Latest KFF Health News Stories
The Only Way To Fix Health Care Is To Break The Current Business Model, Advocates Say
Backers of direct primary care, which is an alternative payment model that operates with a flat membership fee, want Amazon’s Jeff Bezos to incorporate the strategy into his new health care venture with JP Morgan and Berkshire Hathaway.
UnitedHealth’s Evolution From Traditional Insurer Into Multifaceted Business Pays Off
The company on Tuesday reported a first-quarter profit of $2.84 billion, and its revenue rose 13 percent to $55.19 billion. In a health landscape where lines are becoming blurred between traditional roles, UnitedHealth sees success for taking the plunge into different waters.
VA Nominee Commits To Stance Against Privatization, A Top Democratic Senator Says
Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) met with Dr. Ronny Jackson, President Donald Trump’s choice to lead the troubled Veterans Affairs Department, ahead of a confirmation hearing next week. Privatization has become a hot-button topic when it comes to veterans health care.
Opioid-Addiction Advocate Patrick Kennedy Stands To Reap Profits From Congress’ Newly Opened Wallet
Patrick Kennedy has met regularly with his former congressional colleagues to advocate for higher levels of spending to combat the opioid crisis. But he also has a financial stake in groups that will benefit from that increase in funding. Media outlets report on news on the epidemic out of West Virginia, Massachusetts, Colorado, Florida, Maryland and Wisconsin, as well.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions said the proposed regulation is intended to address the opioid epidemic, which he called “the deadliest drug crisis in American history.”
Bernie Sanders Wants To Impose Prison Sentences On Pharma Executives Who Play Role In Opioid Crisis
The proposed legislation from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) would also prohibit companies from direct marketing of opioid products without adequate warning of their addictive properties and establish a reimbursement fund that would collect revenues from the penalties imposed.
New CDC Director Divests Stock, Resigns From Four Groups To Comply With Ethics Standards
“The job of CDC Director is very important to me,” CDC Director Robert Redfield said. He took over the spot following the departure of Brenda Fitzgerald, who left amid controversy over tobacco stocks.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Drug Test Spurs Frank Talk Between Hypertension Patients And Doctors
Roughly half of patients don’t take their high blood pressure medicine as they should, even though heart disease is the leading cause of death in America. Now, a drug test can flag whether a patient is taking the prescribed medication and is meant to spark a more truthful conversation between patient and doctor.
Federal Appeals Court Puts Chill On Maryland Law To Fight Drug Price-Gouging
The decision in Maryland’s case could slow momentum for other states that are attempting to take action to curb high drug costs.
Viewpoints: Taking On The Opioid Crisis; When Palliative Care Is The Best Option
Editorial pages focus on these and other health topics.
Media outlets report on news from California, Massachusetts, Missouri, Georgia, Wisconsin, Florida, Texas, Ohio, Michigan, Utah, Oklahoma and Louisiana.
Teens In Texas’ Foster Care System Five Times More Likely To Get Pregnant Than Other Girls
The report recommends educating foster youth on healthy relationships and giving them access to health services to both prevent pregnancy and ensure the health of mothers and babies.
Law Regulating Noise Level Outside Health Facilities Upheld After Supreme Court Rejects Case
The case focused on an anti-abortion activist who was told to lower his voice while protesting outside a Planned Parenthood clinic in Maine. Meanwhile, a ban to block protesters within an 8-foot radius of health clinics was defeated, and Pennsylvania’s House sends a Down syndrome abortion ban to the state Senate.
Advocacy Group Raises Enough Signatures To Get Medicaid Expansion On Ballot In Utah
If approved, the initiative would require the state to expand Medicaid to people making up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level, and would prohibit enrollment caps. Medicaid news comes out of Arizona and Alaska, as well.
Maryland To Move Forward With Reinsurance Plan In Attempt To Prevent Collapse Of State’s Marketplace
Reinsurance sets aside money to help cover the most expensive medical claims. News on how to stabilize the industry comes from Florida, also.
There’s been a nationwide push to increase accountability in sexual harassment and assault cases, but that doesn’t seem to have sparked change in the medical field, an investigation finds. In other public health news: miniature brains, alcohol consumption, and fathers’ health.
What Goes Right In The Brains Of ‘Super-Agers’ Who Don’t Suffer Memory Loss?
Scientists hope that by looking into the brains of older adults who don’t have Alzheimer’s they’ll be able to unlock the key to maximizing people’s memories.
Barbara Bush Is Receiving Comfort Care — Here’s What That Entails
It was announced that former first lady Barbara Bush will not seek further medical treatment beyond comfort care for her failing health. People who opt for comfort care receive treatment only for their symptoms, such as shortness of breath or pain, rather than trying to prolong life.
Legal experts say that nursing facilities rejecting patients on addiction medication violates the Americans with Disabilities Act, yet an investigation finds that it’s a common practice. In more news on the crisis: medical groups are advocating for a new reimbursement model of physicians who treat opioid patients; researchers find that organ transplants from overdose victims fare as well as from traditional donors; West Virginia reaches a settlement with a pharmacy over its distributing practices; and more.