Latest KFF Health News Stories
‘Terrible Commute’ Awaits Manager Of First Pharmacy On A Small NC Island
North Carolina Health News speaks to the manager of what will be Ocracoke Island’s first pharmacy who more or less works from home, living above the Ocracoke Health Center Pharmacy — islanders have until now had to rely on next-day pharmacy services from a neighboring island.
Viewpoints: Woman Must Sue Texas To Receive Needed Abortion Care; What’s Happened To The NHS?
Editorial writers tackle abortion rights, NHS failures, pollution near hospitals, and medically complex children.
Research Roundup: Lung, Colorectal Cancers; Covid; Racism In The NEJM
Each week, KFF Health News compiles a selection of health policy studies and briefs.
Gunman Kills 3 In Las Vegas, Forcing Many To Relive 2017 Nightmare
A fourth person was critically hurt after the shooter opened fire on the UNLV campus Wednesday afternoon. The suspect, who was shot and killed by police, was identified as a 67-year-old professor who had recently been turned down for a job at the university.
After Roe, More Than Twice As Many Crossed State Lines For Abortion Care
The number of people traveling out of state for abortion care in the first half of 2023 was over twice that for a similar period in 2020, new data show, showing patients are having to travel much further distances to seek abortions. Also in the news: worries over electronic health data for this sort of care.
Nationwide Test2Treat.Org Launches At-Home Flu, Covid Treatment System
The idea of the new nationwide federal program is that any adult who’s currently positive for flu or covid can get access to free telehealth care and have necessary medication delivered to their home. Meanwhile, researchers find that using both nose and throat covid swabs improves testing sensitivity.
Steward Health Care Will Shut A New England Rehabilitation Hospital
The decision to close New England Sinai rehabilitation hospital in Stoughton by April will squeeze regional hospitals already battling to discharge patients who need ongoing care, the Boston Globe reports. Also in the news: Lawmakers are probing private equity’s impact on health systems.
Supreme Court Unanimously Dismisses Case That Threatened Key ADA Tool
The legal tool in question centers on whether civil rights testers had standing to sue hotels that they have no intention of staying at for ADA issues. Acheson Hotels had challenged this right, but the court didn’t side with the company. Also in the news: Social Security clawbacks, HIV, fasting and Alzheimer’s disease, and more.
Hundreds Died Using Kratom In Florida. It Was Touted As Safe.
As companies sell increasingly potent products, a Tampa Bay Times investigation reveals the herb’s toll. Other news is on transgender health records, prison health care, rabies, and more.
Nearly 7.3 Million Have Enrolled So For A 2024 Obamacare Plan
HHS says that number is split between 1.6 million new applicants and 5.7 people who were enrolled for a marketplace plan in 2023. For most in the U.S., the open enrollment deadline for full 2024 coverage is Dec. 15, while sign-ups for any plan end Jan. 15.
White House Moves On High-Priced Drugs By Targeting Pharma Patents
The Biden administration is expected to assert Thursday that NIH has march-in rights to seize drugmakers’ patents to medicines that were developed with federal funding. If employed, the move could provide the White House with another tool to try to lower prescription drug costs.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Editorial writers tackle mental illness, EMS, weight loss drugs, and more.
Perspectives: What’s Causing So Many Drug Shortages?; Smart-Bomb Cancer Drugs Prove Effective
Read recent commentaries about pharmaceutical issues.
Air Force To Review Cancers Among Nuclear Missile Workers
The Air Force is already reviewing whether service members who worked with nuclear missiles have had higher-than-normal rates of cancer, but is now expanding this review. Also in the news: a U.S. Army veteran is suing the government, alleging a VA computer system delayed a cancer diagnosis.
Joint Commission To Offer Certification Program For Patient Data Privacy
The goal is to protect patient privacy and also create standards for secondary use of health care data which has had identifiers stripped from it. Also in the news: the HHS cyberattack that took the department offline in 2020 as covid hit was worse than originally thought.
Fla. Health Workers Protest Bounced Pay Checks, Insurance Coverage
Citing a “pattern of disrespect,” health workers at a Plantation, Fla. health system are speaking out about repeated issues with their paychecks bouncing. They also say that insurance payments are withdrawn from their pay, but that their insurance companies tell them their policies have lapsed. A Connecticut long-term care provider is also accused of being months behind on worker pay.
Pfizer Says It’s Leaving BIO, In Major Blow To Pharmaceutical Trade Group
Stat says the drugmaker’s plan to leave the Biotechnology Innovation Organization is the latest in a growing trend of pharma companies leaving trade groups. Meanwhile, BIO is reported to have selected its new CEO: John Crowley, a longtime biotech executive.
Doctors Find Indications Of Fetal Fentanyl Exposure Syndrome
At least 10 infants have been found to have distinctive physical birth defects after being born to mothers who said they’d used drugs including fentanyl while pregnant, pointing to a potential new syndrome being identified. A possible monthly overdose prevention treatment is also in the news.
Experts Worry Over Tech Glitches As Florida’s Medicaid Portal Launches
The state is in the middle of its Medicaid unwinding process, which has thrown a spotlight on its decision to revamp the technology running its MyAccess website. Meanwhile, in California, reports say new HIV cases in San Francisco are declining, except among the Latino population.