Latest KFF Health News Stories
Editorial writers weigh in on these public health issues and others.
Media outlets report on news from Maryland, Missouri, Ohio, California, Massachusetts, Colorado, North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.
Minnesota Lawmakers Tackle How To Help People With Diabetes Who Can’t Afford Rising Costs Of Insulin
The plan under consideration would require pharmaceutical companies to supply insulin to Minnesota patients who are not already on a public health program and who make less than 400 percent of the federal poverty line. As the debate goes on, one state legislator’s suggestion about buying cheap insulin incites criticism. And in other state legislative news, Georgia lawmakers consider electric scooter limits.
In other state Medicaid news, Floridians with disabilities fear reductions in services such as in-home nursing, transportation and physical therapy.
Because 3 percent of the results showed rates above the safe level, bottled water will still be provided to anyone who wanted it, officials said, but it appears that a crisis similar to Flint, Michigan’s has been averted. Other environmental hazard news is on the Climate Action Summit, California air quality, and Kansas drinking water.
North Carolina Sees 20% Jump In Foster Care Needs As Opioid Epidemic Devastates Families
“The numbers are staying high because of substance abuse or opioid abuse,” said Ken Maxwell, director of a foster care and adoption placement agency. But officials say poverty and mental health issues are also to blame. Outlets from Missouri and Massachusetts also report on the epidemic.
FDA Expected To Issue Its First Approval For A Peanut Allergy Treatment
The drug, Palforzia, is taken daily in a regimen known as oral immunotherapy that aims to blunt the immune system’s overreaction to peanuts. Though the treatment is not a cure and doesn’t work for everyone, a panel of experts recommended that the Food and Drug Administration OK the drug. A decision could come by January. In other news from the FDA: more blood pressure medicines are recalled.
By keeping the immigrants in confined spaces, more are being exposed to infectious diseases like mumps and measles, health officials say. News also focuses on the mental health damage that can emerge years after children are released from detention facilities.
Public Health Officials Hopeful That New Drug Regimen May Curb The Scourge Of Tuberculosis
A course of drugs, lasting just one month, is effective at preventing the infection, scientists have reported. Also in the news: a possible new option to fight heart disease, the mysteries of chronic pain and an Alzheimer’s researcher fights a disease that threatens her husband.
U.S. Prosecutors Open Criminal Probe Of Juul; Vaping Death Toll Rises To 9
The investigation by the U.S. attorney’s office of the Northern District of California is in its early stages and the focus was not yet clear, according to The Wall Street Journal. Meanwhile, officials in Kansas tied the death of a man over the age of 50 with the vaping illnesses reported around the country. Also in the news, a look at how Wisconsin health officials zeroed in on the problem and how Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) is pushing federal officials to crack down on vaping products.
Analyzing How Anti-Vaccine Sentiment Gained Fervor In The U.S.
And, internationally, Doctors Without Borders is urging more transparency regarding the management of the Ebola vaccine.
Judges Hear Appeal Challenging Trump Administration’s Abortion Funding Rule
A panel of 11 judges for the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco heard arguments Monday on the regulation. It bans clinics funded by the Title X federal family planning program from making abortion referrals unless the woman’s life is in danger. The lawsuit challenging the rule is backed by 22 states as well as Planned Parenthood and other organizations.
Polling done by a firm associated with the presidential campaign of former Vice President Joe Biden found the issue of “Medicare for All” to be a weak spot among Democratic primary voters. Still, a Washington Post fact check found that Biden bungled an effort to attack the policy.
Drugmakers, Facing ‘Stiffest Political Headwinds,’ Mount Strong Lobbying Effort In Congress
As both Democrats and Republicans call for new policies to curb drug prices, the pharmaceutical industry is spending millions of dollars on advertising campaigns. Some of the key lawmakers handling a Democratic proposal have received large donations from drugmakers, and Republican legislators are looking for guidance from the White House.
Challenges To Georgia, Tennessee Abortion Restrictions Go To Court
During the first day of action, opponents of Georgia’s new anti-abortion law — that effectively bans the procedure once a fetal heartbeat can be detected — argued for a federal judge to block the measure from going into effect on Jan. 1. In Tennessee, a former medical director of Planned Parenthood of Tennessee and North Mississippi testified on the state’s new 48-hour waiting period.
First Edition: September 24, 2019
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
As Off-Label Use Spreads, Supplies Of Niche Drugs And Patients’ Patience Grow Short
The reasons behind one particular shortage of a therapy known as IVIG are complicated, stemming from increased demand and the medication’s long production window.
It’s Not Just Insulin: Diabetes Patients Struggle To Get Crucial Supplies
The latest technology makes managing Type 1 diabetes much easier. But managing insurance company rules for the supplies is a big obstacle for some patients.
¿Cómo prevenir suicidios? Busca pistas en moteles, consultorios y refugios de animales
Un programa en un condado de Oregon ha logrado reducir la tasa de suicidios investigando las decisiones que toman las personas que piensan en el suicidio días antes de cometerlo.
Editorial writers focus on the public health dangers of vaping.