Latest KFF Health News Stories
Managing Your Mental Health While Managing A Newsroom’s Social Media
Reflections on coping with a new high-stress profession.
Congress Targets Misuse Of Hospice Drugs
In the bipartisan opioid bill headed to the president’s desk, hospice workers would be allowed to destroy patients’ unneeded opioids, reducing the risk that families misuse them.
Podcast: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’ Some Things Old, Some Things New
In this episode of KHN’s “What the Health?” Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Rebecca Adams of CQ Roll Call, Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times and Kimberly Leonard of the Washington Examiner discuss final action on bills in Congress to address the opioid epidemic and fund federal health agencies. They also look at new efforts by the Food and Drug Administration to crack down on teen nicotine use.
Editorial pages focus on these public health issues and other health issues.
Media outlets report on news from New York, Massachusetts, Kansas, Florida, Illinois, Montana, Louisiana, Virginia, Georgia, New Hampshire, Alabama, Minnesota and Utah.
Anxiety, Depression, Poor Sleep Are Lasting Impacts For Women Of Sexual Assault, Study Shows
“These are experiences that [a woman] could have had long ago … and it can have this long arm of influence throughout a woman’s life,” says Rebecca Thurston, lead author of the study. Other public health news includes stories on breast cancer, psychedelic mushrooms, elephant skin, fast food, food labeling and elder orphans.
Almost no one outside the company has any idea whether it works, and most of the company’s key promises or claims aren’t yet backed up by published, peer-reviewed data. In other health and technology related news: Facebook’s kid-centric app draws criticism; brain scans may be able to detect skill levels; and a Fitbit helps solve a crime.
Only One Abortion Clinic Is Open In Missouri After Federal Judge’s Ruling On New Requirements
In addition to not meeting new requirements about admitting privileges at hospitals, the Columbia clinic’s license had expired. The judge said once it regains its license, the clinic can appeal his decision. News about women’s reproductive health comes out of Virginia, also.
Shadowy Advocacy Group Goes Against The Grain, Vocally Defends Sky-High Drug Prices
It’s not clear who funds the new group or who is running its day-to-day operations. But the Alliance to Protect Medical Innovation does have a target for its finger-pointing: insurers and pharmacy benefits managers. Meanwhile, drug pricing advocates are criticizing President Donald Trump’s new trade deal.
The winners — Frances Arnold of the California Institute of Technology, George Smith of the University of Missouri and Gregory Winter of the MRC molecular biology lab in England — “have taken control of evolution and used it for purposes that bring the greatest benefit to humankind,” the Nobel committee said.
The Trump administration’s new policy to expand the parameters of what constitutes a public charge when considering green card applications is causing some immigrants to just forgo government aid altogether.
Leon Lederman, who had started experiencing memory loss problems that became more severe, died at a nursing home in Idaho. He sold his Nobel Prize for $765,000 at auction in 2015 to help cover the cost of care.
Not only has the number of workers who face an annual deductible grown, but the average deductible has creeped higher and higher for more than a decade, a new survey from the Kaiser Family Foundation finds.
Although it will take years to resolve the hundreds of lawsuits that are facing Purdue Pharma, the expectation of legal and industry experts is that the painkiller-maker will end up having to pay out a much lower settlement than Big Tobacco did in the 1990s. Meanwhile, a look at how people who use drugs are utilizing test strips to detect fentanyl in their heroin. News from the crisis comes from Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Oregon and Georgia as well.
It was a rare bipartisan feat that brought the massive opioids package together that also gives both sides a win right before the contentious midterm elections. Included in the bills is a crackdown on the flow of synthetic opioids from other countries, expanded treatment options, and provisions promoting research to finding alternative pain treatments.
But party leaders insist that, if they do gain control of the House, they want to be careful to make sure their inquiries into the Trump administration’s moves on health care will be focused on real policy rather than point-scoring.
Focus On ACA Or Go All In For ‘Medicare For All’? Democrats Divided Over Path To Take On Health Care
For the first election in years, Democrats see health care as a winning issue — one to go on the offense over instead of defending their votes. But they party’s candidates lack coherency in their approach. Some push a “Medicare for All” plan while others think shoring up the health law should take priority. Meanwhile The Washington Post Fact Checker looks at ads targeting Democrats over “Medicare for All.”
Preexisting conditions protections are among the most popular provisions in the Affordable Care Act, even among GOP voters. After years of chipping away at the law, Republicans are scrambling to convince voters they’ll keep that part while getting rid of the unpopular regulations. “How are you going to tell me you’re going to fix it when you’re on a lawsuit to invalidate the Affordable Care Act?” Missouri voter Denny Enloe said.
First Edition: October 4, 2018
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.