Latest KFF Health News Stories
Editorial writers weigh in on these health issues and others.
Media outlets report on news from Florida, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Maryland, Michigan, North Carolina, California and Texas.
The California Department of Public Health said it wasn’t aware of any measles cases resulting from exposure to the traveler but is continuing to investigate. Officials warned that the girl also went to other popular tourist attractions near Disneyland.
A block grant at its most simplistic is when the state gets a set lump sum from the government. This gives the state more freedom on how to spend the money, but experts have long been wary about the concept. The Nashville Tennessean takes an in-depth look at what it could mean for the state. Medicaid news comes out of Louisiana, Kansas and Wyoming, as well.
For years, many physicians believed opioids weren’t addictive and that hormone replacement therapy was safe. It took years to turn around those perceptions and practices. A group of doctors is weighing in about other treatments that need to change. “Only a fraction of unproven medical practice is reassessed,” said Vinay Prasad a physician at Oregon Health & Science University School of Medicine. Public health news is also on unhealthy student dormitories, aging stereotypes, AI-savvy children, pandemics, positive ways to talk about weight, transgender scans, steroid inhalers, PTSD, summer heat, vegan diets, prostate health, mental health, and more.
Pancreatic Cancer Is So Lethal Because Patients Rarely Have Symptoms In Early Stages Of Disease
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was treated for a tumor on her pancreas. Experts look at why pancreatic cancer is 95 percent lethal, the treatment options for it and the future of care.
“Red flag” laws have surged in popularity following the mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton. While research shows that they can help prevent some gun violence, they require support from towns and states to actually work. A unique round-the-clock mental health task force in Palm Beach County, Fla. shows how such legislation can succeed. In other news on gun violence: background checks, how guns sold in the U.S. create homicide crises abroad, suicide prevention, and more.
Although the Trump administration’s rule focuses on government aid programs, the fallout could ripple into additional public health areas like vaccination rates. Pediatricians are worried that “throughout the community there’s significant reluctance now and fear to access health care services that people need both to treat illness and to stay healthy,” said Dr. Jeffrey Duchin, chief of communicable diseases for the Seattle and King County Health Department.
A Look At How David Koch Contributed To The Health Care Landscape
David Koch, who died on Friday, donated large sums of money to medical research, as well as health care lobbying. But he’ll most likely be remembered for his political efforts with his brother.
Judge Expected To Rule Today In Oklahoma Opioid Case Over What Role Drugmakers Played In Epidemic
The decision from Cleveland County District Judge Thad Balkman is expected this afternoon. The case is closely watched as a bellwether for other pending litigation against drugmakers. Meanwhile, investigators are starting to utilize data to combat the opioid crisis, new information emerges about a company the DEA once referred to as the “kingpin within the prescription drug cartel,” and scientists look at how gender plays a role in pain.
Many of President Donald Trump’s supporters at his rallies not only cite drug prices as one of their top concerns — a trend polling consistently shows to hold true for voters nationally as well — but don’t even realize the president has been vocal about the issue in the past. In other pharmaceutical news: the pricey Duchenne drug and the future of Alzheimer’s treatments.
Some patients in states that have pledged to support Planned Parenthood won’t even notice a difference after the organization decided to reject federal funding instead of being forced to comply with what it deemed a “gag rule” on its providers. But others will face shutdowns, longer waits, reduced staffs and higher fees, among other changes.
First Patient Dies Of Mysterious Lung Illness Linked To Vaping As Cases Tick Up Across The Country
Officials remain stumped by the infection-like symptoms, not knowing whether the illness has been caused by marijuana-type products, e-cigarettes, or some type of street concoction that was vaped, or whether a contaminant or defective device may have been involved. CDC officials have not released the name of the Illinois patient whose death was the first to be linked to the disease.
Democrats Working To Flip The Senate Want Nothing To Do With ‘Medicare For All’
Although “Medicare for All” has saturated the presidential campaign, Senate candidates in battleground states are staying focused on the more moderate playbook that worked for House Democrats in 2018. Meanwhile, the uninsured rate is rising, likely keeping health care front-and-center for the elections.
First Edition: August 26, 2019
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Coming Out About Mental Health On Social Media
Talking about your mental health on social media is a thing, and it could actually help.
Why Red Wyoming Seeks The Regulatory Approach To Air Ambulance Costs
Wyoming is taking on expensive air ambulance bills by trying to expand Medicaid to cover transport for all patients. This is a big change: a red state seeking to control what’s been a growing free-market bonanza.
Doctors Fight Legislation Prompted By Sex Abuse Scandals
In response to recent high-profile sex abuse cases, some California lawmakers want doctors to give patients more information about pelvic exams, and then get a signature proving they did. Doctors in the Golden State and beyond are pushing back.
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.
Hace años, este doctor relacionó un misterioso mal pulmonar con el “vaping”
Este verano, funcionarios federales comenzaron a investigar un brote nacional de enfermedades pulmonares graves relacionadas con el vapeo que ha afectado a más de 150 pacientes en 16 estados.