Latest KFF Health News Stories
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
Outlets report on health news from Connecticut, Maryland, Kansas, Oregon, Georgia, Illinois, Florida and California.
In Wake Of Layoffs, N.H. Hospital Chief Announces Departure
Dr. David Folks, who has been the top doctor at the state psychiatric hospital for the past eight years, will step down at the beginning of 2017. In other hospital and health system news, Minnesota’s Allina Health and its striking nurses continue to test each other’s patience and resolve while Missouri-based Ascension Health is seeking to become a household word.
Community Health System Explores Options To Shed More Hospitals
The company continues to feel financial pressure from a $14.9 billion net debt load.
Georgia Nursing Home Company Faces Long List Of Troubles
Meanwhile, a California nursing home chain will pay $30 million to settle claims that it billed the federal government for unnecessary care and, in Florida, an administrative law judge upheld a state decision to approve a new 103-bed facility.
The Health Benefits Of Owning A Dog
Dogs hijack the same oxytocin-bonding pathway parents feel with children, helping owners reduce stress and anxiety levels just by gazing into their eyes. In other public health news, sweat can hold the answers to many of the body’s mysteries, bright light increases testosterone production, a study finds vasectomies are not linked to prostate cancer and more.
Experts Fear Vaccination-Like Backlash From Study Linking Ultrasounds, Autism
There hasn’t been much recent testing on the potential dangers of ultrasounds, which are being used at ever-rising rates beyond medical guidelines. However, experts caution against putting weight behind the study, which relied on anecdotal reporting instead of records.
DEA Chief: Putting People In Prison Isn’t The Answer To Opioid Crisis
“I’ve been saying this ever since I was brand-new 25 years ago: we’re not going to prosecute or enforce our way out of this mess,” says Chuck Rosenberg, the head of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. Meanwhile, the Food and Drug Administration has recruited coders to create an app to help people find naloxone in times of need, and recovery high schools are helping teenagers who are addicted to drugs graduate.
Troubled VA Hospital Faces Congressional Scrutiny Over Fraud, Abuse Allegations
The Northport Veterans Affairs Medical Center in New York has been plagued with problems, including having to close its operating rooms because sand-grain-sized black particles fell out of air ducts. In other veterans’ health care news, a top official declares a program to speed access to health care for veterans a success.
New GlaxoSmithKline CEO Will Be First Woman To Head A Major International Pharmaceutical Firm
The British company names Emma Walmsley as its next chief executive. In other industry news, Bayer raises forecasts for sales of its new medications, and research finds that a blood pressure treatment may work on malaria.
Medicare’s Bundled Payments Program Produces Mixed Results, Study Finds
Under the bundled payments program, doctors and hospitals are paid a set amount per patient for a single episode of care, such as a hip replacement, rather than paying for individual services. The report found that of the 15 types of care studied, 11 had potential to save the government money.
Spat About Planned Parenthood Over, But There’s ‘Still Work To Be Done’ On Funding Bill
The new language, according to an aide, would enable a Planned Parenthood affiliate in Puerto Rico to access federal funding, as Democrats demand. However, some of the money provided for the Zika response will be offset, in return.
Rampant Use Of Powerful Antibiotics In Hospitals ‘Worrisome,’ CDC Says
The report shows that hospitals increasingly bypass weaker antibiotics that are considered the first line of defense in favor of more potent ones, even as the threat of resistance looms ever greater.
CDC Declares Victory Against Zika In Florida Neighborhood, Lifts Travel Advisory
No new cases of Zika have been reported in Wynwood since early August. The attention is now shifting to Miami Beach, where more mosquitoes have tested positive for the virus.
FDA Approves Muscular Dystrophy Drug Despite Fierce Internal Squabbling
The agency overturns its advisory committee in approving Sarepta’s drug, which is expected to cost an average of $300,000 a year. Some see the move as a dangerous precedent: “A decade from now, will we look back at this approval as a turning point when the FDA ceased to function as a public health agency?” says Diana Zuckerman, president of the National Center for Health Research.
La. Officials Say Several Hundred People Now Getting Life-Saving Treatment Through Medicaid
Louisiana health officials point to specific examples of treatment for breast cancer, diabetes and colon cancer screening to highlight Medicaid expansion efforts. In other news, the ACLU sues Colorado for its policy denying some Medicaid enrollees hepatitis C treatment, and insurers sue Pennsylvania over a Medicaid contract.
This Year, GOP Drops National Attacks On Health Law, Focuses Instead On Key Congressional Races
The Washington Post reports that Republicans are highlighting the withdrawal of several major insurers from health law online marketplaces and premium increases that will likely be announced just days before Election Day, especially in states with competitive Senate races. Also, a new study from the Urban Institute finds that unsubsidized policies in those online marketplaces are still cheaper than the full cost of employer-provided coverage.
First Edition: September 20, 2016
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Hitch Keeps Many High-Deductible Plans From Covering Chronic Care Up Front
IRS rules limit plans set up to link to health savings accounts from covering most care until the deductible is paid off, but proposed legislation would expand what’s allowed.
Kratom Defenders Fight Plan To Ban Herb Used By People In Recovery
The DEA plans to put the herbal supplement in the same legal category as heroin and LSD, but the agency has been surprised by the response of people who say it helps them stay off opioids.