Latest KFF Health News Stories
Supreme Court Asked To Take Up Louisiana Abortion Law Requiring Doctors To Have Admitting Privileges
The justices voted in February to put the law on hold. It is similar to a Texas law the court struck down in 2016. News on abortion looks at a Florida bill requiring parental consent, an investigation into family planning funding for anti-abortion groups, and plans of a civil rights protector to defend abortion opponents, as well
Faced With High Deductibles, Patients Are Delaying Health Care So As Not To Rack Up High Bills
Even with insurance, health care bills can be daunting and prompt people to delay care for problems that could have been caught earlier. Women with low incomes who had high-deductible insurance plans waited an average of 1.6 months longer for diagnostic breast imaging, 2.7 months for first biopsy, 6.6 months for first early-stage breast cancer diagnosis and 8.7 months for first chemotherapy, compared with low-income women with low-deductible plans.
People are going to these communities in vans and offering to swab residents’ cheeks purportedly for DNA checks for cancer and other diseases. It’s not clear who is behind the reported activity. In other public health news: asbestos, candida auris, prostate drugs, three-parent pregnancies, syphilis, and more.
Many of New York’s measles cases have been in an ultra-Othrodox Jewish community and public health officials fear the upcoming holiday is a recipe for disaster. Other news on the outbreaks focuses on mandatory vaccinations, flight attendants, more cases, and vaccination rates.
The process aimed at helping patients born with a severe immune-system deficiency involves removing some blood cells, using a modified HIV virus to insert a missing gene, and returning the cells through an IV. When doctors first tried it 20 years ago, the treatment had unintended effects on other genes, and some patients later developed leukemia.
Watching Media Coverage Of Mass Shootings Becomes Vicious Cycle In Terms Of Mental Health Trauma
A new report finds that people watching the coverage can develop symptoms of post-traumatic stress — but they just can’t look away from the news. And the stress from being glued to coverage ends up spreading through the society like a virus. In other news, as the Columbine anniversary approaches, survivors of that school shooting reach out to help other victims. And the woman who sparked a massive manhunt over possible threats to Colorado schools was found dead.
The research has no immediate impact on treatment for human brain injuries, but it raises questions about something previously thought impossible. The work also could create an ethical minefield of questions regarding life and death. “This is a real advance,” said Andrea Beckel-Mitchener, who leads brain research efforts at the N.I.H. “This has never been done before in a large intact mammalian brain.”
The VA covers Agent Orange-related cancer care for veterans who were fighting on land and in the inland waterways of Vietnam, but has fought expanding those benefits to veterans who were on ships near the country. However, the “Blue Water Vets” have support from certain lawmakers, as well as a new ruling from a federal appeals court that might work in their favor.
In his accusations, House Oversight and Reform Committee Chairman Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) focused on letters sent by Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) warning a dozen different drug company executives that Cummings was conducting a partisan investigation, essentially telling them not to participate.
The Washington Post Fact Checker digs into what Vice President Mike Pence has said — or, more accurately, not said — about conversion therapy. The topic arose as 2020 presidential hopeful and South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg calls out Pence’s stance on LGBTQ issues.
The indictments accuse 60 people, including 31 doctors, seven pharmacists and eight nurses, of involvement in the schemes, which included prescribing opioids for gratuitous medical procedures like unnecessary tooth pulling, prescribing to friends and handing out blank prescription forms, among other behaviors. “If these medical professionals behave like drug dealers, you can rest assured that the Justice Department is going to treat them like drug dealers,” said Brian Benczkowski, of the Justice Department.
Idaho Latest State To Add Work Requirements To Voter-Approved Medicaid Expansion
The moves demonstrate the enduring resistance among some Republicans toward adopting programs tied to the health law, even when voters themselves explicitly ask for them. Meanwhile, Montana moves forward with re-authorization of its Medicaid expansion, which now includes new work requirements, as well. Medicaid news also comes out of Tennessee, Iowa and Ohio.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
As Syphilis Invades Rural America, A Fraying Health Safety Net Is Failing To Stop It
Syphilis is spreading from big cities into rural counties across the Midwest and West. One Missouri clinic has seen more than six times as many cases in the first few months of 2019 compared with the same period last year. Communities grappling with budget cuts and crumbling public health infrastructure also lack experience in fighting the disease.
La “estrategia de riesgo” de Planned Parenthood para actualizar su imagen
En una gira nacional, la nueva directora de la organización busca enfocar el ojo público en servicios que la entidad ofrece y que no están relacionados con el aborto.
Opinion writers weigh in on the current measles outbreaks and the importance of vaccines.
Editorial writers express opinions about “Medicare for All.”
Perspectives: Importing Drugs From Canada Is Unsafe, Impractical And Unlikely To Reduce Prices
Read recent commentaries about drug-cost issues.
News outlets report on stories related to pharmaceutical pricing.
Media outlets report on news from Kentucky, Connecticut, Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, North Dakota, New York, Washington, Oregon, California, New Hampshire, Michigan, Georgia, Colorado, Ohio, Illinois, D.C. and Texas.