Latest KFF Health News Stories
The “Cadillac tax,” which never went into effect, was intended to help control costs by putting a brake on the value of health insurance plans and avoid having insurers and employers shifting more costs to policyholders. Its implementation has been delayed for years, and House Democrats voted to repeal it once and for all. It still needs to go to the Senate, but in all likelihood the upper chamber will eagerly follow suit, as Republicans didn’t like the provision.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
KHN Investigation On Opioid Prescribers Pains Some Readers And Tweeters
Kaiser Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
‘Climate Grief’: Fears About The Planet’s Future Weigh On Americans’ Mental Health
Although there’s no official clinical diagnosis, the psychiatric and psychological communities have names for the phenomenon of worrying about the Earth’s fate: “climate distress,” “climate grief,” “climate anxiety” or “eco-anxiety.” The concept also is gradually making its way into the public consciousness in television shows and movies.
Common Medications Can Masquerade As Dementia In Seniors
A wide variety of medications used to treat allergies, insomnia, leaky bladders, diarrhea, dizziness, motion sickness, asthma, Parkinson’s disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and psychiatric disorders can interfere with cognition in older patients.
Surprise Medical Bill Legislation Takes A Step Forward, But Will It Lead To A Step Back?
A House committee approved its version of legislation to solve the problem of surprise medical bills. But the measure includes a key provision that’s got less support in the Senate.
News outlets report on stories related to pharmaceutical pricing.
Read recent commentaries about drug-cost issues.
Opinion writers weigh in on these health care topics and others.
Research is being performed to see if children can learn to identify emotions and interact with people by using technology. Other advances like Alexa could also help, researchers claim, adding that rigorous testing needs to take place. Public health news also looks at: simple ways to avoid heat wave deaths; Elon Musk’s experiments for paralyzed patients; the link behind fewer children’s deaths and universal background checks; a new way to manage menstrual cycles; Latin America’s TV ad redo to fight obesity in children; paying people to stop smoking; links between early puberty and migraines in girls; benefits of going barefoot; and more.
Media outlets report on news from New York, California, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Kansas, Missouri, Arizona, Texas and Delaware.
Research started in 2011 was supposed to wrap up in 2015 but has repeatedly been stalled by problems with the study’s design and execution. And without hard scientific evidence that service dogs help veterans with PTSD, doctors are hesitant to recommend it.
Researchers found that tau networks, a protein that forms tangles and destroy brain nerve cells, were more diffuse in women. Genetic differences also play a role, although researchers can’t explain how yet. While two-thirds of Alzheimer’s cases are in women, researchers also found they are able to mask the signs of dementia longer than men because of better brain metabolism.
Negotiations About Overhaul Of VA Health System Stand In Way Of Debt-Limit Deal
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) wrote a letter to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin requesting $22 billion over two years to cover the cost of a revamp of the VA health-care program signed into law last year. She said that the funding for the program should be in addition to the equal increases she is seeking for nonmilitary and military funding. Lawmakers are trying to get an overall deal done before the House leaves for August recess.
Public access to border patrol agents is typically controlled, and it’s rare to hear about their personal experiences despite the national attention on the crisis. ProPublica, however, spoke to one who talks about what it’s like working for the agency.
Foreign Medicine Sales Help Johnson & Johnson Blow By Wall Street Expectations For 2Q Profit
But the company’s legal challenges loom like a dark cloud over the good news. Other news from the health industry focuses on telemedicine, value-based care and glucose monitors.
The tax, which has been repeatedly delayed, would have been on the most generous and expensive employer health-insurance plans. But lawmakers are under pressure from labor unions to kill it.
The vote on the amendment, confirmed to Modern Healthcare by three sources close to discussions, will take place Wednesday along with a swath of health care measures including a two-year delay to the disproportionate share hospital cuts. Meanwhile, the CBO projected on Tuesday that the Senate’s surprise medical bill legislation would save $7.6 billion over a decade.
The new details come from a database maintained by the Drug Enforcement Administration that tracks the path of every single pain pill sold in the United States. They show that just six companies distributed 75 percent of the pills during this period. The companies say they were working to supply the needs of patients with legitimate prescriptions desperate for pain relief, but they are now facing thousands of suits over their actions. The information was released following a yearlong legal battle by The Washington Post and HD Media, publisher of the Charleston Gazette-Mail in West Virginia.
The Trump administration has not spoken about whether it will add more funds to the fight. The grants have been especially crucial in Republican-led states that decided not to expand Medicaid. “When we first heard the money was coming, I remember thinking, ‘Wow, that’s a lot,’” said Nora Bock, who helps oversee addiction treatment programs for the Missouri Department of Mental Health. “Now it’s like, ‘Oh my God, it’s nowhere near enough.’” News on the crisis comes out of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Oklahoma as well.