Latest KFF Health News Stories
Sens. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) were quick to respond to the Alabama ban with plans of their own to protect abortion rights. The three candidates went significantly further than other candidates, calling for expanding access to abortion instead of just preserving existing access.
Media outlets report on news from Texas, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kansas, Alaska, Georgia, Arizona, California, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, D.C., Louisiana and Missouri.
President Donald Trump tweeted over the weekend that gains by anti-abortion activists will “rapidly disappear” if, as he put it, “we are foolish and do not stay UNITED as one.” Some Republicans on a national level are also trying to put space between themselves and Alabama’s restrictive ban, saying it goes too far. And despite the strong economy as a potential talking point for Republicans, social issues are dominating their early talk the 2020 elections.
Opinion writers address the Alabama abortion ban and the Roe v. Wade debate.
Editorials and columns delve into issues on health costs, insurance, opioids, birth rates and more.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Opioid Prescriptions Drop Sharply Among State Workers
New data from the California agency that manages health benefits for 1.5 million public employees, retirees and their families shows that doctors are writing far fewer opioid prescriptions, reflecting a national trend of physicians cutting back on the addictive drugs.
Why Missouri’s The Last Holdout On A Statewide Rx Monitoring Program
For the seventh year in a row, Missouri will retain its lonely title as the only state without a statewide prescription drug monitoring program. Fears about privacy violations and gun control scuttled the bill yet again, leaving a pastiche of half-step measures in place to fill the void in the fight against prescription drug abuse.
Escalating Workplace Violence Rocks Hospitals
Incidents of serious workplace violence are four times more common in health care than in private industry, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
Hartos de esperar: pacientes abandonan las salas de emergencia sin recibir tratamiento
Los pacientes que dejan la sala de emergencias demasiado pronto “se exponen a un mayor riesgo de morbilidad e incluso de mortalidad”, dicen médicos.
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.
Pacientes sin nombre: cuando el personal del hospital tiene que ser detective
El personal del hospital debe investigar cuando un paciente sin identificación llega para recibir atención. Un periplo que puede llevar a revelaciones sorprendentes.
Listen: After Its Hospital Closes, A Pioneer Kansas Town Searches For What Comes Next
Deep questions underlie what is happening in Fort Scott, Kan.: Do small communities like this one need a traditional hospital at all? And, if not, what health care do they need?
Editorial pages focus on these health care issues and others.
Opinion writers weigh on abortion issues and other women’s health news.
Longer Looks: The Threat To Abortion, Trump And Drug Prices & What CBD Can Do
Each week, KHN’s Shefali Luthra finds interesting reads from around the Web.
Media outlets report on news from Maryland, Connecticut, Ohio, Massachusetts, New York, Texas, Missouri, Maryland, California, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Michigan and Iowa.
When A Cold Cheese Sandwich Is Humiliating: Outcry Over ‘Lunch Shaming’ In Schools Gains Traction
Federal lawmakers recently introduced legislation to shield children whose parents haven’t paid for their school lunches. Policies vary across the nation, but in Rhode Island last week there was a backlash against a school when it served some children cheese sandwiches, signaling to others their parents hadn’t paid. Other news on school lunches comes from Oregon.
Eating Chips, Other Ultra-Processed Foods Sets Off ‘Hunger Hormones,’ Rapid Weight Gain, Study Finds
More than half of the calories consumed in Americans’ diets are made up ultra-processed foods, packaged or fast foods that contain added sugars, refined carbohydrates, industrial oils and sodium. Research published Thursday in Cell Metabolism links those eating patterns to the obesity epidemic. In other public health news: measles, birthrates, mental health claims, knitting therapy, cancer apps, crowded ERs and cystic fibrosis.
Even sponsors of the legislation acknowledge the state plans may save consumers only 5-10% on their premiums. Other news on insurance markets in the states comes from North Carolina, Georgia and Houston.