Latest KFF Health News Stories
Different Takes: Many Individual Liberties Rest With Roe V. Wade, Not Just Abortion Rights
Opinion writers express views about how overturning Roe V. Wade could impact the nation.
Media outlets report on news from Washington, Vermont, Ohio, California, Texas, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Arizona, Oregon and Colorado.
A case study of a man who traveled to Thailand and picked up a strain paints a grim picture of what lays ahead in terms of treatment. The only drugs that worked were expensive and intensive to administer. In other public health news: egg freezing, relationships and health, nutrition, aphasia, Zika, retirement communities, and more.
Although a large number of people who have a substance abuse disorder are in the system, most jails and prisons don’t offer medication-assisted treatment. The study’s author urges alternatives to incarceration for people with addictions. “We need a response that will ideally prevent people from entering the criminal justice system,” he says. News on the epidemic comes out of Tennessee and Massachusetts, as well.
Brothers Claim Small Contracting Firm Let Them Go Because Of Their Expensive Blood Disorder
Signature Industrial Services, however, says the decision was nonmedical and a part of a larger reduction in workforce. As bigger companies start relying on smaller firms to fill in worker gaps, issues over expensive health care coverage can become a flash point.
Medicaid Expansion Poised To Go Before Nebraska Voters In November
Advocates have been working in several states on the new strategy of taking expansion right to the voters with ballot initiatives. News on Medicaid comes out of Kentucky, Connecticut and Iowa, as well.
Critics, however, say that Planned Parenthood receives less than $100,000 from what was cut. Even some Republicans called the move shortsighted since so little goes to the organization in the first place and removing it from the spending plan could mean less money for things like law enforcement or help for families with children with autism.
Biogen and Eisai announced that the drug slowed the progression of Alzheimer’s disease and reduced the amount of clumps of a protein called beta amyloid that build up in the brains of patients. The data cheered even skeptics that have been burned by decades of failed Alzheimer’s drugs. But they did warn about getting too excited, as the study is preliminary.
Daunting Realities Of Reuniting Young Children With Parents An Obstacle As Deadline Ticks Closer
Government attorneys have asked U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw to grant them more time to bring together about 100 toddlers with parents who may be scattered across the country or the world.
America Tries To Upend Global Resolution On Breast-Feeding With Threats Of Trade Retaliation
The resolution on the benefits of breast-feeding from the World Health Assembly was expected to pass easily, but U.S. officials resorted to threats after their attempts to water the measure down failed. In the end, Russia stepped in to introduce the resolution.
Risk Their Own Seats Or Demoralize Liberal Voters? Red-State Dems Caught Between Rock And Hard Place
The upcoming battle over the Supreme Court nominee may prove tricky for Democratic senators who come from more conservative states. “You deserve a senator who doesn’t just talk like he’s from Montana,” President Donald Trump said as he stepped up pressure on one of the senators, Jon Tester, the conservative state’s two-term Democrat. “You deserve a senator who actually votes like he’s from Montana.”
Trump Holds Cards Close To Chest, Stokes The Dramatics Surrounding Supreme Court Nomination
President Donald Trump says that he will make a decision today before a televised event announcing the pick. The four judges on the short-list are Brett Kavanaugh, Amy Coney Barrett, Thomas Hardiman and Raymond Kethledge. Kavanaugh was at one point rumored to be the front-runner, but it’s unclear if that’s still the case.
Trump administration officials said they decided to suspend payments under the program because of a ruling in February from a Federal District Court in New Mexico. The judge tossed out the formula used to calculate payments, finding that it was flawed. Insurers warned that the move will have a detrimental effect on the marketplaces just as the companies are setting premiums for next year.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
State Prisons Fail To Offer Cure To 144,000 Inmates With Deadly Hepatitis C
A survey of 49 states reveals that an estimated 144,000 inmates with hepatitis C, a curable but potentially fatal disease, can’t get the expensive drugs they need to cure it.
Feel Like The Last Friend Standing? Here’s How To Cultivate New Buds As You Age.
Seniors who outlive their friends — and sometimes family members — know it’s tough to make new friends. But they also know it’s essential to well-being.
Must-Reads Of The Week From Brianna Labuskes
KHN’s newsletter editor, Brianna Labuskes, wades through hundreds of health articles from the week so you don’t have to.
Editorial pages look at these and other health care topics.
Opinion writers weigh in on news surrounding anti-abortion and abortion rights movements.
Research Roundup: Presidential Candidates And Health Reform; Partner Violence; And Alcohol
Each week, KHN compiles a selection of recently released health policy studies and briefs.