Latest KFF Health News Stories
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Boston’s Heroin Users Will Soon Get A Safer Place To Be High
A nonprofit group in Boston working with homeless people will convert a conference room and provide medical supervision for people after they have taken heroin.
Bridging The Gap Between Medical And Mental Health Care
Recognizing the strong link between psychiatric and physical illnesses, providers across the country are integrating primary care into mental health clinics with the help of federal funding.
Supreme Court Justices Divided During Oral Arguments In Texas Abortion Case
In the first major abortion case to be heard by the high court in almost a decade, Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt was argued before the eight justices Wednesday.
A selection of opinions from around the country.
News outlets report on health issues in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Arizona, New Mexico, North Carolina, Virginia, Florida, Ohio, New York and California.
N.C. Officials Release Details Of Plan To Revamp Medicaid
The plan to move Medicaid into private managed care plans must still be approved by federal officials. Also in the news, a look at the woman leading the effort to change Alabama’s Medicaid system, a dispute in Colorado over a Medicaid tax and the federal government stopping reimbursements at a hospital in South Dakota.
Gov. Brown Signs Law To Expand Tax On California’s Managed Care Insurers
The package is designed to help avoid losing more than $1 billion in federal matching funds for Medi-Cal, California’s Medicaid program for low-income residents.
Sexual Transmission Of Zika Virus, Thought To Have Been Rare, Raising Concerns As More Cases Emerge
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is investigating more than a dozen cases where pregnant women whose only exposure to Zika was through unprotected sex have been infected.
Alzheimer’s Association Ruptures Over ‘Care vs. Cure’ Friction, Extravagant Spending
Prominent chapters have left the national organization over concerns including whether fundraising money should go to finding a cure or providing care for those living with the disease.
FDA Head Califf Lays Out Efforts To Battle Opioid Abuse
The newly confirmed Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Robert Califf says his agency can’t alone solve the problem, but he pledges to support the development of harder-to-abuse painkillers, as well as encourage the safe disposal of such drugs. In other FDA news, the agency is asking the maker of Essure to conduct a new study on risks following reports of adverse effects from the sterilization device.
‘Paying For Drugs To Go In The Trash’: How Americans Waste $3B On Medications A Year
The U.S. has taken a one-size-fits all approach when it comes to packaging for expensive high-tech drugs, which has led to extraordinary waste, a new study finds.
On Return To Work, Valeant CEO Faces Questions About Business Practices
Just back from a two-month medical leave, Valeant Pharmaceutical’s Michael Pearson sought to reassure Wall Street analysts over the drugmaker’s financial disclosures. In other pharmaceutical news, the FDA approves orphan designation for a BioMarin gene therapy. And Johnson & Johnson and Bayer face charges that the firms mislead medical journals over the safety of Xarelto.
Alaska Judge Rejects Suit Challenging Governor’s Implementation Of Medicaid Expansion
Republican legislators who brought the suit have not yet decided whether to appeal. News outlets also report on lawmakers in Idaho suggesting Medicaid expansion could still be on the agenda and efforts in New Hampshire to find funding for that state’s expansion.
Scope Maker Olympus To Settle Federal Kickback Investigation For $646 Million
The company agreed to the payment to end civil and criminal probes of charges that it bribed doctors and hospitals to buy Olympus endoscopes and devices. A corporate whistleblower may collect $51 million from the settlement.
Trump, Clinton Super Tuesday Victories Solidify Front-Runner Statuses, But Rivals Hold On
Both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump nabbed at least 7 states, with Sen. Bernie Sanders holding on to 4, including his home state of Vermont, and Sens. Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio taking 3 and 1, respectively. The vast majority of voters did not rank health care as the most important issue.
High Court Rules, 6-2, Against Vermont’s Health Data Law
Justice Anthony Kennedy, writing for the court in one of the first cases since Antonin Scalia’s death, says that the law, which requires insurance companies to provide state officials with health care data, could impose a major financial burden on health care providers.
Supreme Court To Hear Oral Arguments In Texas Abortion Case
Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt goes before the high court on Wednesday. It is the first major abortion case the court has heard in almost a decade.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Leading Scope Maker Olympus Agrees To Hefty Settlement In Kickback Cases
The company will pay $646 million to end civil and criminal probes. Olympus’ leaders acknowledge responsibility for ‘past conduct’ they say was inconsistent with the firm’s values.