Latest KFF Health News Stories
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Community Frets As Buyer For Cherished Rural Hospital Slips From View
Some residents of remote Surprise Valley in Northern California fear their hospital will close like so many others around the country, as hope wanes for financial support from a Denver entrepreneur. The businessman, Beau Gertz, had planned to raise money through lab billing for faraway patients.
Podcast: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’ Congress And Health Care. Again.
In this episode of KHN’s “What the Health?” Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Alice Ollstein of Talking Points Memo and Kimberly Leonard of the Washington Examiner talk about the new push on health legislation by Republicans in the House, as well as developments on Medicaid work requirements, drug prices and the fate of children separated from their parents at the U.S.-Mexican border. Plus, for extra credit, the panelists offer their favorite health stories of the week.
A Transgender Woman’s Quest For Surgery Caught In Political Crosswinds
Dramatic policy swings, from an unprecedented expansion of transgender rights under the Obama administration to the unpredictable reduction of trans rights under President Donald Trump, have left many trans Americans feeling the whiplash.
A Transgender Woman’s ‘Bait-And-Switch’ $92,000 Surgery Bill
After being promised a significant discount for paying cash upfront and forgoing insurance, a Wisconsin patient gets caught in the middle between hospital and insurer — and feels snookered by a last-minute surprise and billing snafu.
¿Qué tan pronto conviene saber si tienes Alzheimer?
José Belardo fue diagnosticado con Alzheimer precoz a los 50 años. Siempre memorioso, el contraalmirante retirado olvidó por dos años consecutivos su aniversario de bodas. Fue cuando la familia se dio cuenta que algo estaba pasando.
Opinion writers express views on these and other health topics.
Different Takes: Lessons On Work Requirements, Disability And Association Health Plans
Opinion writers express views on the health law and how to improve health care and lower costs.
Longer Looks: Catholic Hospitals In Rural America; Sickle Cell Disease; And Free Narcan
Each week, KHN’s Shefali Luthra finds interesting reads from around the Web.
Media outlets report on news from Oklahoma, Texas, Minnesota, California, Wyoming, Ohio, Massachusetts and Florida.
Iowa, which has nearly 40 percent fewer psychiatrists per capita than average, is revamping its mental health care. “There’s a lot of energy and focus on this. It’s exciting,” said Tyler VanMilligen, one of the new psychiatric residents. News about hospitals comes out of New Orleans, Washington, D.C., California and Texas, as well.
Health Care Big Wigs No Longer Turning To Universities When They Want To Step Out Of Executive Roles
Instead, these high-profile names are heading to Google companies. In other news, former HHS Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell reflects on her time in office, the health law and more in Politico’s Pulse Check.
Where there’s a potential health crisis, there comes a way to make money from it. Companies are popping up with at-home sperm tests, sperm health scores and sperm cryobanking services. In other public health news: Zika’s destructive power, physician-assisted suicide, brain injuries in soldiers, eating disorders, and more.
Lowering Blood Pressure Can Help Stave Off Alzheimer’s, ‘Breakthrough’ Study Finds
This would be the first time a single change could result in lowering people’s chances at getting the disease.
Despite Concerted Efforts To Curb Opioid Crisis, Kentucky Overdose Deaths Rise 11.5 Percent In 2017
“We are in a crisis state,” Republican Gov. Matt Bevin said. “While we are putting money at it and while we are drawing attention to it, until we start to truly address this and look at underlying causes of these things and what is leading to this it is not going to be addressed.” Meanwhile, Medicare is pushing a new rule to reimburse hospitals more for non-opioid pain management drugs.
In defense of its “zero-tolerance” policy separations, Trump administration officials have argued that immigrant parents made the decision to leave their children in America. The new information reported by Politico could undermine that position.
Part of the problem with letting Medicare negotiate drug prices has always been that the government has no power in the talks. But the bill would let HHS give a competitive license to another company to make a generic version of the drug. Few see the measure gaining traction at the moment, though. Lawmakers also advanced legislation that would eliminate pharmacist “gag clauses.”
The drug showed success with patients who had the highest dosage for over 18 months, but there will need to be more studies before experts get really excited. “I don’t know that we’ve hit a home run yet. It’s important not to over-conclude on the data. But as a proof of concept, I feel like this is very encouraging,” said Dr. Reisa Sperling, director of the Center for Alzheimer Research and Treatment at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.
With About Three Months Until Midterms, Democrats Press Hard On Health Care To Nab Swing Voters
Democrats see the Republicans’ failure to repeal and replace the health law at the same time they were chipping away at its protections as a huge vulnerability that candidates can attack. Meanwhile, a new poll shows that the public will hold the Trump administration and the GOP-led Congress responsible for any pain they feel from premiums this year. And, Anthem reports better-than-expected profits.
CMS Administrator Seema Verma said a “Medicare-For-All” system would divert attention away from seniors, and warned that people would be giving up complete control of their care to the government. Verma gave the speech in California, where the issue is a hot-button topic in the gubernatorial election.