Latest KFF Health News Stories
Media outlets report on news from Texas, Iowa, California, Hawaii, Washington, Maryland, Minnesota, Georgia, Oregon, New Orleans, Ohio, Wisconsin, Arizona and New Hampshire.
Our Smartphones Are Training Us To Expect Rewards Just Like Pavlov’s Dogs
Researchers look at the brain chemistry behind our addiction to smartphones. In other public health news: the common cold and the Olympics, a new malaria drug, the dreaded hospital gown, sugar cravings, superbugs, and more.
‘We Were Hoping To Have Better News’: Flu Continues To Get Worse For Yet Another Week
The latest weekly report shows 1 out of every 13 doctor visits last week was for fever, cough and other symptoms of the flu, matching the peak levels during the 2009 swine flu pandemic, and 1 in 10 of all deaths reported in the United States were caused by flu or pneumonia. Meanwhile, the severity of the season is driving up profits for those in the health industry.
In Effort To Reduce Number Of Opioid Deaths, NYC Weighs Pros And Cons Of Safe Injection Sites
“What’s most important to us is saving lives,” says Kassandra Frederique, the New York director of the Drug Policy Alliance. Nearly four overdose deaths occur daily in New York City. While the U.S. has not opened any official centers yet to monitor safe drug use, dozens are being funded across Canada.
Under Intense Fire For Role In Opioid Epidemic, Purdue Announces It Will Stop Marketing OxyContin
The company also cut its sales force in half and plans to send a letter Monday to doctors saying that its salespeople will no longer come to their clinics to talk about the company’s pain products. Purdue is facing numerous lawsuits from counties, cities and states for its aggressive marketing tactics.
A Look At Amazon’s Health Benefits Administrator Gives Hints Of What’s To Come With New Initiative
Making better use of patient data is at the heart of Amazon’s effort.
Health Provisions In Congress’ Budget Touted As ‘Beacon Of Light’ In The Legislation
Health providers were pleasantly surprised by some of the health care wins that were achieved through the budget deal that was hammered out last week.
Kentucky’s Medicaid Work Mandate Has Green Light, But Actually Implementing Is A Lot Trickier
Monitoring and enforcing the work requirements is a complex problem that officials are trying to wrap their arms around. The state will build a mobile-friendly website to help beneficiaries log their hours. Media outlets report on Medicaid news out of Iowa, Missouri, Michigan, Connecticut and Maryland, as well.
Despite Big Talk On Bringing Down Drug Prices, Critics Find Trump’s Plan Modest, Underwhelming
The White House Council of Economic Advisers has released a 30-page strategy for reducing drug costs. But the White House strategy largely sidesteps the question of whether drugmakers set their prices too high to start with.
Deputy White House Chief Of Staff Tapped To Lead Office In Charge Of Tackling Opioid Crisis
Jim Carroll has no background in working in public health policy, but the White House said that after law school, Carroll spent five years as the assistant commonwealth attorney for Fairfax, Virginia, where the majority of the cases were drug-related.
FDA Chief Winning Over Skeptics As He Juggles Public Health, Industry Concerns And Wary Staff
In a presidential administration that’s been roiled by scandal and confusion, Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb is standing out as a “thoughtful” and “deliberate” leader who doesn’t want to blow up his agency as some had previously feared.
White House Budget, Though Largely Ceremonial, Will Provide Peek At Trump’s Health Priorities
President Donald Trump’s budget blueprint, set to be released Monday, is expected to include funding to fight the opioid crisis. Media outlets take a look at what else may be in the proposal.
First Edition: February 12, 2018
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Could A Rare, Deadly ‘Superbug’ Fungus Be Gaining A Foothold?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the number of confirmed cases of Candida auris in the U.S. has climbed from seven in 2016 to at least 200.
Doctors Learn How To Talk To Patients About Dying
Clinicians can be so focused on fixing problems and saving lives that they often avoid talking to patients about their prognosis.
Pobres y sin atención médica: la nueva realidad de los suburbios
Siempre se creyó que era un enclave de los ricos, pero hoy en día más de 17 millones de personas viven en los suburbios, en donde es un desafío encontrar un doctor.
Podcast: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’ There’s A Really Big Health Bill In That Budget Deal
In this episode of KHN’s “What the Health?” Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Alice Ollstein of Talking Points Memo, Joanne Kenen of Politico and Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times discuss the health policy changes included in the just-concluded bipartisan budget deal on Capitol Hill. The panelists also talk about the final enrollment numbers for individual insurance purchased under the Affordable Care Act, and possible drug price proposals in President Donald Trump’s upcoming budget. Plus, Rovner interviews Andy Slavitt, who this week launched a health care advocacy group called “The United States of Care.”
Centros comunitarios de salud obtienen fondos a largo plazo
Como parte de la legislación para no cerrar el gobierno federal, estos centros que reciben a 27 millones de personas cada año en todo el país tendrán dinero por dos años.
Opinion writers comment on these health issues and others.
Research Roundup: Medicare Advantage, Medicaid And Diabetes Coaching
Each week, KHN compiles a selection of recently released health policy studies and briefs.