Latest KFF Health News Stories
Roundup: Drug Side Effects Sending People To ER; Human Eye Transplants; Infectious Disease In U.S.
Also in the news: sugary drinks, anti-aging benefits of blood transfusions, sunscreen recommendations, brain injuries and non-sterile sterile products.
Babies Can Develop Microcephaly From Zika Months After Birth
Zika-infected infants who are born healthy can go on to develop severe brain damage, researchers discover.
Pharma Billionaire’s Tactics Come Under Scrutiny As Opioid Crisis Rages On
Insys Therapeutics’ co-founder John N. Kapoor is facing accusations from prosecutors that the company bribed doctors to prescribe large, off-label doses of its painkiller.
GOP’s Focus On Health Care Could Put Medicare In The Cross Hairs
Although President-elect Donald Trump promised during the campaign to not cut Medicare, his transition website and congressional Republicans now signal interest in making changes in the program. Details are not yet clear, but the intent is raising concerns.
Americans Are Visiting Doctor, Hospital Less, But Health Care Spending Is Still Going Up
Prescription drug costs are a big part of the reason, an analysis finds.
Alaska’s 500 Sickest Residents Were Driving Up Costs For Everyone. So The State Stepped In.
The state’s “high-risk pool” approach could serve as a model to Republicans who want to dismantle the health law but retain the popular provision that no one can be denied coverage for pre-existing conditions.
Potential HHS Pick Tom Price Big Proponent Of Returning Health Decisions To States
Georgia Rep. Tom Price was one of the first to put forward his own replacement plan in proposed legislation.
Trump Meets With Architect Of Indiana’s Novel Medicaid Expansion Program
While Indiana was one of few red states to adopt the health law’s expansion, it added a requirement that many low-income residents help contribute financially to their health coverage. Meanwhile, other Republican-led states are watching closely to see how Washington wants to change the Medicaid system.
Heritage Foundation Urges Congress To ‘Go Further’ On Repeal
The conservative think tank lays out a “repeal and replace” plan that would roll back the ACA’s rules around plans’ age rating, essential benefits and actuarial value limits. Its experts also say Republicans should institute “sensible rules” to maintain protections for patients with pre-existing conditions but prevent those patients from gaming the system.
California Braces For Medi-Cal’s Future Under Trump And The GOP
California officials jumped at the chance to cover millions more low-income people by expanding its Medicaid program. Now, health policymakers and advocates fear the Trump administration and a Republican-ruled Congress will roll back the state’s progress.
First Edition: November 23, 2016
NOTE TO READERS: KHN’s First Edition will not be published Nov. 24-25. Look for it again in your inbox Nov. 28. Here’s today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Back To The Future: Insurance Pools For High-Risk Patients Could Be Revived
Trump and leading Republicans like the idea. Some policymakers and experts say it wasn’t viable in the first place.
Long-Stalled FDA Reform Sits On Senate’s Lame-Duck Calendar
The legislation would give federal officials more flexibility in evaluating the effectiveness and safety of drugs and devices and add billions of dollars to NIH funding. But critics say it could endanger patients’ safety and doesn’t do enough to stop spiraling drug prices.
Viewpoints: Pelosi Vows To Oppose Medicare Overhaul; GOP Agenda For Health Care
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
Outlets report on health news from New Hampshire, Illinois, Tennessee, Georgia, Kansas, California, Missouri, Minnesota, New Jersey, Florida and Michigan.
Public Health Roundup: Allergens In Schools; High Blood Pressure Underdiagnosed In Kids
Today’s other public health stories cover diabetes complications, doctors grocery shopping with patients, misleading “aloe vera” products and bad exercise habits causing injury.
Schools Test App That Aims To Detect Suicide Risk Hidden In Teens’ Language
Elsewhere, communities around the country increasingly focus on reducing emergency room use by people with mental illness. And a Minnesota mental health task force issues recommendations to expedite care.
‘Shazam For Mosquitoes’: Phone App Tells Zika-Carrier Apart From West-Nile Carrier
The technology uses wing beats to identify mosquito varieties. In other Zika news, Florida confirms 11 new cases.
When Solving Puzzle Of Opioid Overdose, Medical Examiners Are Often Flying Blind
Bodies that by all indications shut down because of overdoses can show nothing on drug screens. Forensic pathologists’ jobs are further complicated by the fact that they often have little information about how much of a drug was consumed or how soon before death.
As Dementia Rates Plummet, Researchers Speculate Education Could Be Key Factor
More than a million people don’t have dementia who would have had it if the rates had stayed the same as 2000 rates, even though scientists expected a surge as the baby boomers age.