Latest KFF Health News Stories
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Alaska Is One Step Closer To Legalizing Subscription-Based Health Care
State lawmakers have approved a bill that would allow primary care providers to offer care based on a monthly fee, the Anchorage Daily News reported. It’s unclear whether Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy will sign the bill.
Longer Looks: Interesting Reads You Might Have Missed
Each week, KFF Health News finds longer stories for you to enjoy. This week’s selections include stories on Donald Trump’s new physician, a cadaver lab, the world’s oldest person, and more.
Editorial writers tackle pandemic preparedness, patient education, youth gender medicine, and more.
Harris To Visit Arizona Today; Ex-Gov. Ducey Says Court Overstepped
Excerpts of her speech showed that Vice President Kamala Harris will warn voters that giving Donald Trump another term would only mean “more suffering.” And former GOP Gov. Doug Ducey, who expanded the court in 2016, said on X that the ruling was “not the outcome I would have preferred.”
Iowa’s High Court Weighs Abortion Ban After Contentious Back-And-Forth
The seven justices, all appointed to the bench by Republicans, will decide whether to let a law that bans abortions as early as six weeks of pregnancy take effect. Other abortion news is from Tennessee, Missouri, Florida, and Maine.
How Medicaid’s ‘Unwinding’ Affected Millions Of Americans
More than 20 million people were pushed off Medicaid during a nationwide review of eligibility. Also: A key U.S. senator says Medicare payments to physicians have “not kept up with the times.”
US Might Lose Elimination Status As Measles Cases Climb
Where are the cases coming from? A CDC report Thursday said most involved unvaxxed Americans who got infected in the Middle East and Africa, AP reported. Also: bird flu and data-sharing.
Organ Transplant Surgeon In Texas Accused Of Manipulating Database
The New York Times reported that officials are investigating claims that the surgeon, who oversaw the liver and kidney transplant programs at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center in Houston, altered a government database to make some of his own patients ineligible to receive new livers.
So Far, So Good For Chlamydia Vaccine: ‘This Is Desperately Needed’
In the phase 1 trial, scientists said the experimental vaccine was safe and induced an immune response. There is currently no vaccine for the sexually transmitted infection, which can cause infertility and eye infections.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Editorial writers discuss end-stage poverty, pediatric mental health, zombie laws, and more.
Research Roundup: Cancer; Covid; UTIs; Pneumococcus
Each week, KFF Health News compiles a selection of health policy studies and briefs.
Scientists May Have Stumbled Onto Source Of Severe Covid
Interstitial macrophage immune cells may be involved in turning a typical covid case into a serious one. The surprising findings might also explain why monoclonal antibodies didn’t work well on severe covid, Medical Xpress reported.
Proposed Inpatient Hospital Payments Won’t Cover Inflation, AHA Says
The American Hospital Association called the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ proposal to increase reimbursements by just 2.6% “woefully inadequate.”
Medicare Says Leqembi Alzheimer’s Drug Will Cost It $3.5 Billion
The figure, Stat reports, is “well beyond” what Wall Street or even its maker Biogen had projected. Meanwhile, the Department of Justice filed a lawsuit accusing Regeneron Pharmaceuticals of Medicare price manipulation for its costly eye disease treatment Eylea.
First Of Its Kind: Labcorp’s At-Home Mpox PCR Test Gets Green Light
The collection kit has received EUA status from the FDA as mpox cases continue to rise. Also in the news: measles, bird flu, whooping cough, and more.
Feds End Gun Show Loophole In Effort To Keep Firearms From Violent People
The Justice Department has finalized rules that would close a loophole that allowed people to sell guns online, at shows, or at other informal events without carrying out background checks.
Appeals Court To Examine Arkansas’ Historic Ban On Trans Minors’ Care
A federal appeals court will hear arguments today over the state’s ban, which was the first in the nation. Arkansas is appealing an earlier federal ruling that the ban was unconstitutional. Also in the news: Mississippi may expand Medicaid.
EPA To Water Utilities: Reduce ‘Forever Chemicals’ To Near-Zero Levels
In a first, the Environmental Protection Agency is mandating that municipal water systems remove perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAS, from tap water. Also in the news: a new director of the White House Office of National AIDS Policy, the PACT Act, and more.