Latest KFF Health News Stories
Viewpoints: Our Kids Will Suffer From Our Climate Change Mistakes; HHS Is Merely ‘Climate Washing’
Opinion writers weigh in on these topics and others.
Fatal Overdoses In San Francisco Fall For Second Straight Month
With 10 fewer deaths in July, city officials are optimistic that the overdose crisis might be turning a corner. Separately, data show San Francisco’s homelessness problem is being driven more and more by drug and alcohol issues.
Eli Lilly Sends Cease-And-Desist Letters To Halt Sales Of Copycat Obesity Drugs
Also, Stat delves into questions about how Eli Lilly can keep innovating at a fast pace.
Rapidly Spreading Mpox In Africa Declared A Global Health Emergency
This is the second such declaration by the World Health Organization in two years, coming amid concerns over potential further spread in Africa and beyond. Also in the news: a West Nile virus case in Illinois; the summer covid wave; state fairs and bird flu; and more.
Employers Are Suing Aetna After Price Transparency Policies Show True Costs
As employers are gaining insight into insurers’ management via new price transparency policies, it’s triggering a wave a lawsuits from employers “plagued” by soaring health care spending, Modern Healthcare reports. In other industry news; Allstate, Elevance Health, AdventHealth, and more.
Bill Aiming To Boost Online Safety For Youths Stalls In Divided House
After easy passage in the Senate, the measure is running into a thornier path forward in the House, where some Republicans raised concerns about censorship and FTC powers.
Dementia Deaths Tripled Over Just 2 Decades In Alarming Trend: Study
In 1999, about 150,000 people in the U.S. died from dementia, but that number jumped to 450,000 by 2020. Related news stories report on how high blood pressure and shingles can affect cognition and Alzheimer’s risks as we age.
Brain Injury Study Findings Could Have Major Impact On Life-Support Choices
A study published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine found that some unconscious people are aware of what’s happening around them, raising ethical questions about whether someone would want to live that way. Plus: A brain implant study has surpassed expectations.
Biden Admin Touts Billions In Savings As It Debuts Medicare Drug Discounts
The discounts, which will take effect in 2026, are a major milestone for Democrats and will apply to 10 often-prescribed medications: Eliquis, Jardiance, Xarelto, Januvia, Farxiga, Entresto, Enbrel, Imbruvica, Stelara, and the insulins Fiasp and NovoLog.
Montana Minors May Seek Abortions Without Parent’s OK, Court Rules
Children deserve the same right to privacy as adults when making decisions affecting their bodies, the state Supreme Court says. Meanwhile, Arizona’s high court ruled that election materials regarding abortion may include the words “unborn human being” when referring to an embryo or fetus.
First Edition: Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Read recent commentaries about pharmaceutical issues.
White House Is Trying To Mitigate Increase In Medicare Drug Premiums
Read recent pharmaceutical developments in KFF Health News’ Prescription Drug Watch roundup.
Editorial writers examine these issues and more.
PFAS Levels In New Moms Might Be Linked To Shorter Breastfeeding
The New Hampshire study results were driven largely by PFOA, or perfluorooctanoate. And in other PFAS news, Air Force lawyers who are fighting an EPA order to clean up contaminated drinking water in Arizona say the Supreme Court’s recent “Chevron” ruling renders the agency’s decision moot.
Eli Lilly Opens Company Hub For Gene-Based Treatments In Boston
In other news from across the country: U.S. Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Maryland) had a mild stroke but escaped “lingering” symptoms; the first diagnosed human case of tick-borne Powassan virus in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania; fentanyl overdoses in young Californians; and more.
CDC Warns Of Surging Fifth Disease
CNN notes that the proportion of people with recent parvovirus B19 infections climbed to 10% in June, and children ages 5 to 9 had the highest increase. Meanwhile, federal officials concerned about rising H5N1 have been testing retail dairy products and haven’t found live avian flu virus in any samples.
Local Officials Have No Plans To Save Boston’s Carney Hospital From Closure
Employees were told neither state nor city public health authorities will take over the facility by eminent domain. Carney Hospital, owned by troubled Steward Health Care, is thus still slated for closure by Aug. 31. Other reports say Steward is selling its physician group to Rural Healthcare.
Biden’s ‘Cancer Moonshot’: $150M Will Go Toward Tools To Help Surgeons Remove Tumors
The research funds will be allocated to eight colleges and universities across the country, including a team at Tulane, where President Joe Biden spoke Tuesday. The president also focused on the need to break down research “silos” and improve information sharing, Fox News reported.
Missourians To Vote On Whether Abortion Ban Will Stand Or Fall
An initiative to enshrine abortion protections in the state’s constitution gathered enough signatures to make the November ballot. Ballot measures in New York and Florida also are in the news.