Latest KFF Health News Stories
Homeland Security Department officials have emphasized in recent months that the surge in Central American families seeking asylum has pushed their facilities beyond capacity and exhausted resources. The high-profile deaths shine a light on those dangers.
Outrage Over IHS Doctor Sparks Bill That Would Cut Off U.S. Pensions For Convicted Child Molesters
Indian Health Service pediatrician Stanley Patrick Weber will receive $1.8 million in U.S. pension payments during his time in prison. Only an act of Congress can change that policy. Elsewhere on Capitol Hill, lawmakers focus on the country’s maternal death rates.
CVS Delivers Strong First-Quarter Results, Soothing Fears About Fallout From Aetna Acquisition
CVS shares lost a third of their value after the completion of the Aetna deal, erasing roughly $34 billion of market value. On Wednesdays, the shares were up 5% at about $57 in afternoon trading. In other health industry news: more first-quarter results, the challenge of working with technology, mental health training and more.
Some dentists won’t treat patients with disabilities, but at a new center at the New York University College of Dentistry — which educates roughly 10 percent of the nation’s dentists — that behavior is unacceptable. “We need to train dental students to stop throwing their hands up and to start embracing them,” said Dr. Ronald Kosinski, the center’s director. Other public health news focuses on student safety, fossil discovery, hungry college students, antidepressant drugs, eating disorders and more.
The vote represents a significant defeat for Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly, who made expansion one of her top priorities. “I’m not saying no. I’m saying this policy isn’t ready,” said Kansas Senate Majority Leader Jim Denning (R-Overland Park). Other Medicaid news comes out of Maine and Wisconsin.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Booker’s Argument For Environmental Justice Stays Within The Lines
He didn’t overstate the relationship between hazardous waste sites and birth defects and autism.
Even Doctors Can’t Navigate Our ‘Broken Health Care System’
A physician’s frustration navigating a medical emergency with his elderly father reveals a complex, dysfunctional system.
CBO’s Report On Single-Payer Health Care Holds More Questions Than Answers
The Congressional Budget Office report does clearly communicate that shifting to this type of health system would be a complicated process.
News outlets report on stories related to pharmaceutical pricing.
Read recent commentaries about drug-cost issues.
Viewpoints: Lessons On Gene Therapy And Needs Of The Patients; VA Is Letting Down Suicidal Veterans
Opinion writers weigh in on these health topics and others.
Yes, You Might Want To Think About Getting A Measles Shot Even If You Were Vaccinated As A Kid
In the midst of the largest measles outbreak in decades, experts say adults who have an elevated risk of encountering the disease should think about reupping their vaccinations. Meanwhile, officials say the U.S. is nearing the tipping point that measles would no longer be considered an “eliminated” disease.
The FDA said it considers IQOS, which heats tobacco without burning it, to be a type of cigarette. Public health experts were disappointed with the decision from the agency that had been taking aggressive steps toward cracking down on smoking and vaping.
Between court decisions that blasted the added restrictions and political calculations, work requirements — and other limits on Medicaid expansion — may not have the secure foothold that seemed likely at the end of last year. Medicaid news comes out of Kansas, as well.
Ohio Law Restricting Access To Drug-Induced Abortions Deemed Unconstitutional By State’s High Court
The statute required physicians to comply with the FDA’s 2000 label protocol for medically terminated pregnancies rather than an updated protocol introduced in 2016. The abortion-rights group maintained that the law made Oklahoma the only state in the nation to enforce the older protocol. Meanwhile, Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers says it’s “horrific” that President Donald Trump claimed the state’s doctors are performing infanticide.
Some states as a group have promised hundreds of billions more in retiree health benefits than they have saved up, so now their leaders are scrambling to cut costs.
Seeking To Prevent Opioid Overdoses, New Laws Encourage Use Of Naloxone
States across the country are moving toward improving access to the anti-overdose medication. While nationwide efforts to help opioid users are being applauded, little is being done to battle a rising meth epidemic, public health officials say. News also looks at hospitals banding together to sue opioid makers and withdrawal treatment in jail.
Experts say the drones would not only speed up the process, but allow doctors to track the organs mid-transit so they can be prepared when it arrives. In other public health news: an Alzheimer’s copycat, the health care workforce, suicide attempts, diabetic amputations, and more.
New Facebook Health Groups Promise Privacy, But Does Company Go Far Enough To Do That?
“That sounds, to me, a lot like managing people’s well-founded anxieties without actually making any structural changes,” said Kirsten Ostherr, a digital health technology researcher at Rice University. News on health and technology also focuses on Microsoft’s health care team, tiny robots, computing vs. caring and more.