Latest KFF Health News Stories
Opinion writers weigh in on these health topics and others.
Media outlets report on news from Pennsylvania, Arizona, California, Minnesota, Illinois, Massachusetts and Maryland.
Major Mental Health And Addiction Treatment Center To Settle Allegations It Defrauded Medicaid
The company is accused of billing Medicaid for marked up costs for blood and urine tests.
New Hampshire Health Care Professionals Want Lawmakers To Unfreeze Medicaid Reimbursement Rates
The rates have remained mostly stagnant for the past 13 years. Other Medicaid news comes from Oregon, California and Georgia, as well.
Measles Tally Continues To Climb While More States Scramble To Tighten Vaccination Exemption Laws
There have been 60 new cases of measles reported in the U.S. in the past week, CDC officials say. Meanwhile, lawmakers in states from Maine to Oregon are taking steps to try to curtail the spread of the disease. In other news on the outbreak: Instagram joins other social media platforms in cracking down on misinformation; parents of babies too young for vaccinations are speaking out against the anti-vaccination movement; and pediatricians take tough stances on accepting patients who refuse shots.
Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) says his opponents need to tell Americans the truth about the negative sides of “Medicare for All.” Bennet and Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) rolled out their “Medicare X” plan last month that would allow for a public health care option, modeled after Medicare, to be made available alongside private insurance. Politico looks at where all the candidates stand on universal health care, among other things.
The new treatment that has a potential $2 million price tag can cure spinal muscular atrophy, an inherited disease that typically kills babies before they turn two. But as more gene therapies hit the marketplace, insurers balk at the expense. Meanwhile, the FDA takes an unexpected step to introduce competition into the marketplace for an extremely pricey drug that treats a rare disease.
In Nursing, Experiencing Trauma And The Resulting PTSD Is A Fact Of Life
As many as one in four nurses experience PTSD at some point in their careers. The stressful environment of nursing can support many the “triggers and traumas of PTSD,” Meredith Mealer, an associate professor at the Anschutz Medical Campus at the University of Colorado, Denver, tells The New York Times. “Nurses see people die. They work on resuscitating patients. They try to control bleeding. They have end-of-life discussions. And sometimes they are verbally or physically abused by patients or visiting family members.”
What harm, if any, is caused by systemic exposure to the chemicals remains unclear, according to the study. But the FDA is asking sunscreen manufacturers to research the effects.
Beneath The Bright, Tantalizing Promises Of Stem Cell Industry Festers A Dark Underbelly
Alongside legitimate, scientifically proven treatments, an industry has sprung up in which largely unregulated, specialized clinics offer unproven “miracle” remedies from poorly understood stem cell products. In other public health news: strokes, conference room air, heart failure, anesthesia, food safety and more.
“With all honesty, we are in the early stages” of applying artificial intelligence to cancer care and research, said Dr. Bernardo Goulart, lead author of the study. Other news on technology and health looks at future challenges of certifying devices, data breaches, patients rights and social care networks.
CMS wants to make it easier for insurers to sell across state lines, but those companies say it’s not regulations that are stopping them. “These states have each taken a different approach, none of which has, to date, resulted in insurers offering comprehensive health insurance in a state in which it is not licensed,” the National Association of Insurance Commissioners said in a comment letter. “This shows that the impediments to interstate sales are not in federal law but are inherent in the business of health insurance.” In other health law and insurance news: accountable care organizations, preexisting conditions protections, and enrollment.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Meth Vs. Opioids: America Has Two Drug Epidemics, But Focuses On One
In the West and Midwest, 70% of local law enforcement says meth is the bigger threat. It’s also a more difficult addiction to treat.
El largo y sinuoso camino para conseguir atención de salud mental infantil
Los Estados Unidos se enfrentan a una creciente escasez de profesionales de salud mental capacitados para trabajar con jóvenes, en un momento en que la depresión y la ansiedad están en aumento.
Opinion writers weigh in on these health topics and others.
Public health officials are turning toward members of the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community at the heart of the outbreak for help on how to stop it. “Simple education in a respectful, hand-holding manner really is going a lot further than anything else so far,” said Blima Marcus, a 34-year-old oncology nurse practitioner who is also a member of the community. In other news on the outbreaks: doctors are tapping into medical records to help stop the spread of the disease, adults may need to consider getting another shot, and readers talk about how their lives have been effected by the outbreak.
“Our findings provide conclusive evidence for gay men that the risk of HIV transmission with suppressive ART is zero,” said Alison Rodger, a professor at University College London who co-led the research.
Nobody Likes Being Lectured: Why Health Advice That Comes Out As ‘You Should’ Isn’t Paying Off
Physician Perri Klass weighs in with ideas explaining how lecturing patients about complicated attitudes surrounding eating, sleeping and exercising doesn’t usually work and using motivational tools do help. In other public health news: travelers’ illnesses, autism, obesity, cancer care, stress, sex, Ebola and more.
Ovid Therapeutics’ drug for Angelman syndrome–a rare cognitive disease that currently has no treatment–saw a glimmer of success in a very small trial. The drug had beaten the placebo on only one metric and failed on a full 16 others, including measures of quality of life and ability to sleep. To investors, the ostensibly positive data looked cherry-picked. In other news at the convergence of pharma and public health: Alzheimer’s, dengue fever, superbugs, statins and more.