Latest KFF Health News Stories
Most of the 24 states rejecting the Purdue deal are led by Democrats, who will argue that the Sackler family should be held more accountable than the current settlement does. The lawyers believe that the family has taken measures to protect their own personal wealth from any fallout.
The agency has expressed worry that unsupported claims about gene-drug links could be dangerous if they spur patients to start, stop, or switch medications in inappropriate ways. But the American Clinical Laboratory Association says the warnings could stifle a burgeoning industry.
Which Was Worse: The Bachelor Party Hangover Or The Hangover From The ER Bill?
One groom’s bachelor party hangover illustrates how emergency room bills have become major headaches for many Americans.
“Millions of women rely on cost-free birth control under the ACA, and this administration’s unacceptable inaction continues to misinform them about the access to which they’re entitled,” said California Attorney General Xavier Becerra. News on women’s health comes from Ohio and Missouri also.
The site-neutral payment policy is one of CMS Administrator Seema Verma’s central efforts to try to curb hospital consolidation and lower costs. In other health industry news: mergers, electronic health records and the financial health costs of environmental disasters.
A Look At What Health Items Are In The House Democrats’ Stopgap Spending Bill
Among other things, the bill would extend funding until November for the community mental health services demonstration program, would extend the matching rate for Medicaid funding for U.S. territories and would delay the reduction in the allotments for Medicaid disproportionate share hospitals.
Trump Threatens To Unleash EPA On San Francisco Because Of Homeless Crisis, Needles In The Ocean
During a visit to California President Donald Trump told reporters that San Francisco was in “total violation” of environmental rules because of used needles that were ending up in the ocean. In recent days, the Trump administration has focused its attention on the homeless crisis in California, baffling the state’s leaders.
The Washington Post fact checks the claims from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) that his Medicare For All plan would be cheaper than keeping the health system as it operates today. Other news from the campaign trail focuses on abortion and health care coverage.
The alarming results from the survey come amid an outbreak of a vaping-related lung disease that’s prompted states across the country and the federal government to try to crackdown on e-cigarette use in young people. Meanwhile, some TV networks vow to end advertisements from e-cigarette companies.
Attorney General William Barr is pitching the idea of expanding background checks to all advertised commercial sales. However, it was made clear that President Donald Trump hasn’t signed off on the plan yet.
House Democrats Not Sold On Pelosi’s Plan To Curb High Drug Prices: ‘People Had A Lot Of Questions’
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) tried to build support for her long-awaited drug pricing plan, which is expected to be released on Thursday. But some in her caucus want to see more details before getting behind it. “Some will hail it, others will call it hell,” said Rep. Anna Eshoo, chair of the Energy and Commerce Health subcommittee, after a closed-door meeting on the bill.
First Edition: September 19, 2019
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Camouflaged Vaping Devices Are Hoodwinking Parents And Schools
The vaping hoodie. The vaping watch. The vaping phone case. Each ready to deliver a puff of nicotine (or marijuana) anywhere, anytime. The vaping market is crowded with sleek, camouflaged devices that have teachers and parents struggling to monitor illicit usage of a product that has surged in popularity among high schoolers.
Doctors And Nurses With Addictions Often Denied A Crucial Recovery Option
Programs for health care professionals addicted to opioids generally bar a proven recovery method: the use of drugs like buprenorphine and methadone to relieve cravings.
Opinion writers weigh in on these public health issues and others.
Editorial pages focus on the quality and high cost of health care.
Media outlets report on news from North Carolina, California, Massachusetts, Iowa, Ohio, Missouri, Georgia, and Minnesota.
“I still await guidance from the White House as to what [Trump] thinks he’s comfortable signing,” said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).
There are several options that lawmakers are considering when it comes to surprise medical bills, including a bipartisan measure that would put a federally mandated rate cap on the amount that insurers have to pay doctors for out-of-network emergency care.
Experts say that because rates have also dropped in states that haven’t enacted strict regulations, the decrease is more likely due to increase contraception use and fewer pregnancies over all. “If restrictions were the main driver across the board, we’d expect birthrates to increase,” said Elizabeth Nash, senior state policy manager at the Guttmacher Institute.