Latest KFF Health News Stories
One Of The Biggest Lessons Lawmakers Learned From Zika? Don’t Rely On Lawmakers
While it could be a long-shot, members of the House want to set up a fund for the next time the country is hit with a public health emergency like Zika. Meanwhile, health departments continue to ramp-up control methods, officials stress the risk of sexual transmission of the virus, and a look at Brazil’s history with the Zika mosquito.
U.S. Declares Public Health Emergency In Puerto Rico Over Zika
There have been 10,690 cases of Zika confirmed in Puerto Rico, including infections in 1,035 pregnant women.
Customers’ Laser-Like Focus On Plan Prices Is Causing Concerns In Health Insurance Market
The continuing rise of premiums is causing some experts to worry that more people will refuse to buy insurance and that could lead to a collapse of the market. Meanwhile, insurers are using a mechanism created by the federal health law to help keep prices down to instead justify their premium increases.
First Edition: August 15, 2016
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
As States OK Medical Marijuana Laws, Doctors Struggle With Knowledge Gap
State health departments are beginning to require physicians to complete continuing medical education courses to learn how and when this therapy might work for patients.
Race, Ethnicity Affect Kids’ Access To Mental Health Care, Study Finds
An analysis in the International Journal of Health Services finds disparities between white young people and their black and Hispanic counterparts in how often they receive mental health treatment.
Viewpoints: Campaign Spin On Drug Development, Costs; A Doctor Questions The Gun Question
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
Outlets report on health news from Massachusetts, California, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Florida, Ohio, Louisiana and Missouri.
‘We Take It For Granted’: Researchers Try To Unlock Mysteries Of The Placenta
Doctors have few tools to examine the placenta during pregnancy and there is only so much that can be understood by studying one post-birth.
These Tiny ‘Ticking Time Bombs’ Are Pumping Lead Into Drinking Water
Even when a city’s water system has been tested for lead levels, it can still get into residents’ drinking water through service lines — which are pipes that carry water from the main service line into homes.
Through Training, Paraplegics Able To Jumpstart Long-Dormant Nerve Networks
The study in Brazil focused on helping paraplegics regain some brain function following a stroke through repetition and practice to improve quality of life.
Intense Fear Skews Public Perception Of Radiation’s Health Effects, Analysis Finds
There is a tendency to overestimate radiation’s risks, the author of a newly released paper says.
Privacy Concerns Stoke Distaste For Drug Monitoring Programs In Midst Of Opioid Crisis
Because of one lawmaker who battled against a prescription drug monitoring program, Missouri is the only state without one. But the sentiment could be spreading as privacy threats to health data loom large. Meanwhile, the number of babies born addicted to opioids triples, Ohio lawmakers try to find ways to better educate students on the opioid crisis, and people look for ways to fight pain without pills.
DOJ: Mississippi Violating Civil Rights Of People With Mental Illness
The agency has sued the state for “unnecessarily and illegally” forcing people into institutions by failing to provide other options. In other news, crisis intervention teams teach prison staff how to defuse volatile situations with inmates with mental disorders, a patients’ rights group calls for a federal investigation of a New Hampshire state prison and legislation geared toward tracking mental health services for foster kids takes a step forward in California.
What Happened To $10B Gilead Allegedly Owes In Taxes? Group Asks Feds To Investigate
The Americans for Tax Fairness wants the Internal Revenue Service and Treasury Department to take action against the drugmaker following a report released by the group that shows the company may have shifted billions into offshore accounts to avoid paying taxes.
In Battle Of Insurance Titans, Companies Eye Walmart’s ‘Ruthless’ Tactics To Hold Down Costs
In other marketplace news, outlets report on companies as well as doctors who are opting out of the traditional health insurance models in favor of alternatives while a Texas hospital settles its fight with Blue Cross and Blue Shield.
CMS Report Details Stability Of Health Law Marketplaces, Undercutting Insurers’ Complaints
Insurers fired back, though, saying the report — which showed costs remaining basically flat between the first two years of the Affordable Care Act — was not reflective of what they have experienced.
Agency Shuffle: Karen DeSalvo To Step Down As Top Federal Health IT Coordinator
Dr. Vindell Washington will take over the job as head of the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology. DeSalvo will continue in her other role at the Department of Health and Human Services as acting assistant secretary of health.
Administration Dips Into NIH Funds As Congress Refuses To Budge On Zika
Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell announced that the administration is moving $81 million away from biomedical research and other health programs to continue Zika vaccine development funding, which would run out by the end of the month otherwise.
First Edition: August 12, 2016
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.