Latest KFF Health News Stories
Opinion writers weigh in on these health issues and others.
Media outlets report on news from North Carolina, California, Tennessee, Georgia, Ohio, Michigan, Massachusetts, Iowa, Minnesota and West Virginia.
Georgia’s 6-Week Abortion Ban Temporarily Blocked By Federal Judge
U.S. District Judge Steve Jones ruled that Georgia’s law banning abortion once there is a “detectable human heartbeat” — which can be as early as 6 weeks and before a woman knows she is pregnant — won’t go into effect on Jan. 1. News on state abortion restrictions also comes from Ohio, Kansas and Virginia.
Medicaid Expansion Remains A Primary Sticking Point In North Carolina Budget Stalemate
North Carolina’s Republican-led state legislature plans to adjourn by Oct. 31, with or without an approved budget. Earlier in the summer, Gov. Roy Cooper vetoed a budget bill, in part because it did not include Medicaid expansion. In Florida, state Medicaid officials recommend cuts to its program for people with disabilities, though the caps were not as severe as some had initially feared. And in other state budget news, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer defends her line-item vetoes.
The most lucrative of the schemes prosecutors described Tuesday centered on solicitation of $240 million in medically unnecessary cancer genetic tests. In other news, a Texas woman is charged with defrauding the VA of $640,000.
Microsoft To Work With Novartis On Applying Artificial Intelligence To Business, Health Care Issues
Part of the work will focus on using deep learning — the technique that has brought the biggest recent advances in AI — to improve development of new medicines, the Los Angeles Times reports. Also in industry news: new technology for pictures of the heart, Biogen announces a new R&D chief, Bayer appoints a prominent agricultural expert to its board, and a primer on the problems that led drug stores to pull Zantac from the shelves.
Study Finds Surprising Increase In Heart Valve Infections For Hospitalized Patients
The study showed hospital-acquired heart valve infections have increased as the number of community-acquired heart valve infections have declined. Meanwhile, news outlets report on the recent penalties levied on hospitals with high rates of readmissions and new data looking at hospitals’ lowered profitability.
KQED News reached out to listeners on Twitter to ask them how they were dealing with climate news. One person tweeted “It’s an ever-present anxiety that grows and recedes but never leaves. Sometimes it’s a dull ache that gnaws at the present moment, and sometimes it’s acute and all-consuming.” Public health news is on the downside of hysterectomies, physical fitness benefits for young adults, meat’s comeback, and a potential cure for sepsis, as well.
UPS Gets Green Light From FAA To Use Drones For Delivering Medical Supplies Outside Of Urban Areas
Amazon and Uber are vying for similar approvals to transport food and goods. “It just gives us a lot of capabilities,” David Abney, the chairman and chief executive of UPS, told the Wall Street Journal: “We’re going to move ahead quickly and expand rapidly. It’s not going to be a small operation.” He added the first phase could include 100 or more hospital complexes.
Five overdose deaths are linked to the operation, which allegedly involved China-based websites where fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, was sold. Outlets also report on opioid news from Virginia and New Hampshire.
Death Tally Associated With Mysterious Vaping-Related Injury Reaches 16 And Touches 13 States
Nebraska, New Jersey and Virginia each added to the total this week. Meanwhile, state and local actions to ban vaping products continue. And, as it attempts to repair its relationship with regulators, Juul Labs Inc. hires another tobacco company executive.
The company agreed to pay more than $20 million to two Ohio counties, making it the fourth drugmaker to reach a deal before the trial, which is scheduled to start later this month.
Justice Dept. Report: DEA Let Painkiller Production Surge Even As Opioid Epidemic Alarm Sounded
The Drug Enforcement Administration fell short in regulating the prescription opioid supply, capturing adequate data on opioid abuse and other drug trends, and developing a comprehensive response strategy, according to the Department of Justice Inspector General.
Trump Expected To Detail His Vision For Improving Medicare Advantage Programs Thursday
In a speech scheduled in Florida, the president will try to draw a contrast between his plans for Medicare and the expansions that Democrats are considering. The administration is also close to choosing Dr. Stephen Hahn to head the Food and Drug Administration, sources tell Stat. In other news, a proposal to add wellness programs to the health insurance marketplace is drawing criticism and some health industry groups are pushing to be included in a pilot program to promote telemedicine.
Despite the animosity between House Democrats and the White House, both sides see curbing drug prices as a top priority. In other news from Capitol Hill, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal proposes a third way to tackle surprise medical bills, gun control advocates keep pressure on as impeachment initiatives dull push for changes and former Rep. Chris Collins pleads guilty.
Georgia Sheriff’s Deputy Sues Over Lack Of Transgender Insurance Coverage
A sheriff’s deputy in central Georgia filed a lawsuit Wednesday against Houston County, whose employee insurance plan has denied coverage for her transgender-related health care. The decision would likely result in a ruling that affects the entire state, if not the entire Southeast, and comes after decisions in Wisconsin and Iowa sided with other transgender patients.
First Edition: October 2, 2019
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Cosmetic Surgery And The Secret World of Instagram Dolls
An Instagram community of “doll pages” lets women find valuable information about body-sculpting journeys.
The Deep Divide: State Borders Create Medicaid Haves And Have-Nots
State borders can highlight Medicaid’s arbitrary coverage. On the Missouri side of the Mississippi River, low-income people struggle with untreated health issues. But on the Illinois side, people in similar straits can get health care because their state expanded its Medicaid program under the Affordable Care Act.
Una crema para aclarar la piel deja a una mujer en coma. Podría suceder de nuevo
La crema facial que enfermó a la mujer de Sacramento fue manipulada después de su fabricación, en México. Estas cremas suelen atraer al consumidor latino.