Latest KFF Health News Stories
Opinion writers express views on health care issues.
Editorials focus on the Trump administration’s changes to the program designed to help the poor.
Media outlets report from Iowa, Connecticut, Maryland, Arizona, Minnesota, the U.S. Virgin Islands, California, New Orleans, New Jersey and Hawaii.
Worried About Brain Impact Of Tech? So Are Some Early Facebook, Google Employees Who Are Teaming Up
Concerned technologists are creating a coalition to address the potential health issues that social media and smartphones may cause. In other public health news: Alzheimer’s, migraines, learning disabilities, the latest research on dietary benefits, medical pot, sleep in women and a bionic hand.
Two Big Studies On Cellphone Safety Show Cancer Risk Is Probably Small
While results from the animal research were mixed, John Bucher, a scientist involved in one of the studies, said “I have not changed the way I use a cellphone.”
Number Of Teens Identifying As Transgender, Gender Nonconforming Higher Than Expected
Some experts say that an increase in the issue’s visibility is making kids feel safer to come out and talk about it openly.
As Flu Hospitalization Rates Reach Record Highs, Experts Warn Peak Of Illness Hasn’t Arrived Yet
The rates have already surpassed those of the 2014-15 season, when 710,000 Americans were hospitalized and 56,000 died. “Overall hospitalizations are now the highest we’ve seen” in nearly a decade, said Anne Schuchat, the CDC’s acting director.
Early Weeks Of 2018 Show Flurry Of Activity Over Abortion In State Legislatures
A look at a wide-range of abortion legislation that’s moving in the states, from Mississippi to California.
On Heels Of CDC Chief’s Resignation, Two High-Ranking Lawmakers Disclose Links To Tobacco Stocks
Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) report that they or their family members have traded in tobacco stocks. While executive branch employees are forbidden to work on issues in which they have a financial interest, such rules do not apply to members of Congress.
Senators Hope To Hammer Out A Deal With White House On VA Choice Program
Lawmakers are working off a bill Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) introduced last year that aligns somewhat with the House’s version.
Health Industry Had Been Long-Stagnant But High Costs Plus Mediocre Access Have Triggered Shake-Ups
Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway and JPMorgan’s new initiative to disrupt the health landscape is just the latest in a string of recent moves that have sought innovative and outside-the-box partnerships to try to do something about high costs in the industry.
States are supposed to keep track of cases involving the abuse, neglect, exploitation or unexplained death of Medicaid beneficiaries in assisted living facilities. But a report from the Government Accountability Office said more than half of the states were unable to provide information on the number or nature of such cases.
Those on the front line of the war against opioids in a state that’s been hard hit by the crisis say President Donald Trump and the government need to provide funding and not just lip-service over the epidemic. In other news: lawmakers ask OMB to block changes to the anti-drug office, colleges are stocking anti-overdose medication, Pfizer encounters manufacturing issues with its opioid product, and more.
Indiana Becomes Second State To Win Approval For Medicaid Work Requirements
The decision comes just weeks after the Trump administration issued guidelines allowing states to impose the first-ever employment-based restrictions in the Medicaid program’s 53-year history. Kentucky was the first state to receive approval for a work mandate. That plan is already under legal challenge.
Republicans’ Attacks On Health Law Ignites Surge Of Activity In States To Protect It
There are now at least nine states publicly considering their own version of the individual mandate. The movement is part of a bigger trend of some states taking matters into their own hands to shield the health law’s protections as the federal government tries to chip away at it.
First Edition: February 5, 2018
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Skip The Rocking Chairs For These Rock Stars Of Aging
Two women, 80 and 91, from opposite poles, agree on the art of aging.
California To Drug Users: We’ll Pay For You To Test Your Dope
Fentanyl, a significant cause of overdoses and deaths across the country, has begun showing up in California street drugs. State health officials have responded with a bold but controversial policy: paying for test strips so users can check their stash.
Indiana Gets Federal Approval For Medicaid Plan That Could Slice Enrollment
HHS officials sign off on a plan that could lock out for six months thousands of people who fail to get their paperwork done promptly.
Stalled Health Programs Await A Green Light On The Hill
With another piece of must-pass legislation set to move through Congress, there’s a push to attach provisions to keep afloat a number of health-related programs for which funding or specific federal direction has expired.