Latest KFF Health News Stories
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.
Politico takes a look at the lobbying campaign that’s led to President Donald Trump cooling on some of the more aggressive proposals to curb gun violence. “The American people deserve better than a president who’s bought and paid for by the gun lobby,” said Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.), a vice chairman of the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force.
Some Democratic candidates are no longer being tepid when speaking about gun control–a shift that highlights how the politics of talking about regulating weapons is shifting following recent mass shootings. Meanwhile, Beto O’Rourke was praised for how he handled the aftermath of the El Paso shooting.
Missing In The Three-Hour Debate? Abortion. And Some Candidates Were Not Pleased By The Omission.
Despite recent legislative and funding developments across the country, the issue of reproductive rights was largely absent from the debate, which focused on topics that had already been covered in the previous ones. “If we’re going to have the SAME health care debate for the third debate, could we at least talk about reproductive rights once?” tweeted Christina Reynolds, a vice president at Emily’s List.
Trump’s Recent Vaping Ban Is Just Latest In Shift Toward Public Health Issues Ahead Of 2020 Election
Polls consistently show that health care is a top issue for voters, but Democrats have the edge when it comes to insurance and costs. President Donald Trump is hoping to build his own agenda on more public-health oriented topics like the opioid epidemic and the HIV crisis.
Front-Runners Exchange Jabs As Health Care Once Again Takes Center Stage At Democratic Debate
Even though much-anticipated fireworks between former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) failed to materialize, Biden did take shots at her and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) over how much “Medicare for All” will cost. The clash over health care opened the Thursday night debate in a sign that the issue is coming to represent the dividing line between the Democratic field: sweeping change versus building on existing framework.
Biden On Defense Over Obama Administration’s Use Of Cages To Hold Separated Immigrant Families
At the Democratic debate, former Vice President Joe Biden said that “we didn’t lock people in cages” during his and former President Barack Obama’s tenure. But there’s photographic evidence to the contrary. Meanwhile, the candidates have mostly been able to side-step the issue of immigration despite it being one of voters’ top priorities.
Castro’s Attack On Biden For Blanking On His Health Care Plan Falls Flat
It turns out the health care plans put forth by the campaigns of former Vice President Joe Biden and former Cabinet secretary Julián Castro are not that different.
Do 50 Million People Really Lose Health Coverage Each Year Because Of Their Jobs?
Sen Bernie Sanders’ statement during Thursday night’s Democratic debate serves up interesting data, with a side of misrepresentation.
First Edition: September 13, 2019
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
A Dubious Product: A Rape Kit For Home Use
Two companies are selling at-home rape kits as the latest direct-to-consumer product, but hardly anyone thinks this is a good idea.
Vapers Seek Relief From Nicotine Addiction In — Wait For It — Cigarettes
Even though e-cigarette makers market their products as a safer alternative to cigarettes, a growing number of vapers are trying to quit— and they’re turning to cigarettes to help them.
Despite Repeated Calls For Unity, Democrats Throw Debate Punches On Health Plans
When it came to health care plans, there were big ideas and big numbers, even though fewer candidates were on the stage.
UVA Suspends Medical Lawsuits In Wake Of KHN Investigation
KHN reported this week that the University of Virginia Health System has filed 36,000 lawsuits against patients the past six years.
KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: Despite Booming Economy, Uninsured Rate Ticks Up
Nearly 2 million more Americans were uninsured in 2018 than in the previous year, according to the Census Bureau’s annual report. Plus, the Trump administration announced plans to ban flavored vape liquids, and Congress is back and working to address high prescription drug prices and “surprise” medical bills. This week, Joanne Kenen of Politico, Tami Luhby of CNN and Rebecca Adams of CQ Roll Call join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more.