Latest KFF Health News Stories
Health care took center stage at a Democratic debate last week, with former Vice President Joe Biden ripping Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on the cost of his plan. Meanwhile, Sanders also slammed Biden over his comments that there are “great drug companies out there.”
Purdue Pharma Files For Bankruptcy As Part Of Settlement To Avoid Thousands Of Opioid Lawsuits
Under the deal, Purdue would be restructured into an entity known as a public benefit trust, and profits from its production of OxyContin and other drugs would pay the plaintiffs’ claims. But the terms of the filing are expected to be hotly contested by the states that didn’t agree to the terms of the settlement. Meanwhile, the New York attorney general’s office said on Friday that it has tracked about $1 billion in wire transfers by the Sacklers, which suggests the family is trying to shield its personal wealth.
Stakes Are High As Congress Aims To Tackle Array Of Health Issues Before End Of The Year
Surprise medical bills and drug prices are high on the list of priorities for lawmakers in both parties, but opinions on what to do about those issues stray further from bipartisan grounds. Especially as lobbying groups work to influence the outcome of such legislation.
First Edition: September 16, 2019
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Purveyors Of Black-Market Pharmaceuticals Target Immigrants
Illegal medications, sold in immigrant communities around the United States, can cause serious harm to consumers, authorities say. Law enforcement officers are cracking down, but some think more must be done.
At-Home Rape Kits Now Off The Market
State attorneys general took legal action to stop the sale of rape kits that would be useless as evidence in court.
Air Ambulances Woo Rural Consumers With Memberships That May Leave Them Hanging
State regulators and even one medevac company have raised doubts about prepaid subscriptions and promised benefits offered by air ambulance companies.
Must-Reads Of The Week From Brianna Labuskes
Newsletter editor Brianna Labuskes wades through hundreds of health care policy stories each week, so you don’t have to.
UVA To Cut Back On Lawsuits Against Patients
But critics say the new policy still leaves some patients exposed to lawsuits and crippling bills.
De no creer: jóvenes buscan aliviar su adicción al “vapeo”… fumando cigarrillos
Una unidad de Juul, que proporciona alrededor de 200 bocanadas, contiene tanta nicotina como un paquete de cigarrillos. Los jóvenes vuelven a fumar para frenar otra adicción.
Opinion writers weigh in on these health issues and others.
Editoral writers express about these public health issues and others.
Longer Looks: Suicide Warning Signs; A Telemarketing Scheme; Eradicating Polio And More
Each week, KHN finds interesting reads from around the Web.
Media outlets report on news from California, New York, Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, Ohio, New Hampshire, Wisconsin and Oregon.
In Effort To Save Other Cities’ Conversion Bans, New York City Plans To Repeal Its Own
City leaders fear that if they don’t repeal the ban, the lawsuit challenging it would make it to the Supreme Court. “Obviously I didn’t want to repeal this. I don’t want to be someone who is giving in to these right-wing groups,” said New York City Council Speaker Cory Johnson, who is gay. “But the Supreme Court has become conservative; the Second Circuit, which oversees New York, has become more conservative.”
Attorneys General Discourage Use Of At-Home Rape Kits: ‘Sexual Assault Demands Real Response’
Attorneys general in at least four states have issued warnings about kits sold online that allow women to conduct their own sexual assault exam. “Proper medical attention and accurate evidence collection are of critical importance to supporting survivors,” said New York Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat, said Thursday.
Purdue Pharma Nixed Plans To Support Opioid-Addiction Treatment As Barrage Of Lawsuits Flooded In
Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family would have donated $50 million a piece to fund the foundation, but the idea got derailed when it began contemplating bankruptcy and working out court settlements with states. Meanwhile, historians are asking that any opioid settlements being worked out be made public so they can be preserved for the future. News on the crisis comes out of North Carolina as well.
Nearly all of America’s global competitors — whether they have government health plans, such as Britain and Canada, or rely on private insurers, such as Germany and the Netherlands — strictly limit out-of-pocket costs. In more news on the health industry and insurance: hospital lawsuits against low-income patients; employer-based health care costs; price hikes and upcoding; America’s uninsured rate; and state marketplaces.
As Opponents Predicted, ‘Right To Try’ Law Fizzles Without Drugmakers’ Buy-In
Drugmakers prefer to have their products go through the FDA approval process. “At the end of the day, [companies] control their products. It’s their property. You can pass a law saying people can try things, but unless you obligate companies to give something, there’s no right to gain access,” said Arthur Caplan, who heads the division of medical ethics at the NYU School of Medicine.
Juul Weighing The Pros And Cons Of Digging In Heels Over Mint, Menthol Flavors
When Juul stopped selling fruit flavors like mango in retail stores last year, Kevin Burns, the company’s chief executive, said he wanted to keep mint and menthol varieties on the market, because they mirrored the tastes of traditional cigarettes. As the Trump administration steps up its efforts to ban flavored vaping products, Juul is trying to decide how hard to fight for those two flavors. Meanwhile, health officials have revised their methods on counting the number of lung illnesses that are part of the nationwide outbreak.