Latest KFF Health News Stories
The bacteria are common and often harmless but can cause disease in “very fragile patients,” said Dr. Frank Maffei, the chair of pediatrics at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, Pennsylvania. The premature babies were in the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit when they were infected. Five other babies also became sick.
The results were released as part of a congressional hearing on compensation funds for those effected by the country’s development of its nuclear arsenal.
Buttigieg Follows Up Aggressive Drug Pricing Plan With Message That He Wants Pharma ‘To Thrive’
“This is not about crushing pharmaceutical work,” South Bend Mayor and 2020 presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg said after releasing a drug plan that contained progressive ideas on how to lower costs. “This is about making sure that it actually gets to all Americans.” Meanwhile, an adviser for President Donald Trump hinted that the White House would strike a deal on drug prices if the impeachment push dies.
What Will Sanders’ Heart Attack Mean For Already-Sore Subject Of Age In Presidential Race?
Three of the Democrats’ leading 2020 contenders, as well as President Donald Trump, are in their 70s. Following Sen. Bernie Sanders’ heart attack, the question of “how old is too old to be president” could once again be thrust in the spotlight.
The school districts in Missouri, Kansas and New York say Juul explicitly marketed its products to youths, leaving schools to shoulder the costs of stopping students from vaping, disciplining them when they break school rules and providing support services when they become addicted. While Juul is facing court challenges by counties and states, this suit is believed to be the first brought by school districts. In other news on the epidemic: e-cigarettes and fires on planes, the search for lung diseases and vaping link, the first lady speaks out, Walgreens and Kroger to stop selling e-cigarettes and more.
Supreme Court Grapples With Moral, Legal Complexities Of Insanity Defense While Kicking Off New Term
There appeared to be little consensus among the high court’s justices after oral arguments in a case about whether states can abolish the insanity defense in criminal cases.
First Edition: October 8, 2019
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Vapers Accuse Officials Of Overreach As Investigation Into Deadly Lung Illness Lags
With federal authorities offering few details about what is causing the deadly outbreak of vaping-related lung illnesses, vaping advocates are crafting an alternative narrative reverberating through online communities.
As Medicare Enrollment Nears, Popular Price Comparison Tool Is Missing
For more than a decade, customers used the online plan finder to compare dozens of policies. Yet after a redesign of the website, the search results no longer list which plan offers a customer the best value. Federal officials say it will be fixed before enrollment begins next week.
Trump’s New Order For Medicare Packs Potential Rise In Patients’ Costs
The president’s directive, which he said is designed to give beneficiaries more choices in their health care, could lead to higher costs for seniors. Final rules are to be written by the Department of Health and Human Services.
Opinion writers weigh in on these health topics and others.
Editorial writers focus on these health care topics and others.
Media outlets report on news from Connecticut, Minnesota, Ohio, Tennessee, Massachusetts, Alabama, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Missouri, Washington, Texas, Florida, Illinois, California, the District of Columbia, Louisiana, Maryland and Maine.
In 2017, an American outbreak in which 79,000 people died followed Australia’s worst outbreak in 20 years. The same strain might dominate this year. In other public health news: brain stimulation for severe depression, a problem with the new meat guidelines, disaster-response systems, childhood academic struggles, living with disabilities on YouTube, dangers of clean eating, relief migraines, managing screen time, taking “verbal autopsies,” and more.
The federal government has encouraged Medicare Advantage plans to offer perks that address the social and environmental factors associated with improved health.
The deaths at a West Virginia medical center have brought renewed scrutiny into the VA’s quality control. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) said he is incredulous that hospital leaders in Clarksburg took so long to put the pieces together. “You mean to tell me that for nine months you didn’t know what was going on in your hospital?” Manchin said. “Either you didn’t care, or there was a lack of competency.”
During 20th Century, Doctors Were The Quintessential Republican. But That’s Starting To Change.
Doctors are a politically powerful group, and they once were firmly in the Republican camp. But with social changes–such as more women being accepted into medical school–comes a political shift leftward. In other elections news: officials say the Trump administration would delay changes to health law until after elections if the court overturns it and Republicans are getting behind mental health platforms.
While South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg has struck a more moderate tone on other health care policies, his newly released drug pricing plan embraces strategies that have been considered radical. Among other proposals, his plan would direct the HHS secretary to negotiate lower prices for expensive drugs and would penalize drug companies with rapidly escalating taxes if they couldn’t agree with the federal government on a price.
Brutal Killings In NYC Highlight Dangerous Conditions Faced By Homeless
Following the rampage, the city will be sending mental-health outreach teams to the area where the attacks occurred to provide emotional support and connect people to appropriate care. But advocates say officials need to address the root causes of such incidents–the homeless crisis.
Other countries limit or forbid plasma donations, but the U.S. allows companies to pay donors and has comparatively loose standards for monitoring their health. And while most U.S. centers receive around 1,000 paid donations a week, centers at the border count more than 2,300.