Latest KFF Health News Stories
Suspension Of California’s Aid-In-Dying Law Leaves Sick Patients In Limbo
Doctors have stopped writing lethal prescriptions and pharmacists have stopped filling them after a court fight over how the law was enacted.
Listen: Disrupted Lives, Delayed Care And A Revised Death Toll In Puerto Rico
KHN senior correspondent Sarah Varney, who has seen firsthand how devastation wrought by Hurricane Maria has harmed residents of Puerto Rico, discusses the new statistics on the number who perished in the storm.
Health Care Simmers On Back Burner In California Heartland’s Hot House Races
After rallies and protests in the San Joaquin Valley congressional districts, the urgency over protecting coverage under the ACA seems to have waned — at least in the primaries. Three of four seats in the region are likely to remain red, political forecasters say.
Viewpoints: Deregulation Of Health Care Sends Costs Soaring; Puerto Rico’s Death Toll Shames Nation
Editorial writers examine these and other health care issues.
Parsing Policy: Medicaid Expansion In Virginia Is Huge Step In Right Direction
Opinion writers express views on the defeat of Republican opposition to expanding Medicaid in Virginia and what last week’s victory might mean for other states.
Media outlets report on news from California, Iowa, Connecticut, Kansas, Washington, New Hampshire, Texas, Minnesota, New York City, Delaware, Virginia and Florida.
After Recent Deaths, Historic Texas Heart Transplant Center Suspends Program
The Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center in Houston suspended service for 14 days, citing a need to examine how to move ahead following the latest deaths and the loss of key surgeons.
In other news on hurricane preparations, most Florida nursing homes are not complying with new requirements for backup power, and a new app tells Floridians where to find health care.
Workers struggle with the logistical hurdles of getting an experimental vaccine to people in rural areas who may have come in contact with the virus. In other public health news: medical abnormalities, group doctor appointments, strokes, organ donations, e-cigarettes, and more.
“We want to make sure that when the next hurricane arrives, we don’t have a repeat of this situation,” said Mario Marazzi-Santiago, the director of Puerto Rico’s Institute of Statistics which filed the suit.
More insurers are becoming engaged with buying up physician practices as a way to control cost and stop the spread of hospital consolidation.
Police officers are often the ones on the front lines of the drug epidemic. Fed up with seeing members of their community dying in droves, they’ve taken matters into their own hands with new tools and initiatives. Meanwhile, experts say lawmakers’ efforts against the crisis fall short of what are needed, and focus too much on where the epidemic began instead of where it’s headed.
Medicaid Advocates See Virginia’s Expansion Decision As Broader Political Shift
Virginia’s decision to expand Medicaid after years of resistance is giving some hope that opposition against the issue has lessened in recent years. Meanwhile, in Texas, poor state oversight has led to companies skimping on essential care for sick children and disabled adults.
Many Women With Common Type Of Breast Cancer Can Forgo Chemotherapy
“We can spare thousands and thousands of women from getting toxic treatment that really wouldn’t benefit them,” said Dr. Ingrid A. Mayer, from Vanderbilt University Medical Center, an author of the study. “This is very powerful. It really changes the standard of care.”
States Safeguard Protections Created By Health Law As Trump Administration Chips Away At Them
Some states are moving to ban short-term “junk” health insurance plans, while others are requiring people to buy coverage. Worries about high costs and spiking premiums are driving some of the efforts.
Experts are concerned about the president’s proposal to switch some expensive drugs from one part of Medicare to another part. Advocates for older Americans say the problems are not inevitable, but will be difficult to solve.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Bubble Pop? Brownie Batter? Vapes’ Added Flavors Fuel E-Cig Debate
Vaping is becoming increasingly popular in the United States, especially among young people. This fact is triggering an unexpected divide within the public health community and complicating efforts to regulate the industry.
Otro daño silencioso de la violencia doméstica: las lesiones cerebrales
Cada año, 10 millones de personas son víctimas de violencia doméstica y muchas de ellas reciben golpes a repetición que impactan en su capacidad de funcionar.
Editorial pages look at these and other health care issues.