Latest KFF Health News Stories
Opinion writers weigh in on these health care topics and others.
Media outlets report on news from California, Arizona, North Carolina, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Minnesota, South Dakota, Missouri, Pennsylvania and Indiana.
Legal Challenge To Georgia’s ‘Heartbeat Bill’ To Kick Off In Court
A federal judge is set to hear the arguments Monday from opponents of Georgia’s new anti-abortion law who want him to stop the measure from going into effect on Jan. 1 with the court case ongoing. Meanwhile, in Tennessee, a lawsuit challenging that state’s 48-hour waiting period is also scheduled to start.
Jury Selection To Start In California’s Antitrust Lawsuit Against Sutter Health
California’s Department of Justice alleges that Sutter Health bought up competing medical providers in Northern California and used that market dominance to increase prices for insurance plans. Sutter recently released a statement defending its business practices. The trial is expected to run for months. And other hospital and industry news is reported from Pennsylvania, Michigan, New Hampshire, Virginia, Tennessee and Georgia.
Fierce Behind-The-Scenes Fight Over California’s Vaccine Law Centered On Governor
The Los Angeles Times reports on the months of negotiating and lobbying that took place outside of the public view and shifted Calif. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s position over the course of the vaccine law debate. Other vaccine news is reported out of New York, Maryland and Oregon.
Meanwhile, The Baltimore Sun reports that while deaths from opioids dropped overall in Maryland, Baltimore has been largely left behind. News about the opioid crisis is on litigation against the the drug makers and distributors and misinformation about anti-overdose medication, as well.
California health officials are monitoring aggressive and invasive Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. In New Hampshire, officials warn about the spread of the mosquitoes carrying the Eastern Equine Encephalitis virus. Public health news is on weedkillers, sickle cell disease, pancreatic cancer, food safety, cesarean deliveries, and a smoking ban at VA facilities, as well.
The director of the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Tobacco Products, Mitchell Zeller, told San Francisco Supervisor Shamann Walton’s office that the agency will review materials put out by a campaign committee funded by Juul as part of the company’s efforts to overturn the city’s e-cigarette sales ban. Also in the news are articles about the prevalence of e-cigs in schools and how parents can talk to their kids about vaping.
Retail Giant Walmart Announces Plan To Stop Selling E-Cigarettes
The nation’s largest retailer often sets an example for other companies. The move comes as concern grows about the health risks of the products and their soaring popularity among teenagers.
The suicide earlier this month of University of Pennsylvania counseling center director Dr. Gregory Eells stunned many professionals, but a closer look reveals the challenges facing mental health counselors. “…For a lot of us it’s hard to even try to reach out for that care and to have that place to reach out to,” said Jodi Caldwell, director of Georgia Southern University’s counseling center. News on suicide prevention is on studying the statistics, as well.
Aggressive Lobbying Effort Creating A Drag On Legislative Momentum Behind Surprise Medical Bills
Doctors Patient Unity, one of the groups which has been out front in efforts against a legislative approach to protect patients from surprise medical bills, has spent $28 million on ads targeting states where key senators are running for reelection. The role of air ambulances and their charges are also playing a role in this debate.
The Affordable Care Act sought to encourage more services that improved health. But experts are divided on whether the efforts are working.
UAW Strike Points To Divide Among Union Groups — And Democratic Candidates — On Health Care Policies
Members of the United Auto Workers union pay about 3% of the total cost of their health care and members say they are eager to keep those benefits. But some Democratic candidates and other unions are calling for revamping U.S. health care and moving to a government-funded system. Meanwhile, Sen. Bernie Sanders is calling for eliminating medical debt.
Trump Administration Family Planning Rule Heads Back To Court
Some state governments and health organizations are asking the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals to block the administration’s rule, which prohibits health care providers who take federal money for family planning services from referring patients to abortion providers. Outlets also report on the impact of the “public charge” policy and another court case that could affect HHS’s plans to tighten requirements for hospitals to release patients’ health records.
First Edition: September 23, 2019
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Want To Reduce Suicides? Follow The Data — To Medical Offices, Motels And Even Animal Shelters
An Oregon epidemiologist is using data to find patterns in suicides, then offering prevention training at the motels where people keep taking their lives, the animal shelter where they give away their pets, the pain clinics where patients struggle. Her model is spreading to New York, California and elsewhere.
Cómo deberían prepararse los pasajeros por si se enferman o lesionan en altamar
Solo en un crucero de Royal Caribbean, el Oasis of the Seas, 561 pasajeros se enfermaron a causa del norovirus, un virus estomacal altamente contagioso.
Editorial pages focus on these public health issues and others.
Opinion writers look at changing opinions emerging from the Democratic presidential candidates about health care.
Longer Looks: A Cancer Survivor’s Tale; CIA’s Mind Control Experiments; And Antibiotic Resistance
Each week, KHN finds interesting reads from around the Web.