Latest KFF Health News Stories
The public funding won’t go to the procedure itself, but rather toward helping offset costs related to transportation, lodging and child care for women who are seeking abortions. Women’s health news comes out of North Dakota and Maine as well.
Landmark Bill Offering Protections To Workers In California’s Gig Economy Heads To Governor’s Desk
“These so-called gig companies present themselves as the innovative future of tomorrow,” said state Sen. María Elena Durazo (D-Los Angeles). “A future where companies don’t pay Social Security or Medicare, workers’ compensation or unemployment insurance.” Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, who was initially on the fence, endorsed the bill earlier this month and has committed to signing it.
A First For CRISPR: Gene-Editing Tool Tried To Treat HIV Appears Safe And Hints At A Promising Cure.
The treatment of the HIV-positive man in China fell short of eliminating the disease, but the fact that he is well after 19 months supports ideas that gene-editing seems safe and holds promise, according to the report in the New England Journal Of Medicine. “It’s not a home run at this point, but getting to first base is really critical for this technology,” says Carl June , a professor in immunotherapy at the University of Pennsylvania.
Following Court Ruling, VA Could Be On The Hook For Billions In Emergency Care Claims From Veterans
The U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims said the VA must reimburse veterans for out-of-pocket emergency medical bills not covered by private insurance, other than copayments.
A Frontline investigation found that during the year-and-a-half the outbreak spanned 115 people in Flint died of non-viral pneumonia. The official count was 12.
Gender-Identity Focused ‘Conversion Therapy’ Linked To Suicidal Ideation For Transgender People
The study was novel because it focused on attempts to change a person’s gender identity rather than sexual orientation, which previous research has looked at. “What this new study shows is that transgender people who are exposed to conversion efforts anytime in their lives have more than double the odds of attempting suicide,” said study co-author Dr. Alex Keuroghlian.
How Nursing Homes Have Become ‘Dark Underbelly’ That Is Fueling Era Of Drug Resistant Bacteria
While much of the blame for the rise of drug-resistant infections has focused on the overuse of antibiotics, public health experts say that nursing facilities, and long-term hospitals, are a dangerously weak link in the health care system. The facilities are often understaffed and ill-equipped to enforce rigorous infection control, yet continuously cycle infected patients into hospitals and back again. In other public health news: immunotherapy, homelessness and mental health, sexual harassment in hospitals, scammers and the elderly, and more.
The FDA has a rigorous approval process for new drugs–companies conduct clinical trials in humans over several years to prove a drug is safe and effective. But 90% of all medications prescribed to Americans are generics. They’re cheaper, they’re supposed to work the same way, and they receive less scrutiny right from the start. In other pharmaceutical news: a look at why there aren’t better cancer drugs; the trouble with capping insulin prices; hidden secrets about a baldness drug; and more.
Medicaid recipients over the age of 55 are expected to repay the government for many medical expenses—and states will seize houses and other assets after those recipients die in order to satisfy the debt. Medicaid news comes out of Virginia, North Carolina, Michigan and Maryland as well.
The Democrats will debate on Thursday night and health care is likely to make an appearance. Experts translate those hot buzzwords to plain English ahead of the debate.
Confusion still abounds following the Trump administration’s decision to send letters to sick immigrants who are protected under a program that allows them to stay in America while seeking medical care that might not be available to them in their home countries. Immigrants testified about their experiences at a House Oversight Subcommittee hearing on Wednesday.
145 Companies Call On Congress To Act On Gun Violence: ‘Doing Nothing … Is Simply Unacceptable’
The letter — which urges the Republican-controlled Senate to enact bills that have already been introduced — is the most concerted effort by the business community to enter the gun debate. In other news from Capitol Hill: the spending bill and abortion, prior authorization, and surprise medical bills.
Specifics of the settlement with Purdue Pharma have yet to be hammered out, but the deal would involve the company filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. It would be dissolved, and a new one would be formed to continue selling OxyContin with the profits used to pay the plaintiffs. Purdue Pharma also would donate drugs for addiction treatment and overdose reversal. Under the deal, the Sackler family would pay $3 billion in cash over seven years. Massachusetts, New York and Connecticut are among the states that want more from the Sackler family. “The families who were hurt by Purdue and the Sacklers have spoken loud and clear that this case demands real accountability, and I will continue to fight for that,” Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey said.
Media outlets take a look at how the vaping cases are cropping up in states across the country.
In an Oval Office meeting Wednesday that included first lady Melania Trump, HHS Secretary Alex Azar and acting FDA Commissioner Ned Sharpless, President Donald Trump said: “We can’t allow people to get sick. And we can’t have our youth be so affected.” Azar said the administration intends to “clear the market” of flavored e-cigarettes to reverse a worsening youth vaping epidemic. Anti-tobacco advocates praised the move but said it’s a “long way from the finish line.”
First Edition: September 12, 2019
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
In Search Of Age-Friendly Health Care, Finding Room For Improvement
Simple alterations — like better signs, seating, parking or door design — can make it easier for older patients to navigate health care facilities. Here are several changes doctors’ offices, clinics and hospitals could make.
Congress Rakes In Millions From Drugmakers
In the first six months of this year, pharmaceutical firms and their trade groups donated almost $4 million to the campaigns of a variety of senators and House members.
The explosive rise in a serious lung illness linked to vaping spotlights the popularity of e-cigarettes among teens and young adults. Vaping is now so pervasive among young people that federal health officials say its use has fueled a sharp reversal in what had been a celebrated two-decade decline in overall tobacco use by teenagers.
Legislation To End Surprise Medical Bills Has High Public Support — In Both Parties
Almost 80% of Americans support efforts in Congress to protect patients from bills that come from doctors or hospitals that were outside their insurance network.