Latest KFF Health News Stories
Marking 100 Years: Planned Parenthood Says Its Resolve Has Only Strengthened
Opponents decry the celebration as a “tragic milestone.”
Health System Scrambles To Meet Transgender Patients’ Needs
Hospitals and professional schools have begun training employees and students on transgender medicine, but struggles still remain.
Potential Fallout From Calif. Ballot Initiative Has Pharma Sweating The Elections
A measure to curb drug prices, from such an influential state, could create a ripple effect for the industry that threatens its current status quo. Meanwhile, Valeant announces more price increases.
With New Drug To Help Addicts, Pharma Companies Chase Profits From Opioid Epidemic
The pharmaceutical industry has taken to treating secondary symptoms of opioid abuse with more pills. Meanwhile, even as the U.S. tries to regulate the trade of chemicals used to make fentanyl, a new, extremely potent drug is hitting the streets.
Concerns About Health Plans’ Choices And Costs Grow As Enrollment Season Nears
The health law’s marketplaces will open Nov. 1 for customers to buy 2017 coverage, and many people are worried about steep increases in premiums and deductibles and the prospects of having to change plans. Also, a look at the varied experiences of insurers serving those marketplaces.
Biden To Push Lame-Duck Congress For Cancer ‘Moonshot’ Funding
The vice president will deliver his final report, outlining the challenges that face cancer researchers in its goal to make a decade’s worth of progress against the disease in just five years.
Administration Finalizes Medicare Rules Tying Bonuses, Penalties To Doctors’ Performance
An early draft of the rule sparked an outcry from physician groups that feared doctors in small medical practices would suffer under the new formula, but Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services officials sought to allay those concerns by making it easy to avoid penalties in the first year.
Frustration Runs Deep For Customers Forced To Change Marketplace Plans Routinely
Doctor and hospital switching is a recurring scramble for these consumers who face rising premiums and plan exits.
First Edition: October 17, 2016
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
Research Roundup: Adult Vaccine Use; Safety-Net Hospital Readmissions; State Abortion Policy
Each week, KHN compiles a selection of recently released health policy studies and briefs.
Outlets report on health news from Massachusetts, North Carolina, Connecticut, Florida, Maryland and Georgia.
Minn. Nurses Ratify Contract, Will Return To Work Sunday After Months-Long Dispute
The nurses went on two strikes for a combined 44 days.
Mass. Hospital Faulted For Lax Safety Measures After Removing Kidney From Wrong Patient
The Massachusetts’ Department of Public Health conducted the inspection at Saint Vincent Hospital in conjunction with Medicare. Media outlets also report on hospital news out of Florida and Pennsylvania.
Medical Breakthrough Returns Sense Of Touch To Paralyzed Man
Researchers placed tiny electrodes in the sensory cortex of Nathan Copeland’s brain, which allows the sense of touch to bypass his damaged spinal cord.
HHS Releases ‘How-To’ Guide To Help Hospitals Navigate EHR System Contracts
Hidden fees lurk around every corner when it comes to the electronic health systems hospitals and doctors have been pushed to start using.
Doctors: ICU Delirium A ‘Massive Public Health Problem’ That Is Often Overlooked
Up to 80 percent of patients in the ICU experience the phenomenon, which manifests as a sudden and intense confusion that can include hallucinations, delusions, and paranoia. In other news, the doctor’s white coat may be traditional, but it also helps spread infections, scientists make a breakthrough on keeping HIV in check, sugar is linked to high cholesterol and more.
Homegrown Zika Cases Reported In New Miami-Area Neighborhood
Meanwhile, Florida’s governor urges federal officials to release funds to help the state combat the virus outbreak.
Despite Other Promising Trends In Breast Cancer Deaths, Disparities Remain
While the death rates for women under 50 declined regardless of race, older black women are more likely to die of breast cancer than are white women. In other news, the treatment for prostate cancer can increase the risk of dementia and obesity is linked to liver cancer.
Opioids Dull Parents’ Instinct To Find Babies Irresistible
Recently, a number of incidents have shifted the focus to the toll the crisis is taking on the children of those with an addiction. So researchers looked at why parenting skills seem to be affected by opioids.