Latest KFF Health News Stories
Refusing To Work For Medicaid May Not Translate To Subsidies For ACA Plan
In states that are instituting work requirements for Medicaid coverage, refusing to get a job will not likely make you eligible for subsidies to buy a marketplace plan.
Viewpoints: Short-Term Insurance Is Bad Policy; Limits On Genetic Testing Would Harm Cancer Patients
Editorial pages highlight these health issues and others.
Media outlets report on news from Maryland, California, New York, Wisconsin, Arizona, Florida, Minnesota, Georgia, Michigan, Virginia, Massachusetts and Missouri.
Professionals Open Up About Unwritten Rules Regarding Racial Issues In Health Workplaces
Despite many of the nation’s hospitals pledging to increase diversity on their boards and in their management and physician workforces, health care remains predominantly white. Black professionals talk about the obstacles they face breaking into the industry.
Who Needs Romance When You Have Gene Compatibility? New App Matches Users Based On DNA
Experts say there isn’t much science supporting the idea that you can find a genetically compatible date. In other public health news: cough syrup, medical research, Googling symptoms, back pain, heart health and more.
Heart Bypass Surgery Used To Be Considered Risky, But Advances Have Made It Safer And Safer
Deaths before being discharged from the hospital are down to between 1 and 3 percent.
Childhood Obesity Hopes Dashed: Rates Are Not Declining, Contrary To Earlier Reports
The latest analysis shows that the percentage of children ages 2 to 19 who are obese increased from 14 percent in 1999 to 18.5 percent in 2015 and 2016. “Clearly, obesity remains a problem,” says Asheley Skinner, of Duke University. Other news on children focuses on screening for depression and warnings about irritability.
The Peak Of This Terrible Flu Season Might Actually Be Behind Us
But that doesn’t mean it’s gone. “We’re likely to see influenza continue to circulate until mid-April,” said Daniel Jernigan, director of the CDC’s flu division.
Azar OKs Expanded Access To Medication-Assisted Therapies For Those Addicted To Opioids
The move is part of a broader push by FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb to treat the opioid epidemic as a health issue and not a moral failing. Meanwhile, Congress is looking to tackle the crisis, starting with a series of hearings this week.
“Hospitals will start to evolve into large intensive-care units, where you go to get highly specialized, highly technical or serious critical care,” predicts Bruce Leff, of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
The CDC Lab That Holds Some Of World’s Deadliest Pathogens Showing Signs Of Age
The agency is asking Congress for $350 million to build a new high-containment lab complex on the CDC campus.
Places With Religious Background, Abstinence-Based Methods Will Get Family-Planning Funding Priority
The HHS Office of Population Affairs released a long-awaited funding announcement Friday for $260 million in funding for Title X grants. The new rules could make it harder for Planned Parenthood to qualify for the money.
‘We’re Not Finished Yet’: Trump Touts Steps He’s Taken To Chip Away At Health Law ‘Piece By Piece’
President Donald Trump spoke to the Conservative Political Action Conference after his administration issued a rule to relax restrictions around short-term insurance plans. Meanwhile, an analysis by the Urban Institute shows that the changes Trump has made will drive premiums up in most states next year.
Governors Urge ‘Reasonable Approaches’ For Gun Control At National Meeting
Governors who had previously opposed changes to gun laws seemed open to considering new measures during the National Governors Association meeting, in a sign of a possible shifting tide following the mass shooting in Parkland, Fla. The governors also worked on other hot-button health care issues over the weekend.
While some Republicans have signaled that they’re open to some new gun measures, the contentious issue is still likely to roil Capitol Hill during a politically charged, and already busy, election year.
First Edition: February 26, 2018
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Trump’s Perfect Score On Brain Test Spawns DIY Cognitive Exam
The makers of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, or MoCA, say the test wasn’t meant for the masses. Now they’re working on a “mini-MoCA” that people who are worried about possible dementia can take online.
Editorial pages look at these health care issues and others.
Research Roundup: SNAP; HSAs; Medicaid and Billing
Each week, KHN compiles a selection of recently released health policy studies and briefs.
Media outlets report on news from Georgia, Tennessee, Massachusetts, Kentucky, Minnesota, Virginia, California, Ohio, Oregon, Colorado, Florida and Puerto Rico.