Latest KFF Health News Stories
The legislation also includes a strict ban on abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected, a measure that’s been struck down in courts multiple times. While supporters tout the measure, critics say they’re “terrified” of the draconian restrictions.
Patient At VA Hospital Shoots Doctor While Undergoing A Psychological Evaluation
According to investigators, Lawrence Bon, 59, had been in the West Palm Beach V.A. Medical Center since early morning and had been deemed “combative.” The doctor’s injury was not life-threatening.
At a closely watched Senate Finance hearing this week on high drug prices, pharma executives were asked if they’ve ever withheld samples from generic rivals to try to stave off competition. All of them said no, but two of the companies have made FDA’s list of drugmakers that have complaints of withholding against them. So what’s going on? Meanwhile, Novartis can’t quite shake its Michael Cohen connection.
From 2014 to 2016, the federal government picked up the full cost of a state’s Medicaid expansion. After 2016, the contribution started to decline. But a state that expanded Medicaid after 2014 doesn’t get the same matching rate. A proposed bill would change that. Medicaid news comes out of Texas, New Hampshire and Georgia, as well.
The Democratic lawmakers who are a part of the Affordable and Accessible Healthcare Task Force want to bring back efforts to stabilize the health law marketplaces–work that fell by the wayside due to political bickering. Meanwhile, the Trump administration is considering action on health savings accounts.
During her time in the Senate, presidential hopeful Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) advanced proposals that consumer advocates claim would put patients’ safety at risk, such as pushing the FDA to approve medical devices faster and calling for a greater presence of industry-backed experts at the agency.
Transgender Troops Argue That Transitioning Made Them Better, More Effective Soldiers
Service members went before the House Armed Services Committee’s subcommittee on military personnel to talk about their experience with gender dysphoria and the military. The hearing comes at a time when the Trump administration is fighting in federal court to put in place a new policy that will limit many transgender people from serving in their preferred sex. Meanwhile, a new poll shows that the majority of Americans support the right for transgender people to serve in the armed forces.
The House passed legislation on Wednesday that would expand background checks to all gun sales, a bill that’s gone further on gun control than any other in decades. But despite the apparent willingness to take on some proposals, Democrats, who have been hard-charging on other liberal issues, are aiming at low-hanging fruit — such as the “boyfriend loophole” that allows some domestic abusers to own guns. And passage in the Senate is unlikely.
More than 100 Democrats unveiled their new “Medicare for All” plan Wednesday, a proposal that would move every American onto a government insurer in the span of two years. Almost immediately, moderate Democrats started distancing themselves, offering more incremental improvements to the current health system. The topic is driving a wedge into the party and reveals a fault line between broad ideologies on how to move the country forward. Meanwhile, health insurers’ stocks are not faring well on the news.
Each week, KHN compiles a selection of recently released health policy studies and briefs.
First Edition: February 28, 2019
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Listening To Older Patients Who Want To Stop Dialysis
Older adults with advanced kidney disease sometimes want to stop dialysis but often meet resistance from doctors, new research shows. We explore options available to these patients, including conservative care.
Despite 1991 Ruling, Foes Of New Family Planning Rules See Law On Their Side
Lawyers seeking to block the Trump administration’s decision to alter rules for the Title X family planning program say their efforts will not be stymied by the Supreme Court’s approval of similar rules 28 years ago. They point to new protections enacted in the Affordable Care Act and language in funding bills that shifts the legal calculus.
There’s A New ‘Medicare-For-All’ Bill In The House. Why Does It Matter?
The progressive proposal adds details to the discussion of this controversial approach to overhauling the nation’s health system, and Democratic primary candidates will have to be prepared to get more specific.
Detention Centers In California Lack Oversight And Proper Care, Reports Find
Health and safety problems at immigration detention facilities throughout California pose a serious risk to detainees, according to two reports released Tuesday. State Attorney General Xavier Becerra and California State Auditor Elaine Howle concluded that federal and local governments are failing to adequately oversee the facilities, allowing the problems to persist.
¿Sola? ¿Ansioso? ¿Deprimido? Tal vez tu dentista puede ayudarte
Una dentista de Oakland decidió incorporar una consultoría de salud mental en su práctica al observar que los pacientes hablaban de sus problemas de salud mental.
¡Miau-ch! Le cobran $48,152 por una droga contra la rabia
Una bióloga de Florida, amante de los animales, quiso alimentar a un gato callejero. Lo que siguió fue una pesadilla de gastos médicos inesperados.
Editorial pages focus on these health issues and others.
Opinion writers weigh in the recent decision by the Trump Administration and other women’s health topics.
Read recent commentaries about drug-cost issues.