Latest KFF Health News Stories
After critics of Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) called into question her story about being fired from a teaching position because she was pregnant, women started sharing their own stories on social media. “If you don’t understand what this furor over the Elizabeth Warren pregnancy firing story is about, ask pretty much any woman in your life over 35,” culture writer Anne Helen Petersen wrote on Twitter.
As the medical landscape moves more toward coordinated care between providers and specialty physicians, officials say the old rules have become a roadblock rather than a protection for patients.
First Edition: October 10, 2019
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
‘We Vape, We Vote’: How Vaping Crackdowns Are Politicizing Vapers
In response to the crackdowns on vaping, those who use or sell the e-cigarette products are mobilizing. Touting the “We Vape, We Vote” slogan, this burgeoning movement is positioning itself to be a factor in 2020 elections.
Drumbeat Builds For A Peace Corps Of Caregivers
The notion of a national program to tend to the day-to-day needs of a booming older population has circulated for years. Now, there are grants ― and grit ― behind it.
Cuerpos de Paz para cuidar y ofrecer compañía a adultos mayores
Este otoño, líderes del proyecto invitarán a organizaciones de todo el país a presentar propuestas para atender las necesidades “no médicas” de los adultos mayores.
VCU Health Will Halt Patient Lawsuits, Boost Aid In Wake Of KHN Investigation
Patients at VCU Health will no longer be taken to court and can more easily get financial assistance to pay their bills.
Denuncian fraude a Medicare con aparatos ortopédicos a través de la telemedicina
Llaman por teléfono o aparecen en un chat y preguntan si el adulto mayor siente algún dolor. Luego le envían, en un caso, hasta 13 aparatos ortopédicos: rodilleras, cabestrillos, fajas. Facturan millones a Medicare.
Opinion writers weigh in on these health issues and others.
Media outlets report on news from New Jersey, Michigan, Colorado, California, Arizona, Georgia, New Hampshire, Maryland, District of Columbia, Oregon, Massachusetts, North Carolina, and New York.
Tending to electronic health records interferes, many doctors say, with the time they actually spend with patients. But at Massachusetts General Hospital that might be changing as doctors test new technologies allowing doctors in remote locations to take notes instead. News on medical technology is on doctor chats, telemedicine fraud, and an anticipated IPO, as well.
California’s Medical Systems Brace For Historic Power Blackouts Aimed At Preventing Wildfires
Beyond worries about hospitals, hospices and medical care facilities, officials are warning residents to formulate plans to ensure their health needs are met. That ranges from keeping food and water on hand to knowing how to manually open your garage. The blackouts will impact 34 counties in Central and Northern California.
Rural areas have been hit hard by the financial changes in the health care landscape. As states and local governments struggle to ensure access to the vulnerable communities, some providers take measures into their own hands.
While three major drug retailers have stopped selling the drug, researchers are now testing to see what happens when it combines with stomach acid. A CBS report found that three years ago a group of researchers discovered the problem. Public health news is on resiliency training for police officers, warnings about vulva beautifiers, a recall for IKEA infant bibs and chemos’ sad side effects on Alex Trebek.
“I’ve litigated against federal and state agencies over the years and I’ve never seen anything like this,” said Liz Schott of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, which has been tracking the progress of the various lawsuits. The rule would expand the definition of constitutes a “public charge” when immigration officials are considering green card applications.
Millions Of Pregnant Women Aren’t Getting Vital Flu And Whooping Cough Vaccinations, CDC Reports
Only about 35 percent of women are receiving both and just over half receive one. “Maternal immunization rates have been steadfastly stuck at about 50 percent,” said Dr. Denise Jamieson, of Emory University School of Medicine. “We really haven’t moved the needle at all.”
The plaintiff sued Johnson & Johnson in 2013 saying that he grew breasts — a condition known as gynecomastia — after he began using Risperdal in 2003, at age 9, to treat symptoms of autism. His case is one of more than 10,000 similar suits against the company.
The Bronx teenager was the youngest of the nearly 20 victims who have died from a vaping-related lung illness. “This vaping is a public health crisis. It is affecting our young people,” said New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. In other news on vaping: teens talk with first lady Melania Trump about their experiences; Los Angeles mulls a ban on e-cigarettes; Montana issues a temporary ban; and more.
Arizona Signals Misgivings With Purdue Pharma Settlement In Possible Sign Of Troubled Waters Ahead
Arizona was one of 24 states and and hundreds of local governments that agreed to settle with the maker of OxyContin. But now the state might be switching sides. “Purdue [Pharma] and the Sackler family need to take responsibility for their role in the opioid crisis,” said Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich in a statement. In other news on the national drug epidemic: a voice for the babies affected by the opioid crisis; overdoses at homeless shelters; medication-assisted treatment; and more.
The diseases are easy enough to prevent that the rates shouldn’t be climbing, experts say. “When we see a case of congenital syphilis, it is a hallmark of a health system and a health care failure,” said Virginia Bowen, an epidemiologist with the CDC and an author of the report.