Latest KFF Health News Stories
News outlets report on stories related to pharmaceutical pricing.
Never Say ‘Die’: Why So Many Doctors Won’t Break Bad News
It’s never easy to tell a patient about a terminal illness, but a longtime doctor whose own diagnosis was botched says physicians must do better.
Trump Administration Rule Would Undo Health Care Protections For LGBTQ Patients
Supporters of the rule say it would strengthen health care professionals’ freedom of conscience, but opponents say it “empowers bad actors to be bad actors.”
‘An Arm And A Leg’: Forget The Shakedown. To Get Paid, Hospitals Get Creative.
An unexpected hospital bill can bust the family budget. That leaves lots of people with bills they can’t pay. Turns out, that’s a crisis for hospitals too, and some are getting creative about collecting debt.
Por qué la percepción de “lo que es viejo” cambia con la edad
Estudios muestran que los adultos mayores que se sienten más jóvenes que su edad biológica suelen vivir vidas más largas.
Editorial writers weigh in on these health topics and others.
Opinion writers weigh in on abortion issues.
Media outlets report on news from South Carolina, Colorado, Alaska, Illinois, West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, Virginia, Oregon, Texas, Georgia, New Hampshire, Iowa, Louisiana, Minnesota and California.
Measles Outbreak Expands To 28 States As New Cases In Virginia, Idaho Are Reported
Federal health officials continue to stress the importance of vaccinations. New York, where 800 people have become infected, is facing scrutiny for its ineffectiveness in dealing with the epidemic, but the New York City health commissioner says she has more than 400 people assigned to it.
‘Bigger Is Better’ Consolidation Mentality Sweeps Through Health Care Industry
“Pretty much anywhere you go in this economy, whether it’s eyeglasses or beer or automobiles or airplanes, if you ask the right questions, you’ll find it’s much more concentrated than it was before,” said Phil Longman, the policy director of the company that ran the report on consolidation. “That’s true in healthcare, including all of its component parts.” In other news from the health industry, two state attorneys general launch an investigation into Quest’s data breach.
Suspending the use of the immigration background checks could speed up the release of children by at least two or three days. About 13,200 children are in custody. Other administration news focuses on the flawed safety approval of the new depression drug esketamine.
Maine is now set to allow nurse practitioners, physician assistants and certified nurse-midwives to provide abortion medication and perform in-clinic abortions. Critics said they are concerned that some non-doctors lack the training to handle rare but major complications from abortion procedures, such as hemorrhages. Abortion news comes out of Georgia, Louisiana and Indiana, as well.
Few state or federal rules exist governing body donation facilities, raising questions about what the donors and their families are getting themselves into. “There’s a price list for everything from a head to a shoulder, like they are a side of beef,” lawyer Michael Burg said. “They make money, absolutely, because there’s no cost in getting the bodies.” The Arizona Republic looks at the burgeoning industry in its state.
Both Arkansas’ and Kentucky’s work requirements have been blocked by federal judges. But unlike those states, South Carolina won’t completely end Medicaid benefits for people who don’t comply. Other Medicaid news comes out of New Hampshire and Vermont.
“I can imagine a situation like the ACA with folks who are ideologically opposed suing just because they don’t want to go into this system — in addition to industry groups,” said Katie Keith, a law professor and researcher with Georgetown University’s Center on Health Insurance Reforms. “There could be a death by a thousand lawsuits approach.” Meanwhile, the American Medical Association is being pressured to support a “Medicare for All” plan.
Dr. James Heaps pleaded not guilty Monday to sexual battery by fraud against two patients in 2017 and 2018. Heaps worked part time at the UCLA student health center from about 1983 to 2010, was hired by UCLA Health in 2014 and held medical staff privileges at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center from 1988 to 2018. University officials first heard complaints about the doctor in 2017, but they were not publicized.
Study Upends Common Myth That Legalizing Marijuana Can Help Cut Opioid Deaths
Supporters of legalizing marijuana have long used a study about a potential link between looser restrictions on pot and a decrease in opioid death rates. But a more comprehensive look at the issue doesn’t support that talking point.
The Anatomy Of A Pandemic: A Look Back On The H1N1 Outbreak Ten Years Later
A Stat reporter delves into what it was like to be at the starting point of a pandemic. It’s not quite the Hollywood version replete with bio-hazard suits and swoon-worthy scientists. In other public health news: the Dengue fever, a potential Alzheimer’s breakthrough, asthma treatments, vaping, musical pitch, HIV, hand sanitizer, and more.
The phenomenon occurs when patients become anxious at doctor’s appointments so their blood pressure readings are higher there than at home. A new study shows that, left untreated, the effects can still be devastating. Other heart health and nutrition news looks at cholesterol levels from meat, fasting, and sleeping with the TV on.
In the bankruptcy court filing, Insys Chief Executive Andrew Long said sales of Subsys, a fentanyl spray, have declined substantially. That drop, coupled with more than 1,000 lawsuits by municipal governments seeking to hold the company responsible for the opioid epidemic, was more than the company could withstand.