Latest KFF Health News Stories
Lawyers For Louisiana Ask Federal Appeals Court To Uphold Admitting-Privileges Abortion Law
U.S. District Judge John deGravelles “exaggerated the burden” and “minimized the benefits” of the law when he ruled against it, said Elizabeth Murill of the state attorney general’s office.
The state’s House of Representatives voted to extend New Hampshire’s Medicaid expansion program with an added work requirement.
Administration Urged To Use Workaround To Slash Cost Of Pricey Anti-Overdose Drug
Baltimore’s health department and a national advocacy group wrote to the Trump administration asking officials to take action. Meanwhile, Mayor Bill de Blasio wants to make New York City a pioneer in creating supervised safe injection sites.
Congressional Oversight Lags Far Behind Fast-Growing Commercial DNA Testing
Despite consumer unease about their DNA privacy, especially on the heels of the Golden State Killer case, Congress has made no moves to update the 2008 Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act, the lone law in this field.
There’s A Gap In Treatment For Sickle Cell Disease. This Small Biotech Company Might Fill It.
There are very few treatments for the disease and a cure through gene-editing is years off. But Global Blood Therapeutics has created a drug that could offer hope to those with sickle cell.
Government May Reexamine Safe Harbor That Drug Rebates Have Under Antikickback Laws
FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb suggested the approach days ahead of an anticipated speech by President Donald Trump on lowering drug prices.
Trump Says He’ll Sign Legislation Revamping VA Choice Program As Soon As Congress Passes It
House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Phil Roe (R-Tenn.) on Thursday reintroduced a bill that would overhaul private-care options for veterans enrolled in the Veterans Affairs health-care system.
Health Insurers On ‘Hot Streak’ Despite Worries Over Nasty Flu Season
One big reason for the Q1 windfall is the tax cuts passed by Congress last year, which in some cases more than halved what the insurers owe the government. Meanwhile, conservative groups are drawing up a new “repeal” plan, but Republicans aren’t sold.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
‘Pharma Bro’ Shkreli Is In Prison, But Daraprim’s Price Is Still High
The saga of Martin Shkreli and Turing Pharmaceuticals focused a lot of attention on prescription drug prices, but no reversal of the exponential price increases for the lifesaving drug Daraprim resulted. The story offers an object lesson into the interworkings of the pharmaceutical market.
Weak Oversight Blamed For Poor Care At California Nursing Homes Going Unchecked
The scathing report cites a significant increase in cases of poor care — especially ones with the potential to cause serious injuries or death. A state lawmaker called the findings “very, very disturbing.”
Listen: Device Is Said To Ease Opioid Withdrawal, But Does The Evidence Support It?
A device called the Bridge is supposed to mitigate the misery of withdrawal sickness, but scientific evidence doesn’t yet show that it works.
Podcast: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’ Medicaid, Privacy And Tom Price’s Return
Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Joanne Kenen of Politico, Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times and Alice Ollstein of Talking Points Memo discuss the latest on states’ efforts to reshape their Medicaid programs, the kerfuffle over President Donald Trump’s medical records and comments by former Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price about Congress’ repeal of the Affordable Care Act’s “individual mandate” penalty. Rovner also interviews Harvard professor Robert Blendon about the complex politics of health in the coming midterm elections.
Voces oficiales aseguran que esta supervisión deficiente hizo que el número de incidentes que podrían causar lesiones graves o la muerte haya aumentado significativamente en los últimos años.
Editorial pages focus on these and other health topics.
Media outlets report on news from New York, Texas, Georgia, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Wisconsin and Iowa.
Scientists Identify Autism Signpost That Could Eventually Lead To Treatment For The Disorder
Researchers found a correlation between a hormone and autism-like behavior in monkeys, which could be used to diagnose the disorder. The hormone could also become a drug target if future studies show boosting its levels can assuage social impairments. In other public health news: cancer screenings, gene-editing, tick-borne diseases, empathy, strokes, and more.
E. Coli Outbreak Linked To Romaine Lettuce Turns Deadly, Sends More Patients To Hospitals
The weeks-long outbreak has claimed the life of a person in California and has spread to 25 states. Health officials have warned consumers to avoid romaine grown in Yuma, Ariz.
The facilities are also concerned that the new patient categories proposed in the rule won’t actually improve pay accuracy.
CVS Making ‘Good Progress’ On Getting Regulatory Approval For Aetna Deal
CVS’s proposed takeover of Aetna, which would bring together around 10,000 CVS stores and the health insurer’s 22 million customers, is undergoing antitrust scrutiny.