Latest KFF Health News Content

Latest KFF Health News Stories

The Juul’s So Cool, Kids Smoke It In School

KFF Health News Original

The teenage smoking sensation appearing on high school campuses across the country is an easy-to-hide, high-nicotine device called the Juul. Educators and health care advocates fear that vulnerable young people may become addicted.

Podcast: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’ Health Law Fix Misses The Spending Bill Train

KFF Health News Original

In this episode of KHN’s “What the Health?” Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Joanne Kenen of Politico, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News and Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times discuss the apparent demise of bipartisan legislation aimed at shoring up parts of the Affordable Care Act. They also discuss aggressive new efforts by the Food and Drug Administration to regulate tobacco products. Plus, for extra credit, the panelists offer their favorite health policy stories of the week.

Idaho To Require Clinics To Report How Many Times A Patient Has Terminated A Pregnancy

Morning Briefing

The legislation would also require providers collect other personal information about women seeking abortions. The move is part of a nationwide trend to add restrictions to the procedure. Meanwhile, Kansas wants the Supreme Court to overturn a ruling that prevents the state from cutting off Medicaid funds to a Planned Parenthood affiliate.

Country Is Under-Counting Opioid Overdose Deaths By At Least 20 Percent, Study Finds

Morning Briefing

On a death certificate, coroners and medical examiners often leave out exactly which drug contributed to a death. In other news on the crisis, drugmakers work with federal officials to help combat the epidemic and Republicans push for higher sentencing for trafficking fentanyl.

A Fountain Of Youth In Pill Form? Scientists Say A Supplement Already On The Market Shows Results

Morning Briefing

“It’s probably not the magic pill everyone is looking for, but it’s one more brick in our efforts to understand aging and health span,” said Dr. Eric Verdin, of the Buck Institute for Research on Aging. In other public health news: pap smears, genome sequencing, omega-6 fatty acids, suicides and art therapy.

‘It’s Going To Look Scary To Politicians’: Students To March In Washington For Gun Control

Morning Briefing

The March for Our Lives event was created following the mass school shooting in Parkland, Fla. Along with Saturday march in Washington, D.C., more than 800 student-led demonstrations are planned across the United States and internationally. The students, who are in voting-age range, say they want to make gun control a major issue for the 2018 midterm elections.

Insurers Scramble To Regroup After Health Law Stabilization Measures Are Left Out Of Spending Bill

Morning Briefing

Although some experts thought the measures would do more harm than good to the current marketplace, insurer groups say they’re “discouraged and disheartened.” However, on Thursday, Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn (R-Texas) said there will be a vote on the Republicans’ plan to lower premiums, though he didn’t offer more details.

The Dream Among ‘Dreamers’ To Become A Doctor Now ‘At The Mercy’ Of Courts

KFF Health News Original

In September, the Trump administration announced its plan to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, setting off an ongoing political and legal battle that could doom the dreams of immigrant doctors in training.