Latest KFF Health News Stories
Scandal-Ridden Theranos To Formally Dissolve Following Failed Bid To Sell The Blood-Testing Company
The big-name investors who poured money into Theranos will get nothing. All told, investors in Theranos have lost nearly $1 billion.
Republican Sen. Heller Tries To Go On Offensive Over Health Care After Challenger’s Attack
Rep. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) had previously challenged Sen. Dean Heller (R-Nev.) for initially opposing attempts to repeal the health law before switching to support it. Heller fired back saying Rosen has “done nothing to fix health care. Nothing. Zero.”
If the judge rules that the health law is unconstitutional because Congress zeroed-out the individual mandate, 17 million people could lose their insurance and popular provisions — such as protections for preexisting conditions and coverage for young adults up to age 26 — could be wiped out. Democrats are seizing on the challenge as a 2018 campaign talking point.
Supreme Court Hearings Provide Platform For 2020 Contenders’ Campaign Speeches
Sens. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) were all vocal in their resistance to Kavanaugh, in what might be a theatrical preview of an unpredictable 2020 race against President Donald Trump.
In a recent lawsuit where an undocumented teenage immigrant sued to be allowed to have an abortion, Brett Kavanaugh wrote that HHS shouldn’t be required to allow an abortion and that a delay until the plaintiff found a sponsor didn’t constitute “undue burden.” Many of the raucous protests at the hearings were sparked by concerns about women’s rights.
“If you want to pick judges for your way of thinking, then you better win an election,” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) told Democrats who dominated the first day of hearings for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. Republicans remained mostly unfazed, confident that they have enough votes to get him through.
First Edition: September 5, 2018
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Giuliani’s Consulting Firm Helped Halt Purdue Opioid Investigation In Florida
Post-9/11, Giuliani Partners helped craft a plan that put a halt to a probe into Purdue’s marketing of OxyContin.
Surprise Medical Bills Are What Americans Fear Most In Paying For Health Care
Two-thirds of Americans worry about unexpectedly large bills from doctors, hospitals or other medical providers, a poll shows. Four in 10 have received one in the past year.
As California Hospitals Sweep Up Physician Practices, Patients See Higher Bills
A Health Affairs study quantifies the financial effects of such mergers on consumers and their insurers. The hospital industry and doctor practices say the consolidation leads to better coordination of care.
Legisladores presionan para proteger a los pacientes y llevarle la contra a Trump
Los legisladores de California jugaron ataque y defensa este año en el tema de salud, promulgando proyectos para ampliar el acceso a la vez que desafiando a las normas de Trump.
Incendios forestales afectan el doble a californianos de bajos recursos
Ya viven en vecindarios a pocas millas de fábricas y carreteras. Los incendios solo han agravado los problemas de salud de esta población vulnerable.
Crear rituales para honrar a los muertos en los centros de vida asistida
Nuevos programas de ayuda abordan un problema pocas veces tratado: el dolor de amigos de residencia y personal cuando muere un adulto mayor en un centro de vida asistida.
Opinion writers weigh in on these health topics and others.
Perspectives: Keeping Medications Away From Pain Sufferers During Opioid Epidemic Is No Solution
Opinion writers express views about how to ease health problems stemming from the opioid crisis.
Editorial pages examine health insurance issues.
Media outlets report on news from Massachusetts, Michigan, Texas, California, Ohio, Tennessee, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Connecticut and Maryland.
Patrick Soon-Shiong had vowed to turn the Verity Health hospital system around, but over the past year, it continued to struggle. Hospital news comes out of Texas, D.C. and Illinois, as well.
Doctors May Have Found Cause Of Those Mysterious Symptoms In U.S. Diplomats: Microwave Weapons
Some researchers were at first skeptical that the wave of illnesses in U.S. diplomats wasn’t psychosomatic. “Everyone now agrees there’s something there,” said Douglas H. Smith, the author of a new study looking at the cause of the symptoms.
Our Evolutionary Instincts Are Turning Us Into Chicken Littles In This Modern World
Our brains are wired for survival in a time that didn’t include the vast wealth of information now available to us — and it’s making us more scared of the world than we need to be. Meanwhile, researchers find some more bad news on political partisanship.