periods rather than being mindlessly sucked into the void.
Medicaid Expansion Advocates See Voters As The Way To Break Through Political Gridlock In Red States
When the question was put to voters last year in three states where Republican governors had resisted expansion, the answer was “yes.” “State advocates are looking up and saying, ‘We tried everything else, let’s go to a ballot initiative,’ ” said Patrick Willard with Families USA. Medicaid news comes out of Ohio and New York as well.
Government officials claimed that separations at the border are now “extraordinarily rare” and happen only when the adults pose a risk to the child because of their criminal record. Yet documents show that children were taken from parents for minor reasons–such as a father not changing a wet diaper. The new numbers were filed with Judge Dana M. Sabraw of the Federal District Court in San Diego as part of the court’s continuing supervision of the family separation issue.
Planned Parenthood, ACLU File Lawsuit Over Missouri’s 8-Week Abortion Ban
Under the Missouri law, any provider that performs an abortion at the eight-week mark or later could be charged with a felony and face up to 15 years in prison. There are no exceptions for rape or incest in the law, scheduled to go into effect Aug. 28. Meanwhile new Planned Parenthood chief Alexis McGill Johnson talks about how the organization is a health care group, first and foremost.
CMS Crafts Plan B Over 340B Hospital Reimbursement Cuts In Response To Judge’s Ruling
A federal judge earlier in the year blocked the Trump administration’s Medicare cuts to 340B hospitals, saying the new rates aren’t lawful for 2018 and 2019. However, U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras did not grant hospitals the permanent injunction. Now CMS is walking a careful line with its new proposal. Other news from CMS involves hospital prices, transparency in quality information, patient data, and more.
Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) just unveiled a wide-ranging health plan that would move the country toward “Medicare for All” but keep private insurers in on the action. In the past few weeks, former Vice President Joe Biden has had some choice words for rivals who he see as abandoning the health law. The two will face off on the second night of the 2020 Democratic debates.
“Democrats — radical, reckless, socialist,” the narrator in the ads says. “They’re all the same.” Meanwhile, as the first debate ramped up, President Donald Trump’s campaign manager focused on how Democrats’ plans would increase taxes and long waits for health care.
Candidates Invoke Personal Experiences With Gun Violence And Blast NRA’s Lobbying Influence
Mayor Pete Buttigieg spoke about the “school shooting generations” that the country is producing, and Gov. Steve Bullock, a hunter himself, talked about ridding D.C. of powerful lobbies that hold sway over a public health policy issue. The discussion at the debate showcases just how far the political conversation around the topic of gun control has come even from the 2008 debates between then-candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.
The candidates on the first night of the debates scuffled over what to do about immigration and the border crisis. While Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) supported decriminalizing illegal crossings, Montana Gov. Steve Bullock accused her of “playing into Donald Trump’s hands.” Meanwhile, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) defended his proposal to provide health care for immigrants in the country illegally.
On the first night of the latest 2020 Democratic debates, front-runners and progressive Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) bore the brunt of the attacks over their health care plans, which were slammed by moderates as “fairy tale” policy. Warren and Sanders both stood their ground and avoided going after each other. “I don’t understand why anybody goes to all the trouble of running for president of the United States just to talk about what we really can’t do and shouldn’t fight for,” Warren said. “I’m ready to get in this fight. I’m ready to win this fight.” Media outlets offer a broad range of coverage on the nuances of what was argued last night, including insight on middle-class taxes, private insurers, a public option, and a look at where each candidate stands on the issue.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Trump Administration Moves To Make Health Care Costs More Transparent
The proposed rules would require hospitals to provide far more detail about the actual prices they charge insurers for patients’ care.
Genetic-Testing Scam Targets Seniors And Rips Off Medicare
Capitalizing on the growing popularity of genetic testing — and fears of terminal illness — scammers are persuading seniors to hand over cheek swabs with their DNA, not knowing it may lead to identity theft and Medicare fraud.
This Indiana Clinic Has Patient-Care Stats Worth Bragging About
A small health center in Goshen, Ind., near the border with Michigan, puts “listening to patients’ stories” first. “The rest is housekeeping.”
In A Messy Democratic Presidential Debate, Facts About ‘Medicare For All’ Get Tossed About
Candidates used their varying views on how to achieve universal coverage — whether through Medicare for All or more incremental steps — as a means to differentiate themselves from the field.
Inspectores pintan color de rosa a los centros de detención, pero no las auditorías
Una revisión realizada por Kaiser Health News de miles de páginas de informes de inspecciones realizadas entre 2007 y 2019 revela patrones inquietantes en las auditorías de Nakamoto Group.
Opinion pages focus on these health care issues and others.
Media outlets report on news from New York, Massachusetts, Puerto Rico, Georgia, North Carolina, Maryland, Kansas, Wisconsin, Connecticut and Texas.
Different Takes: Pros And Cons Of Kamala Harris’ New Take On ‘Medicare For All’
Editorial and opinion writers talk about Sen. Kamala Harris’ recently released health care plan.
An Algorithm Could Pinpoint Those Most At Risk Of HIV And Have Doctors Steer Them Toward PrEP
The scientists have successfully created the tool, but ethical questions remain over such a sensitive topic. A calculator that says a patient is at risk “doesn’t mitigate the fact that providers are often uncomfortable and clumsy talking about sex,” said Damon L. Jacobs, a marriage and family counselor. In other public health news: vaping, menopause and women’s sex lives, anorexia, fitness trackers, eye infections and more.