Latest KFF Health News Stories
Report Slams Iowa Medicaid’s Managed Care Organizations As ‘Stubborn And Absurd’
The report investigates the appeals process of the private companies hired to manage Iowa’s Medicaid program. Medicaid news comes out of Ohio and California, as well.
People Who Experience Sudden, Dramatic Financial Loss Are 50% More Likely To Die Within 20 Years
The study suggests that financial health is more closely tied to wellbeing than might have been previously assumed.
States Shifting Toward Offering Medication-Assisted Treatment For Inmates With Opioid Addiction
A study of a new program in Rhode Island that offers inmates addiction medications found that opioid overdose deaths dropped by nearly two-thirds among recently incarcerated people in the first year of the initiative, which could provide a road map to other states struggling with the same issue. In other news on the crisis: the CMS tweaks its proposal on limiting opioid prescriptions; New Jersey’s governor halts new funding on public service announcements; and more.
The search for the bacteria was a first-of-its-kind hunt to see how widespread it was across the country during a time when drug resistance is becoming a major problem for doctors and hospitals.
The Stat investigation looks at the priorities of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism under Director George Koob. It comes amid a report that NIH researchers were wooing the alcohol industry to support a study about the benefits of moderate drinking.
Grindr Will No Longer Share Users’ HIV Information In Order To ‘Allay People’s Fears’
But the company says the backlash comes from a “misunderstanding of technology.” Chief security officer Bryce Case stressed that the HIV data had only been shared with Apptimize as part of Grindr’s standard rollout procedure for new features on the app, and that it wasn’t used for nefarious purposes or to make money.
Salmonella Risk Prompts FDA To Issue First-Ever Mandatory Recall Over Kratom
The FDA said the company that makes the herbal supplement did not cooperate with the agency’s request for a voluntary recall.
In all, 11.8 million people signed up for coverage through the marketplaces, down about 400,000 from last year. And while premiums did spike, subsidized consumers are actually paying less because of an odd quirk that came about after the Trump administration cut off payments to insurers.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Atlanta Struggles To Meet MLK’s Legacy On Health Care
Fifty years after the death of Martin Luther King Jr., his hometown still has major disparities in mortality and other measures of health.
Older Americans Are Hooked On Vitamins Despite Scarce Evidence They Work
Sixty-eight percent of those 65 and older take vitamin supplements. Much of what we once believed about the benefits is wrong.
Medicare Advantage Plans Cleared To Go Beyond Medical Coverage — Even Groceries
Under new federal rules unveiled this week, these privately run alternatives to traditional Medicare might provide air conditioners, rides to medical appointments and home-delivered meals.
‘Nightmare Bacteria’ Stalk U.S. Hospitals
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found antibiotic-resistant bacteria whose spread has “outpaced” efforts to contain them.
Planes de Medicare Advantage pronto servirán hasta para hacer las compras
Los Centros para Servicios de Medicare y Medicaid ampliaron la forma en que definen los beneficios “relacionados directamente con la salud”, que las aseguradoras pueden incluir en sus pólizas.
Psiquiatra se queda cerca de casa, fiel a su promesa de la infancia
La doctora Yamanda Edwards es la única psiquiatra en el Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Hospital. Ella decidió ejercer en el vecindario en donde creció, que tiene una necesidad acuciante de servicios de salud mental.
Editorial pages focus on these and other health topics.
Perspectives: VA Needs A Good Soldier To Change Dysfunction, Not A Talker At A Podium
Opinion writers express views on President Donald Trump’s selection of Dr. Ronny Jackson to head up the Department of Veteran Affairs.
Media outlets report on news from Nevada, Ohio, D.C., Virginia, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Hampshire, California, Illinois, Colorado and Texas.
Buying Into The Hype Around Exciting Genetic Technology? Here’s A Gut Check
Stat offers a three-part documentary series that looks back at the roots of three of today’s most promising genetic technologies. In other public health news: racial disparities and infant mortality; antibiotics and allergies; autism friendly destinations; tai chi; food and depression; and more.
Bringing Food To Low-Income Seniors, Disabled People Helps Cut Costly Emergency Visits
As health care costs continue to skyrocket, people have begun looking at other factors that can contribute to people’s overall wellbeing. By catching problems before they escalate, services such a food deliveries can curb expensive trips to the ER.