Latest KFF Health News Stories
First Edition: August 24, 2018
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Readers And Tweeters Revisit Surgery Centers, Think Twice About Single-Payer
Kaiser Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
Tuition-Free Med School Touches Off Multimillion-Dollar Debate
NYU’s promise to help keep medical students debt-free generates joy on campus. But critics question whether it is the best way to recruit a more diverse student pool or get young doctors to commit to primary care.
Medicaid Covers Foster Kids, But Daunting Health Needs Still Slip Through The Cracks
Nearly all children in the foster care system are covered by Medicaid. Yet, foster parents still struggle to meet the extraordinary health needs of their children. To solve this, some states are experimenting with a coordinated approach to care — with mixed results.
Podcast: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’ Opioids, EpiPens And Health Funding
In this episode of KHN’s “What the Health?” Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Alice Ollstein of Talking Points Memo, Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times and Joanne Kenen of Politico discuss Senate action on health funding and opioid legislation, the state of the individual insurance market and consternation over expiration dates on EpiPens, the self-injected allergy remedy. Also, could an otter with asthma signal a potential public health crisis?
La última sorpresa de la vida: adultos mayores que deben cuidar de sus padres
Con tratamientos médicos que prolongan cada vez más la vida, un nuevo escenario genera preguntas: adultos mayores de 60 o 70 años que deben atender a sus padres nonagenarios.
Opinion writers weigh in on how the recent decision to soften rules regulating coal-fired power plants will impact our health.
Viewpoints: Social Media Has Strong Links To Violence; Juul’s Dangers Rising Among Teen Users
Editorial pages focus on these health issues and others.
Longer Looks: Health-Sharing Ministries; Marijuana Addiction; And Electric Scooter Injuries
Each week, KHN’s Shefali Luthra finds interesting reads from around the Web.
Media outlets report on news from Illinois, Minnesota, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Missouri, Texas, Colorado, Georgia, Florida, Connecticut, Wisconsin, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts.
As Anxiety Rises Among School-Aged Children, School Nurses Try To Adjust To Meet Their Health Needs
The nurse’s office is often the first place students turn to for help to deal with stress, a trend worrying many school nursing associations that say they’re outnumbered by students. “There’s so much more in the school nursing world today than there ever has been,” Illinois school nurse Cameron Traut said. News on children’s health also reports on how frequent family moves can disrupt children’s mental health, mothers’ depression can throw off a child’s immune system and more.
Dutch Move Away From Medical Approach To Alzheimer’s And More Toward Reducing Stress
Experts in the Netherlands place emphasis on reducing stress, bringing together patients with dementia, and accessing childhood memories and emotions, rather than on drug treatment. Meanwhile, researchers in the U.S. are studying a gene mutation that could unlock some of the mysteries surrounding Alzheimer’s.
Ancient Hybrid Adds Another Layer Of Complexity To Timeline Of Humans’ Evolution
The discovery of bone fragments of a female with a Denisovan dad and a Neanderthal mom is a genetic jackpot for scientists who knew that the hybrids existed but didn’t really expect to find proof.
Health Benefits Of Tiny Amounts Of Ingredient In ‘Magic Mushrooms’ Piques Scientists’ Interest
So far, the majority of the evidence that psilocybin microdosing offers benefits — increased creativity, less anxiety, decreased need for caffeine and reduced depression — has been anecdotal. But researchers are starting to get curious. In other public health news: melanoma, air pollution, gym class, hearing, and concussions.
Unique Aspects Of New Pricey CAR-T Cancer Therapy Flummox Medicare Advisers
How to fit these therapies, that are innovative yet extremely expensive, into Medicare’s payment model leaves advisers more confused than anything. In other pharmaceutical news, a curtain is pulled back on the drug development process and scientists look to create a new class of drugs to treat malaria.
Education Department Considering Plan To Allow School Districts To Arm Teachers Using Federal Funds
The $1 billion student support program, part of the Every Student Succeeds Act, is intended for academic and enrichment opportunities in the country’s poorest schools, but it makes no mention of prohibiting weapon purchases. News on guns and public health comes out of Texas and Las Vegas, as well.
But the judges also used the case to question the Supreme Court’s abortion jurisprudence.
Advocates watching the changes the state has made to its request — such as adding a transition period to deal with the fact that the state’s income maximums are so low any work will likely kick beneficiaries off the program — are worried tens of thousands of people will lose coverage if the government approves the new requirements.
“Today’s announcements are a warning to every trafficker, every crooked doctor or pharmacist, and every drug company, every chairman and foreign national and company that puts greed before the lives and health of the American people,” Attorney General Jeff Sessions says.
Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.) claims that her re-election opponent, Rep. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), wants to kill one of the most popular provisions in the health law — protections for people with preexisting conditions. Cramer fired back, saying it’s a myth that Republicans don’t care about that part of the law.