Latest KFF Health News Stories
Biotech Industry Left Floundering, Dismayed After High Court Passes On Patent Eligibility Case
Experts say that the Supreme Court’s refusal to take up the case about patents and a prenatal test based on a natural biological process could make investors and life sciences companies hesitant to be innovative in the field for fear their inventions won’t be worth anything.
Decision May Galvanize Presidential Race, As Significance Of Open Justice Seat Sinks In
As both Democrats and Republicans head into their national conventions, the ruling could become a rallying cry on both sides to make sure the open seat on the Supreme Court — still vacant following conservative Antonin Scalia’s death — is filled by their party.
Ruling Could Set Back Abortion Opponents’ State-Based Strategy
Anti-abortion activists have been focusing on moving regulations through state legislatures to limit abortion access. But Monday’s ruling could be a major blow to that strategy.
Providers On Reopening Texas Clinics: It Will Take Time To Recoup Lost Ground
In the years the provision have been in effect, the law took a toll on Texas’ abortion landscape. Providers and others warn that it won’t be like flipping a switch now that the Supreme Court has ruled. Some might not even be able to reopen at all.
‘The Fight Is Not Over’: Texas Lawmakers Not Giving Up On Abortion Restrictions
“I would expect an absolute onslaught of pro-life legislation in the next session,” said state Rep. Jonathan Stickland, R-Bedford, after the Supreme Court ruling striking down the Texas law.
Supreme Court Overturns Texas Abortion Clinic Restrictions
The justices rule, 5-3, that provisions requiring doctors to have admitting privileges to a hospital and for abortion clinics to meet hospital-like standards create an “undue burden” for women trying to obtain the procedure.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
States Offer Privacy Protections To Young Adults On Their Parents’ Health Plan
Now that young people up to the age of 26 can stay on their family plan, it can be difficult for them to keep their medical information confidential.
California Drug Price Measure Fiercely Opposed By Pharmaceutical Industry
Proposed legislation would require drugmakers to disclose and justify price hikes. The industry has taken to Facebook and Twitter, warning that the proposal could lead to medication shortages in some regions of the state.
Doctors Wrestle With Mixed Messages When Deciding Whether To Prescribe Painkillers
Though the CDC’s new prescribing guidelines follow a theme of less is more, another federal agency’s patient satisfaction surveys include questions about pain management that some say encourage doctors to prescribe the highly addictive medicines.
End-Of-Life Care Better For Patients With Cancer, Dementia: Study Finds
Researchers concluded that physicians and other health professionals are less likely to know or accommodate the advanced-care preferences of patients with conditions such as renal disease or congestive heart failure, among others.
Supreme Court Strikes Down Key Restrictions In Texas Anti-Abortion Law
The 5-to-3 decision could impact similar laws in about two dozen other states.
Supreme Court Justices Overturn Texas Abortion Clinic Restrictions
The justices rule, 5-3, that the provisions requiring doctors to have admitting privileges to a hospital and for abortion clinics to meet hospital-like standards create an “undue burden” for women who are trying to obtain the procedure.
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
Perspectives On Addiction, Opioids And Managing Pain
Editorial and opinion writers offer their thoughts on these timely topics.
Outlets report on health news from Colorado, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Missouri, Florida, California, Texas, Tennessee and Ohio.
After Water Switch, Flint Children 50% More Likely To Have High Blood-Lead Levels: CDC
The study underscores the need for a “big, public health discussion” about lead, said Patrick Breysse, director of CDC’s National Center for Environmental Health.
In Worst-Case Scenarios, Nurses Strikes Can Lead To More Deaths
Despite hospitals’ common reassurances to patients that care is not being affected by strikes, research shows that there’s an almost 20 percent higher chance of death during those times. Meanwhile, Allina Health nurses return to work after a seven-day walkout and a late-night compromise avoids what would have been the largest nurses’ strike in Massachusetts history.
Synthetic Opioid In Development Could Offer Pain Relief With Less Addiction Risk
Though years away from human testing, the University of Maryland is working on a drug, UMB425, that researchers hope could reduce the side effects of painkiller tolerance and addiction. Meanwhile, Bloomberg reports on how chili peppers could help people with chronic pain. And New Hampshire’s new prescribing guidelines raise concerns.
Wrestling With The Tangle Of Ethical Regulations Around Living Organ Donors
A family makes the difficult decision to donate their dying father’s kidney before taking him off life-support. The problem: They couldn’t find a doctor who was willing to do the surgery.