Latest KFF Health News Stories
Viewpoints: Democrats Face Voters Unhappy With Health Law; New ‘Pre-Existing Condition’
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
Research Roundup: Marijuana Use; Impact Of HSAs; Medicare Spending On Young And Old
Each week, KHN compiles a selection of recently released health policy studies and briefs.
Outlets report on health news from Massachusetts, California, Kentucky, Florida, Ohio, Illinois and Michigan.
Emory Healthcare’s Strategy To Pursue Affiliations Instead Of Mergers Bears Fruit
The system’s officials determined that acquiring community hospitals would be time consuming and expensive, so they instead focused on partnerships. In other hospital news, mental health experts are concerned Texas is failing to act on psychiatric facilities with unsafe conditions, and hospitals are trying to find ways to stave off an epidemic of employee burnout.
Report Finds That More Than 30% Of The Population Is Obese In 29 States
Although the rates have fallen in four states, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that obesity rates are above 20 percent in every state.
Obama Strongly Supports Panel’s Suggestions For Improving Veterans’ Health Care
In a letter to Congress, the president says the Department of Veterans Affairs is already adopting many of the proposals as part of a continuing overhaul of the department.
Texas Medicaid Shortfall Adding To Budget Gap Facing Lawmakers
The Medicaid program is short between $1.3 billion to $1.6 billion. News outlets also report on Medicaid developments in Colorado and Pennsylvania.
E-Cigarette Battle Highlights Tobacco Industry’s Extraordinary Clout In D.C.
The industry is launching an all-out effort to stop a new Food and Drug Administration rule regulating e-cigarettes and cigars.
Study: Improved Contraception Use Solely Responsible For Drop In Teen Birth Rates
Teenagers are having the same amount of sex, but there’s been a sharp decline in pregnancy. Researchers say it’s all due to better contraception use.
Exuberance Over Immunotherapy Has Dimmed Amid Recent Setbacks
The field was blazing hot a year ago, but some of that optimism has faded as companies and scientists trying to use immunotherapy have been blocked by daunting challenges.
Potent Elephant Tranquilizer Carfentanil Is Newest Threat In Deadly Opioid Crisis
“Instead of having four or five overdoses in a day, you’re having these 20, 30, 40, maybe even 50 overdoses in a day,” says Tom Synan, a director on an Ohio-based heroin task force. In other news, more counties and states are considering legal action against opioid-makers, advocates urge the government to act before market forces drive up the price of naloxone, CVS agrees to a prescription drug monitoring database and more.
Mosquitoes In Florida Test Positive For Zika For First Time, Confirming Virus Is Active In Area
“This find is disappointing, but not surprising,” Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam said in a statement. In other news, the U.S. government gives Takeda Pharmaceutical nearly $20 million for its Zika vaccine efforts, spraying for mosquitoes kills millions of honeybees, and the virus continues to spread globally.
FDA Grants Biogen’s Experimental Alzheimer’s Drug Fast-Track Status
The treatment is in late-stage clinical trials.
Executive Bonuses May Be Root Of EpiPen’s Hefty Price Hikes
Under a special, one-time stock grant created in 2014, top executives — including Chief Executive Heather Bresch — will be rewarded if the company’s earnings and stock price meet certain goals by the end of 2018. Meanwhile, a loophole allowed the company to use generic prices in its rebates to Medicaid.
Congressional Action Not Essential To ACA Markets’ Sustainability, HHS Chief Says
Despite the recent upheaval of the exchanges, Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell says the administration has the tools it needs to make them stable. Meanwhile, consumers are concerned about possible rate hikes.
First Edition: September 2, 2016
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Attending To The ‘Human Element’ Is Key To Keeping Patients Healthy
Research to be published in full this fall details how medicine’s “implicit bias” — whether real or perceived — undermines the doctor-patient relationship and the well-being of racial and ethnic minorities as well as lower-income patients.
‘Simple Choice Plans’ To Debut In 2017 Marketplace Enrollment
The standardized policy options would provide a way for consumers to make apples-to-apples comparisons.
Drop In Teen Pregnancies Is Due To More Contraceptives, Not Less Sex
Sexually active teenagers are more likely to use birth control and are choosing forms that are more effective, a study finds. Births to teens dropped by 36 percent from 2007 to 2013.
Burwell Says HHS Trying To Bring More Insurers Into Marketplaces
The administration is working to maintain competition on the health law exchanges to help keep premium prices lower.