Latest KFF Health News Stories
Separating Migrant Children From Parents Can Cause ‘Irreplaceable Harm,’ Medical Experts Say
Children who are forcibly taken from their parents have demonstrated links to asthma, obesity and cancer, in addition to tendencies toward substance abuse, developmental delays and mental health issues. The Trump administration’s “zero-tolerance policy” of detaining adults attempting to cross into the U.S. has resulted in the division of families traveling with children.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Unwieldy Health Costs Often Stand Between Teachers And Fatter Paychecks
Cash-strapped school boards, cities and legislatures scrounge to cover pay raises and pricey benefits and turn to teachers to fork over more of their shrinking take-home pay.
Postcard From D.C. Courthouse: Medicaid Work Requirements And Manafort
Oral arguments are heard in a legal challenge regarding the state of Kentucky’s requirement that adults who gained Medicaid coverage under the Affordable Care Act’s expansion prove that they work or volunteer in order to get health coverage.
Must-Reads Of The Week From Brianna Labuskes
KHN’s newsletter editor, Brianna Labuskes, wades through hundreds of health articles from the week so you don’t have to.
Opinion writers look at these and other health topics.
Editorial pages focus on the suit against the health law, which requires insurers to provide coverage for people with pre-existing conditions.
Research Roundup: Medicaid; Infections; And Medicare
Each week, KHN compiles a selection of recently released health policy studies and briefs.
Media outlets report on news from California, Iowa, Michigan, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Minnesota, Missouri, Louisiana, Maryland, Wisconsin, Kansas and North Carolina.
Vitamin D May Play Protective Role Against Colorectal Cancer
Some researchers warn, though, that the new study doesn’t prove cause and effect.
These Days It’s Easy To Share Your DNA Data Online — But Erasing It Is A Whole Lot Harder
Deleting your DNA footprint isn’t as easy as just deleting your Ancestry.com account. In other public health news: HIV, suicide, bacteria and DNA, and the mysterious illness striking U.S. diplomats.
Texas Abortion Clinics Challenge Dozens Of ‘Restrictive’ Abortion Laws, Some Created 20 Years Ago
The Whole Women’s Health Alliance, which won a landmark U.S. Supreme Court Case in 2016, filed the lawsuit Thursday, stating the state’s abortion restrictions put “medically unnecessary burdens on patients, require doctors to lie to their patients and have led to clinics being shut down.” Among the old Texas laws being newly challenged are requirements that only doctors and not clinic staff can perform abortions, licensing standards, required ultrasounds in which the image of the fetus is shown to the patient and 24-hour waiting periods.
First Generic Under-The-Tongue Film For Treating Opioid Addiction Approved
The news is welcome as brand-name Suboxone film costs about $200 a month without insurance. In other news on the crisis: Kentucky sues Walgreens; vulnerable lawmakers look to win big political points with opioids package; mothers in treatment struggle to keep their children; and more.
Americans who have been buying cheaper prescribed medications internationally for conditions like Crohn’s disease are now paying a price. In other pharmaceutical news: generic drug legislation, trade tariffs, and a pill for women’s libido.
Red States Warming Up To Medicaid Expansion With Promises Of Work Requirements
Even as lawmakers and government officials start to embrace Medicaid, advocates in states are building momentum with a push to get expansion on ballots. Medicaid news comes out of Michigan, Tennessee, Iowa, Ohio, Massachusetts and Texas, as well.
Health Care Players Present Uncommonly United Front In Texas Lawsuit Challenging Health Law
Hospitals, doctors, medical schools, patient-advocacy groups and insurers have filed friends of the court briefs arguing that a ruling in favor of this latest challenge to the health law’s constitutionality would “have a devastating impact on doctors, patients, and the American health care system as a whole.”
Court Rejects Insurers Claims That They’re Owed Billions Under Health Law’s Risk Corridors Provision
The panel said the government doesn’t have to pay insurers the money because Congress had taken action — after the health law’s passage — requiring the program to be budget neutral year after year. The program in contention was aimed at enticing insurers into the market with promises of covering their financial risks.
Feelings Of Sadness Or Hopelessness Are On The Rise In Teens, ‘Deeply Disturbing’ Report Finds
The Youth Risk Behavior Survey, which is given every two years to nearly 15,000 students in high schools in 39 state, did offer some encouraging trends, suggesting that the overall picture for adolescents is a nuanced one.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
As Medicaid Costs Soar, States Try A New Approach
New programs, known as ACOs, reward hospitals and physician groups that hold down costs by keeping enrollees healthy. The health care providers are asked to address social issues — such as homelessness, lack of transportation and poor nutrition — that can cause and exacerbate health problems.