Latest KFF Health News Stories
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Teaching Future Doctors About Addiction
Most medical schools offer very little education on treating opioid addiction. Stanford University’s medical school is trying to ramp it up.
Gun Violence And Mental Health Laws, 50 Years After Texas Tower Sniper
Trying to prevent gun violence by tying it to mental health legislation began in 1966 when a young gunman killed 16 people in Austin, Texas. But some believe the approach is misguided.
Study Bodes Well For Biosimilars But Highlights Need For More Research
Some experts said the findings stemming from this systematic review of existing studies was reassuring, but not surprising.
Latest On Zika: CDC Issues Miami Travel Advisory, Screening Guidance For Pregnant Women
As 10 new cases of Zika are confirmed, the CDC advises pregnant women to stay away from a 1-square-mile area in northern Miami. The agency also recommends that all prenatal screenings should include questions about travel to Zika-infected areas.
Web Tool Reduced Medical Missteps During Hospital-Shift Changes: Study
Researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston concluded that a web-based tool focused on these critical points of the day helped cut the rate of medical errors in half.
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
Public Health Perspectives: Zika Gives Congress A Wake-Up Call
Opinion writers offer thoughts on Florida’s locally transmitted Zika cases, HIV prevention, pre-diabetes and the ALS bucket challenge.
Debating Medicaid Expansion In Ky., Texas; Examining Tenn.’s Health Care Marketplaces
Newspaper editorial pages in Kentucky, Tennessee and Texas include opinions on Medicaid expansion and how their states are being impacted by the health law.
Outlets report on health news from Colorado, Massachusetts, Texas, Iowa, New Hampshire, Ohio, Minnesota and California.
Georgia Official Rejects Insurers’ Challenge On Medicaid Contracts
Last year, state officials chose four vendors for the Medicaid program, but other companies appealed the selection. The dispute has set the start of the contract back a year. Also, outlets report on Medicaid news in Minnesota, Alabama, California, Arizona and Pennsylvania.
Beyond Wearables: How All Your Daily Activity May Become Usable Health Data
In addition to health-specific apps, there is a range of ways for companies to gather information related to health care from a person’s daily life. And the methods are rarely governed by HIPAA. Meanwhile the FDA just confirmed the agency won’t be regulating fitness trackers and certain mobile health apps.
Abortion Rights Groups ‘Deeply’ Disappointed After Kaine Clarifies Stance On Hyde
Although Hillary Clinton’s running mate Tim Kaine says he is fully committed to her policy agenda, he did renew his personal support for the Hyde Amendment, which bars taxpayer funding for abortions.
GSK, Alphabet Plan To Tap Into Body’s Electrical Signals To Treat Illnesses
The partnership is a seven-year, $700-million venture that aims to target disruptions to the biological processes that are controlled by signals transmitted from the nervous system to the body’s organs.
Experts Stumped Why Meningitis Outbreaks Disproportionately Affect Gay Men
California’s outbreak is just the latest that has struck gay and bisexual men at high rates. In other public health news, a study finds that physical therapy may be an effective alternative to knee surgery, Olympic teams sign sponsorship deals with makers of dietary supplements, a look at how prisons are contributing to global epidemics and more stories.
Chaos Reigns, Cases Spike As Puerto Rico’s War On Zika Crumbles
Thousands of people — including up to 50 pregnant women — are being infected every day. But, health officials are feuding with each other, the governor’s special adviser on Zika has quit in disgust and residents aren’t protecting themselves because they think the threat is exaggerated.
For All Its Promise, Immunotherapy Has Power To Deliver Crushing Disappointment
Doctors are looking at immunotherapy — which uses a patient’s immune system to fight off cancer — as something akin to sending a man to the moon. But relapses plague a majority of the patients who turn to it in desperation. The New York Times offers patients’ stories and more information about the treatment.
Obama: Providing Veterans Proper Health Care A National Promise That ‘Can’t Be Broken’
The president will speak about his precision medicine initiative and other issues related to veterans’ health care at the annual convention of the Disabled American Veterans in Atlanta.
Some Doctors Improperly Bill Medicare Patients Who Also Qualify For Medicaid, Feds Warn
The government says doctors are incorrectly trying to collect deductibles, co-payments and other costs from these patients. Also in the news: A look at a lawsuit about Medicare billing that involves the head of the hospital chain Prime Healthcare Services, an article about Medicare’s expansion of bundled payment programs, and a Washington state hospital is facing the loss of Medicare funding.
Timing Of Co-Op Failures Creates Extra Layer Of Problems To Already-Bedeviled System
With the latest wave of closures, enrollees’ coverage is being disrupted in the middle of the year, which can add extra costs and make it harder to keep the same doctor. Meanwhile, new data show small businesses are less likely to offer health benefits to their employees after the health law was passed.