Latest KFF Health News Stories
Hospital Industry In Texas Urban Areas Soars Under Obamacare, But Rural Patients See Decline In Care
“Rural hospital closures have hit Texas especially hard; it has almost twice as many as the second-most state,” said Mark Holmes, an industry analyst. “Losing the emergency room, labor and delivery, and other critical health care services in addition to hundreds of jobs can be devastating to the community.” Hospital news comes from Maryland, Illinois and Massachusetts, as well.
Flint Children To Undergo In-Depth Health Screenings As Part Of Legal Settlement
The agreement settles a part of a lawsuit that accused education officials of not properly screening and evaluating children in Flint to determine if they needed special education services following the city’s water crisis.
Kaiser Permanente Launches $2 Million, Nationwide Initiative To Research Gun Violence
Kaiser Permanente decided to jump-start its effort because of the huge effect of gun violence on its patients. In other news, officials in Ohio urge lawmakers to pass a “red flag” law to confiscate guns.
Scientists Want To Focus On Actual Brain Changes And Not Memory Loss As Way Of Defining Alzheimer’s
The change would be geared toward providing more objective research. It would also mean many more people will be considered to have Alzheimer’s, because the biological signs can show up 15 to 20 years before symptoms do.
Health Scholars Criticize Medicaid Work Requirements, Saying Policy Contradicts Intent Of Program
The scholars voiced their opinion as part of an amicus brief filed as part of a lawsuit challenging Kentucky’s changes to its Medicaid program.
Under Proposed California Bill, State Would Set Prices For Certain Health Care Services
The measure, which is backed by influential unions and opposed by providers, faces an uphill battle in the state Legislature.
One of the common sense ideas that is rejected by health experts is letting patients become smarter shoppers and search out deals. But the idea just doesn’t work.
CVS Pocketed Difference After Improperly Reporting Generic Drug Prices To Government, Lawsuit Claims
CVS Caremark allegedly paid pharmacies lower prices for generic drugs than what Medicare Part D plans were charged, according to the whistle blower lawsuit filed by an actuary at Aetna.
Following Thousands Of Complaints From Women, FDA Puts Restrictions On Bayer’s Birth Control Implant
The FDA said only women who read and have the opportunity to sign a brochure about the risks of the device will be able to receive the implant made by Bayer. The move comes two years after the agency ordered the company to place a “black box warning” on the product package.
California Leads Coalition Of States To Intervene In Texas Suit That Challenges Health Law
“It is a legally unsound action, and it is a dangerous action for millions of Americans who left the bad days of pre-existing conditions and the inability to get care for their children,” California Attorney General Xavier Becerra said of the Texas lawsuit that is challenging the constitutionality of the health law saying the mandate no longer counts as a tax.
Administration Relaxes Essential Benefits Regulations, Creates New Mandate Exemptions
Overall, the Trump administration’s rules addressing the standards for insurers planning to participate in health law marketplaces give more control and further flexibility over to states.
Naloxone Is A Lifesaver For Many, But Its Flaws Have Scientists Calling For New Alternatives
Many experts believe “naloxone is being outgunned” in the opioid crisis that’s fueled by potent drugs like fentanyl and carfentanil. In other news, Congress is set to hold more hearings on the epidemic as lawmakers work toward a bill they want to bring to the floor next month.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
How A Drugmaker Turned The Abortion Pill Into A Rare-Disease Profit Machine
An abortion drug invented decades ago is being used to treat Cushing’s syndrome — and it’s bringing in tens of millions of dollars a year.
Can You Hear Me Now? Senate Bill Aims to Broaden Access To Hearing Services.
The measure would allow Medicare beneficiaries to visit an audiologist to get a hearing test to diagnose a hearing problem without first being referred by a physician or nurse practitioner.
C-SPAN: FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb Talks To KHN
Kaiser Health News reporter Sarah Jane Tribble sat down with Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb on C-SPAN’s “Newsmakers” program. The conversation ranged from how the nation should combat the opioid epidemic to reining in drug prices.
Editorial pages focus on these and other health topics.
Media outlets report on news from California, Michigan, West Virginia, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Arkansas, Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Florida, Minnesota, Maine, Louisiana and Ohio.
State Auditor Faces Lawsuit In Battle Over Small Rural Missouri Hospital
Nicole Galloway’s scathing audit of Putnam County Memorial’s billing practices sparked a fight about control of the hospital.
Many who try to quit say they cannot because of withdrawal symptoms they were never warned about. In other public health news: TB, brain disorders, cancer treatment, strokes, high blood pressure, and more.