Latest KFF Health News Stories
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
If You’ve Got Hep C, Spitting Can Be A Felony
About a dozen states have added hepatitis C to the list of medical conditions for which people can face criminal prosecution if they engage in certain activities like sex without disclosure, needle-sharing or organ donation.
Opinion pages look at these and other health issues.
Perspectives: Stop China From Spreading Fentanyl Into The U.S.
Editorial pages focus on the opioid epidemic and other drug-related issues.
Media outlets report on news from New York, Iowa, New Hampshire, Ohio, Texas, California, Puerto Rico, Minnesota, Massachusetts, Florida and Illinois.
Texas Heart Transplant Center Reopens For Business Following Internal Review Of Deaths
Among other changes the Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center announced a reorganization of its heart transplant team. Other changes include refining how patients are selected for the program and reorganizing the multidisciplinary approach to patient care.
California Seeks To Clear Coffee Of Cancer Risk Warnings Despite Presence Of Dangerous Chemical
If approved, the proposed regulation could be a win for the coffee industry, which lost an 8-year-old lawsuit in the Los Angeles Superior Court over a law that could require warnings be placed on all packaged coffee sold in the state.
Appeals Court Puts California’s Aid-In-Dying Law Temporarily Back In Effect
The law had been declared unconstitutional by a judge last month because it was voted on during a special session. The state appeals court has issued a stay.
“We have turned very rapidly into a kind of Wild West of ultrasonic devices, vastly outstripping any kind of evidence-based guidelines for their use,” said Timothy Leighton, an authority on ultrasonic devices. In other public health news: abortion, suicide, salmonella, educational toys and more.
Father’s Day Shines Spotlight On Chronic Public Health Issue In U.S.
Advocates say that fatherlessness can be one of “the greatest trauma that young people face,” and that its negative health impact on children needs to be taken seriously.
A Few Missed Doses Of Testosterone End In Happy Accident For Transgender Man
Trans men have conceived on purpose, but Tanner isn’t one of them. He didn’t suspect he was pregnant until the morning sickness hit. It was a shock, but he and his partner said that from the start, there was no doubt that they wanted the baby.
Many sites have internal messaging systems that allow people to connect with third and fourth cousins, aunts and uncles many times removed, and others that have distant familial connections to the user.
The World Health Organization says that compulsively playing video games now qualifies as a new mental health condition. “It’s going to untie our hands in terms of treatment, in that we’ll be able to treat patients and get reimbursed,” said Dr. Petros Levounis, the chairman of the psychiatry department at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. Meanwhile, developers are trying to cure our addiction to our smartphones with an app.
Police departments are left throwing away the auto-injectors because they couldn’t use them fast enough. “You might as well begin filling out the paperwork [right away] to get them replaced,” said Sgt. Robert Parsons. In other news on the national addiction epidemic: the White House drug office, opioid bills in Congress, first responders, and more.
Once-Vociferous Republicans Quietly Let Go Of Medicare Reform Plans For Now
Reports showing that the conservatives’ tax cuts have had a negative impact on the health of the Medicare trust fund have put fiscal hawks in an awkward position.
Takeaways From Work Requirements’ Day In Court: Decision Hinges On The Purpose Of Medicaid
A group of activists are suing the Trump administration over its approval of Kentucky’s waiver request to add work requirements to its Medicaid program. Many states are watching closely to see what the court decides.
As Long-Serving Public Official, VA Nominee Entrenched In ‘Swamp’ Trump Once Said He Wanted To Drain
But many say that’s a good thing. “The president is beginning to understand that in order to deal with the swamp, you have to have some people who understand how the swamp works,” said Trent Lott (R., Miss.), a former Senate majority leader. “The idea that anybody who has worked in Washington shouldn’t be involved in Washington is absolutely the wrong way to go.” Robert Wilkie is expected to be approved to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs.
NIH Yanks Alcohol Study That Was Mired In Controversy Because Scientists Courted Industry To Fund It
“Many people who have seen this working-group report were frankly shocked to see so many lines crossed,” said NIH Director Francis Collins, calling the staff interaction with the alcohol industry “far out of bounds.”
After Years Of Turmoil, Iowans Buying Individual Coverage Will Have Choices
Medica, which was the sole provider of coverage in Iowa under the health law this year, announced it will stay in the marketplace. Wellmark has also announced it will resume selling individual policies next year.
Criminal Charges Filed Against Theranos’ Founder Elizabeth Holmes, Ex-President Ramesh Balwani
Elizabeth Holmes and the company’s No. 2 Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani were each charged with two counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and nine counts of wire fraud in an indictment handed up Thursday and unsealed Friday.