Latest KFF Health News Stories
‘Right-To-Try’ Legislation Sails Through Congress On Second Wind After Previous Foundering
President Donald Trump has been vocal about his support of the measure, which allows terminally ill patients access to experimental drugs, so it is likely to become law. FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said he is “comfortable” with the bill, though has previously admitted it will make it harder to protect patients.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Drugmakers Blamed For Blocking Generics Have Jacked Up Prices And Cost U.S. Billions
The Trump administration is shaming brand-name drugmakers who refuse to sell samples so generics can be made from their products.
Insurer Slashes Breast Pump Payments, Stoking Fears Fewer Moms Will Breastfeed
Anthem, one of the country’s largest insurers, has cut the reimbursement rate it pays for breast pumps by nearly half, fueling concerns that new moms — especially ones with lower incomes — will not be able to afford the pumps they need.
¿Quisieras que te hicieran pruebas genéticas como parte de tu chequeo anual?
El debate se generó cuando un sistema de salud anunció que comenzaría a secuenciar el ADN de 1,000 pacientes, como parte de un proyecto de atención primaria.
Viewpoints: Public Health Lessons From Ending Our Smoking Culture
Editorial pages focus on these and other health topics.
Opinion writers express their views on President Donald Trump’s plans to cut Title X funding from facilities that offer abortion services or make referrals for them.
Media outlets report on news from California, Minnesota, Texas, Iowa, Missouri, Virginia and Colorado.
A judge recently overturned the legislation, saying it was passed illegally in a special session that was supposed to focus on specific health care issues. California Attorney General Xavier Becerra cited Calif. Gov. Jerry Brown’s statement from when he signed the bill into law as an example of how the measure fits into the scope of the special session.
Hospital Team That Handled Las Vegas Shooting Imparts Hard-Earned Wisdom To Others
Workers talked to staff at New Orleans’ University Medical Center about the lessons they learned after the mass casualty event. They said that when faced with that number of patients, it was impossible to follow their standard practices, so they resorted to tactics used by the military in active combat. News on guns comes out of Texas, as well.
Can We Live Forever? One Scientist Has Devoted Much Of Her Life To Extending Humans’ Years On Earth
Laura Deming is excited about the possibilities and the results already achieved in experiments on animals. In other public health news: racial disparities in suicide rates; doctor burnout; the difference between HPV and HIV; DNA; barbershops and health care; and more.
Lack Of Cohesive National Health Records Database Stymies Cancer Research
The Dana Farber Cancer Institute has invested millions of dollars into determining the genetic sequences of patients’ tumors, but until patients’ medical records are linked to the genetic data, life-or-death questions cannot be answered.
Chinese Hospital Told Woman She Had To Pay Charges Before She Was Allowed To See Her Twin Babies
Although China now has near universal coverage, for those who lack insurance, the system can make you pay up front before you get treatment. In other international news: the World Health Organization has named certain lab tests as “essential,” and Ebola’s death toll continues to grow.
Is New York City Ready For Supervised Injection Sites For Heroin Users?
As New York mulls supervised injection sites, officials can look to Canada for a real-life example of how the idea plays out beyond theoretical discussions. And in other news on the national drug crisis: elder abuse; and death rates may have crested in Ohio.
EHR Vendor Epic Nets Supreme Court Victory In Workers’ Arbitration Case
The court ruled that businesses can block employees from joining together to file claims for wage theft and other work-related violations. “The virtues Congress originally saw in arbitration, its speed and simplicity and inexpensiveness, would be shorn away and arbitration would wind up looking like the litigation it was meant to displace” if workers gathered their complaints under class action lawsuits, Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote for the court.
While CMS has been encouraging states to request waivers from some federal restrictions on their Medicaid program, recent decisions by CMS Administrator Seema Verma indicate that not every plan will get a green light. Meanwhile, the White House’s rescissions plan faces a make-or-break moment on Tuesday. And Medicaid news comes out of Virginia and Iowa, as well.
Dr. George Tyndall has been accused of inappropriate behavior under the guise of medical exams. USC acknowledges that administrators had reports about misconduct by Tyndall dating back to at least the early 2000s.
Uninsured Rate Remains Basically Flat Despite Republicans’ Attempts To Chip Away At Health Law
The numbers from the government survey suggest a surprising resilience of the health law and its expansion of insurance coverage.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Are You And Your Primary Care Doc Ready To Talk About Your DNA?
The Pennsylvania-based health chain Geisinger plans to offer DNA sequencing as part of regular patient care.