Latest KFF Health News Stories
The medical mystery around the symptoms the diplomats experienced deepens with new research on their brains. But the nature and cause of that trauma were not clear, as it did not resemble the signature of more familiar brain injuries such as repeated concussions or exposure to battlefield blasts.
How Lifting Weights May Actually Improve Your Ability To Think
Although it’s been shown that exercise helps cognition as we age, there aren’t as many studies showing the benefits of weight training. A new one in rats shows that weight lifting can actually reverse aspects of age-related memory loss. In other public health news: sleep, anxiety, drugs, superbugs, and more.
Francisco Erwin Galicia had been traveling to North Texas with his brother and a group of friends for a college soccer team tryout when they were stopped at a Border Patrol checkpoint.
It’s early stages yet, but scientists were excited about the possibilities offered by the implant as it would address the problem of patients adhering to a daily medication schedule.
The three bills would have required physicians providing abortions to be board-certified or board-eligible in obstetrics and gynecology, banned abortions after 18 weeks and prohibited abortions sought because of fetal diagnoses of Down syndrome. The first would have led to the closure of Little Rock Family Planning Services, the only clinic providing surgical abortions in the state. In the order, the federal judge said the laws “cause ongoing and imminent irreparable harm to the plaintiffs and their patients” at this time in the proceedings.
The Washington Post Fact Checker blasts the claim. While President Donald Trump’s 2020 budget did propose reductions in anticipated spending on Medicare, it was completely unrelated to the tax cut passed by Congress in 2017. In other news, HHS Secretary Alex Azar suggests that Medicare Advantage plans could see pay boosts.
Had Red States All Expanded Medicaid, 15,600 Deaths Could Have Been Averted, Study Finds
The study is in line with a growing body of research that shows Medicaid expansion has not only vastly increased access to health insurance, but also improved health outcomes. In other Medicaid news: a look at the states that have tried to impose restrictions, New Hampshire’s work requirements, dipping enrollment numbers, and criticisms over application process in Kansas.
Documents and other evidence in a court case over what role drugmakers played in the opioid crisis paint a grim picture of how the companies operated as the epidemic was brewing. Meanwhile, California wants to suspend the wholesale license from one of the drug distributors over concerns the company didn’t recognize unusual sales patterns for painkillers.
The FDA has issued similar warning letters to smaller businesses, but the warning against Curaleaf is the first since the agency began studying how it regulates CBD. The agency plans to report in the fall on its regulatory approach after holding a public hearing and receiving nearly 4,500 comments.
According to experts, the rule, which would result in about 3 million Americans losing their benefits, would be the most significant rollback of federal food benefits since 1995, when the Clinton administration launched welfare reform.
The bipartisan effort, spearheaded by Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), is projected to save the federal government $85 billion on drug spending over the next decade. The long-awaited legislation comes amid mounting pressure for Congress to act on rising drug costs.
The legislation would ensure that the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund is funded for the next seven decades at a cost of $10.2 billion over the next 10 years. Emotions were high in recent weeks after comedian Jon Stewart shamed Congress for how it treated the first responders. “The country has moved on, and rightfully so,” said Michael O’Connell, a retired lieutenant with the New York Fire Department. But “it’s in front of our eyes,” he added. “We’re in hospices. We’re seeing people pass away right in front of our very eyes.”
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
When A Doctor’s Screen Time Detracts From Face Time With Patients
Electronic health records can help reduce medical errors, but when not used well they can strain the doctor-patient relationship. Dr. Wei Wei Lee, an internist with the University of Chicago Medicine, has developed strategies to make sure tech is a tool, not a barrier.
‘An Arm And A Leg’: Real Lessons Doctors Can Learn From Fake Patients
Are physicians asking patients the right questions in order to provide good care? Laser-focused on biomedical symptoms, some doctors miss the psychosocial factors that can be a barrier to good health. In Episode 7 of the podcast, we hear about a creative study that uncovers how some medical errors happen.
Summer Setbacks: The Long Road To Lower Drug Prices Hits Some Potholes
Efforts to control drug prices seemed on a glide path earlier this year after gaining traction at the White House and in Congress. But prospects today look less certain and highly controversial.
Why It’s So Hard To Predict How Much Funding 9/11 First Responders Need
Eighteen years ago, most first responders were not thinking about their future health when they spent hours searching “The Pile” for the remains of terror victims. Today, their illnesses are a slow-moving epidemiological nightmare that has been as difficult for scientists to study as it has been easy for politicians to overlook.
¿Quieres retirarte y vivir en el exterior? Medicare no viaja muy bien
De 2012 a 2017, el número de trabajadores jubilados que vivían en países extranjeros y que recibían beneficios del Seguro Social creció casi un 15%, a más de 413,000, según la Administración del Seguro Social.
Federal Suit Alleges ‘Staggering’ Urine Drug Testing Fraud At Tennessee Pain Clinics
Tennessee company’s Medicare billings for urine tests were examined by Kaiser Health News in 2017.
Editorials and columns look at a wide-range of health issues from cancer to transgender care to aging.