Latest KFF Health News Content

Latest KFF Health News Stories

FDA Chief: Big Players In ‘Internet Ecosystem’ Need To Do More To Curb Illegal Online Opioid Sales

Morning Briefing

FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb plans to host a summit with tech CEOs and others in the industry to discuss solutions, like altering search algorithms and posting information about the fatal risks associated with the illegal drugs.

Podcast: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’ Alive And Limping: ACA In The Age Of Trump

KFF Health News Original

In this special episode of KHN’s “What the Health?” Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Joanne Kenen of Politico, Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times and Alice Ollstein of Talking Points Memo take a deep dive into the state of the federal health law, what happened in 2017 and the Affordable Care Act’s viability going forward.

States Shifting Toward Offering Medication-Assisted Treatment For Inmates With Opioid Addiction

Morning Briefing

A study of a new program in Rhode Island that offers inmates addiction medications found that opioid overdose deaths dropped by nearly two-thirds among recently incarcerated people in the first year of the initiative, which could provide a road map to other states struggling with the same issue. In other news on the crisis: the CMS tweaks its proposal on limiting opioid prescriptions; New Jersey’s governor halts new funding on public service announcements; and more.

NIH Branch That Studies Alcohol Abuse Hasn’t Funded Outside Studies On Advertising Since Current Director Started

Morning Briefing

The Stat investigation looks at the priorities of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism under Director George Koob. It comes amid a report that NIH researchers were wooing the alcohol industry to support a study about the benefits of moderate drinking.

Grindr Will No Longer Share Users’ HIV Information In Order To ‘Allay People’s Fears’

Morning Briefing

But the company says the backlash comes from a “misunderstanding of technology.” Chief security officer Bryce Case stressed that the HIV data had only been shared with Apptimize as part of Grindr’s standard rollout procedure for new features on the app, and that it wasn’t used for nefarious purposes or to make money.

Official Enrollment Numbers Show Relatively Small Drop Despite GOP Efforts To Chip Away At Health Law

Morning Briefing

In all, 11.8 million people signed up for coverage through the marketplaces, down about 400,000 from last year. And while premiums did spike, subsidized consumers are actually paying less because of an odd quirk that came about after the Trump administration cut off payments to insurers.