Latest KFF Health News Stories
Companies Begin To Specifically Recruit Those On Autism Spectrum For Their ‘Hidden Talents’
Traits such as intense focus and facility with numbers and patterns can be a huge asset to companies. In other public health news, gay and bisexual men in the South have particularly high HIV rates, pediatricians are urged to ask about families’ financial struggles, scientists hope part-human, party-animal embryos could one day save lives, and a new study finds that a busy schedule might have positive effects on the brain.
Congress Quietly Protects Pharmacies While Trumpeting Efforts To Curb Opioid Epidemic
Although Congress has passed an opioid package that includes such things as bolstering prescription drug monitoring and funding drug disposal efforts, it also sent through a measure that limits the Drug Enforcement Administration’s powers to pursue pharmacies and wholesalers that the agency believes have contributed to the epidemic.
Abortion Landscape In Midwest, South Shifting As States Pass Restrictions At Unprecedented Levels
South Carolina’s 20-week ban is just the latest measure to limit abortion access in the states. Meanwhile, in Ohio, a law stripping funding from Planned Parenthood is causing some officials to scramble to find replacement services.
Amgen Researchers Find Gene Associated With Lower Heart-Disease Risk
Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal reports on a new study that offers hope to melanoma patients. Also, the Food and Drug Administration approves a new therapy for advanced bladder cancer and The Washington Post details a new analysis regarding colon cancer.
Theranos Issues Tens Of Thousands Of Corrected Blood-Test Reports
The startup voided two years of results and revised other reports in an effort to stave off harsh sanctions from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
New Overtime Rules May Translate To Shorter Shifts, Less Money For Home Health Workers
Starting in December, anyone making up to $47,476 a year will qualify for overtime. But in the health care industry that wouldn’t necessarily mean the workers are going to get paid more.
Key Republican Lawmaker Says Georgia Should Consider Medicaid Expansion
State Sen. Renee Unterman, who heads the Health and Human Services Committee, says she has changed her views on the prospect because of hospital closings in the state and problems that residents are having getting to see a doctor. But Georgia’s Republican governor is believed to still oppose any expansion. News outlets also report on developments in Arkansas and Louisiana.
Calif. Lawmakers Rush To Try To Get Insurance For Immigrants Before Obama Leaves Office
Some members of the legislature are pushing to allow immigrants who are in the country illegally to buy insurance coverage on the health law’s marketplaces. Also in the news are reports on insurance from Illinois, West Virginia, Connecticut and Indiana.
New York Insurers Seek To Raise Obamacare Premiums
The health insurers are proposing premium increases on the state exchange by an average of 17 percent for individual plans next year. The increases, however, will be considered by the N.Y. Department of Financial Services.
House Passes $622M For Zika Funding, But CDC Says ‘It’s Just Not Enough’
On Tuesday the Senate passed its own $1.1 billion bill, and the two chambers are now facing tough negotiations in an effort to find a compromise. Meanwhile, the man who led the White House response to Ebola says Congress has failed to learn its lesson and is now failing Americans in the face of a slow-motion public-health disaster.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Georgia Women Weigh Zika Risks As Mosquito Season Arrives
The CDC is advising pregnant women, especially in the South, to take some precautions to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes that could carry the Zika virus. So far, Zika cases in Georgia are linked to travel, not bites.
Rushing To Move Excluded Immigrants Into Obamacare — Before Obama Exits
In California, backers of a plan to allow adults living in the country illegally to buy coverage on the state’s exchange hurry to get federal approval — fearing opposition or inaction under a new administration.
Inspectors Find Calif. Hospital’s Pharmacy Posed Infection Risk
Thousands of patients at the San Diego-area hospital may have been exposed to infection last year because of unsanitary conditions in the compounding lab where IVs were mixed, officials found.
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
A selection of opinions on drug costs from around the country.
The Deceptive Generosity Of Drug Coupons
News outlets from across the country report on the pharmaceutical drug industry.
Valeant’s Top Brass To Get Millions In Bonuses
The retention and equity bonuses come at critical juncture for the embattled pharmaceutical company.
Outlets report on health news in California, New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Wisconsin, Massachusetts and Ohio.
Judge Knocks Down Beverage Industry’s Attempt To Stop Warnings On Ads For Sugary Drinks
A new law in San Francisco — set to go into effect July 25 — will require billboards and other advertisements for sugary drinks to include language warning about their link to obesity, tooth decay and diabetes. The American Beverage Association filed a complaint to stop the legislation, but a federal judge denied the request for a preliminary injunction.