Latest KFF Health News Stories
With Half The States In Opioid Case Opposed To Deal, Can Purdue Pharma Really Pull It Off?
And if so, where does that leave the Sackler family when it comes to bankruptcy protections? Many questions remain following news that Purdue Pharma had reached a tentative settlement agreement in the consolidated, nationwide opioid case. Meanwhile, the plaintiffs are fighting opioid companies’ efforts to disqualify the judge overseeing the trial.
House To Probe Private Equity Firms’ Stakes In The Debate Over Surprise Medical Bills
The House Energy and Commerce Committee wants three private equity firms that own physician staffing companies to answer questions about their role in surprise medical bills. Hospitals sometimes contract out the staffing of their emergency room or other departments to these physician staffing companies, who then can send massive bills to patients because the staffing company might not be in their insurance network even though the hospital as a whole is.
First Edition: September 17, 2019
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Obesity Stigma And Yo-Yo Dieting, Not BMI, Are Behind Chronic Health Conditions, Dietitian Claims
With nearly 72% of U.S. adults considered overweight or obese, the pressing question is: Is it possible to be overweight and healthy at the same time? The science falls short.
Longtime Crusader Against OxyContin Begins To See The Fruits Of Her Struggle
Barbara Van Rooyan lost her son to the drug 15 years ago and has fought ceaselessly since then to hold Purdue Pharma accountable for its role in the opioid crisis.
Proveedores de medicamentos en el mercado negro enfocan en inmigrantes
Inmigrantes, no sólo de países hispanos, sino de todo el mundo, y algunos no inmigrantes también, están comprando una amplia gama de medicamentos ilegales en todo el país,
Opinion writers weigh in on these health care issues and others.
Media outlets report on news fro Alaska, New Hampshire, California, North Carolina, Massachusetts, Virginia, Minnesota, Florida, Connecticut, Wisconsin, Georgia, Ohio, Missouri, and Maryland.
The grocer, which has about 95,000 workers, said it is making the change “to better meet the needs of” its business.
The report comes as states and federal officials are scrambling to find ways to reduce Medicaid spending. Other Medicaid news comes out of Idaho and Nebraska, as well.
Other major cities have lowered the number of suicides in their police forces with aggressive mental health initiatives, including efforts to remove the stigma of seeking counseling by making therapists visible and readily available. But an uptick in suicides this year has shined a light on where the department is falling short when it comes to addressing its mental health crisis. In other mental health news: a 3-digit suicide line, suicides in prisons, and mental health care on college campuses.
As officials across the country try to pinpoint the cause of a lung illness outbreak linked to vaping, a look at a bust in Wisconsin shows just how sweeping the unregulated black market for the products is. Meanwhile, the outbreak highlights the dark underbelly of the rise in CBD oil’s popularity. More news on vaping looks at the Trump administration’s proposed ban on flavored e-cigarettes; movement in the states to crack down on vaping; and stories from the users themselves.
While peanut allergies are the leading cause of death from food-induced allergic reactions in the country, a lack of approved preventive treatments has left families desperate for some kind of hope. The drug’s goal is not to cure the allergy, but to reduce the risk that an accidental exposure to small amounts of peanut.
Cluster Of Autism Cases All Linked To Same Sperm Donor Could Provide Genetic Insight Into Diagnosis
Donor H898 was blond and blue-eyed, 6-foot-1, 240 pounds, and appeared to be smart and accomplished. Now it turns out that many of the kids conceived with his sperm have autism. Experts are intrigued by the genetic clues the cluster of cases could offer. In other public health news: gene-editing, hospital care, maternal mistreatment, lead levels in water, heart attacks in women, and more.
“They want to silence my voice as a public health expert,” said Dr. Leana Wan. “I simply will not sign away my right to speak my mind. I won’t compromise my integrity.” Planned Parenthood disputed her charges. News on women’s health also reports on medication abortions and fetal remains.
FDA Warns About Potential Cancer-Causing Contaminant In Popular Heartburn Drug Zantac, Generics
The chemical, NDMA, has also been linked to dozens of recalls of prescription blood pressure drugs in the past year. No recalls have been started for the heartburn drug, but the FDA is recommending that people talk to their doctors and switch to different medications.
CMS Chief Seema Verma said that the true culprit is that high premiums that have priced out people who don’t qualify for subsidies. A closer look at the numbers, however, shows that immigrants’ fears over a Trump administration crackdown may lay at the heart of the increase. Hispanics were the only major racial and ethnic category with a significant increase in their uninsured rate.
In a 39-page brief filed with the motion, the attorneys for the defendants cite Judge Dan A. Polster’s “unusual level of commitment” to a settlement that they believe has affected his decision-making in the landmark lawsuits. They cited a remark made during the first court hearing in January 2018 for the multidistrict litigation when Polster said, “My objective is to do something meaningful to abate the crisis and to do it in 2018.”
How Trump’s Presidency Fueled A Flurry Of Progressive Movements In California
California leaders and President Donald Trump can seem at war with each other sometimes, but many of the state’s new laws are linked with the presidency. “Donald Trump has been the impetus for putting everything on warp speed,” said Garry South, a Democratic political strategist in California. “It has pushed Democrats in California to take actions that might otherwise have been viewed as a little less urgent if we had a Democrat in the White House.” In other news on the administration: the Border Patrol’s morale issue, the “public charge” rule, and health data at HHS.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) tried to sway President Donald Trump over the weekend as he puts together a proposal to curb gun violence. The two leaders said they promised to join Trump “for a historic signing ceremony at the Rose Garden” if the president would endorse existing House legislation that includes the checks and lean on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to pass it.