Latest KFF Health News Stories
Ohio Passes Constitutional Amendment Protecting Abortion Access
Voters in Ohio approved Issue 1, a ballot initiative that enshrines access to abortion and other reproductive health care into the state’s constitution. The measure was hard-fought leading up to Election Day and is the latest example of a majority of voters supporting abortion rights since Roe v. Wade was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
DOJ Petitions Supreme Court To Reverse Tennessee’s Gender Care Ban
The block on minors’ gender-affirming care may endanger youngsters, the Biden administration argues, after lower courts allowed bans in Tennessee, Alabama, and Kentucky to move forward. Also in the news: Legionnaires’ disease; violence against medical staff; maternal care in Colorado; more.
Opinion writers tackle eating disorders and teenage mental health.
Editorial writers discuss libraries, emergency services, artificial intelligence use in hospitals, lab research, and more.
Opioid Supply Lawsuit Against Drug Distributor Cencora Limited By Judge
The company, formerly called AmerisourceBergen, is accused of failing to report thousands of suspicious painkiller prescriptions, but a U.S. district judge ruled any federal penalties should only apply to failed reports after the Controlled Substances Act was amended. In other news, all Miami-Dade public schools now stock naloxone.
Survey Finds Many Med School Students Are Considering Quitting
Shining a worrying spotlight on the future of the medical profession, an Elsevier Health survey found nearly 1 in 4 medical school students are thinking of quitting amid concerns over staffing shortages and burnout. And nearly 2 in 3 who’ll stay in school are considering careers outside of direct patient care.
‘I’m Now Independent’: Parkinson’s Patient Says Implant ‘Changed My Life’
Two years ago, Marc Gauthier of France volunteered to be the first person to receive a spinal cord stimulator designed to treat Parkinson’s disease. In an update this week, Gauthier, 63, reported that his walking has improved enough that he goes to the store alone and can also climb stairs.
Firearm Injuries Saddle Kids With Pain, Psychiatric Issues In Long Term: Study
Perhaps unsurprisingly, researchers found that through a year after surviving a firearm injury, youngsters experience steep rises in pain as well as psychiatric and substance abuse disorders. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court is set to tackle whether people accused of domestic violence have a right to carry firearms.
CDC Adds Flu, RSV To Covid Sampling For International Air Travelers
The CDC’s infection surveillance, called the traveler-based genomic surveillance program, began in 2021 and now expands to other health threats beyond covid. But even as the pandemic fades, reports say some covid shots are hard to find, though successes with a nasal covid vaccine are also in the news.
White House Faces Pressure To Ban Menthol Cigarettes
The White House Office of Management and Budget is reviewing an FDA proposal to ban menthol cigarettes, and a coalition of politicians and health organizations want to see it happen. But the idea faces pushback from former law enforcement officials, including concerns over Mexican cartels’ reactions.
CMS-Proposed Rules Would Cap Medicare Advantage Broker Incentives
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services are launching a second-wave effort to target Medicaid Advantage marketing practices in an effort to ensure older Americans have access to Medicare supplemental benefits and drug coverage.
It’s Election Day: Abortion Battles Will Play Out In Ohio, Virginia
A ballot measure in Ohio seeks to protect abortion access, and in Virginia, Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin said he’d seek a 15-week abortion ban if Republicans win control of the legislature. Legalized recreational pot is also up for consideration in Ohio.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Viewpoints: Ohio Is Next State To Make Big Decision On Abortion Rights; Does NyQuil Work Anymore?
Editorial writers tackle abortion rights, decongestants, insurance, and more.
Infamous Tuskegee Syphilis Study Has Been Digitized For Public Use
The Washington Post calls the study one of “medical history’s bleakest chapters.” Meanwhile, data show emergency room visits for children injured by firearms doubled during the pandemic. Other research linked daily cannabis use to a higher risk of severe heart disease, similar to smokers.
UN And Aid Agencies Decry Israel’s Airstrike On Gaza Ambulance
Officials and the Palestinian Red Crescent Society say wounded people were being evacuated in a convoy of ambulances. Israel’s military claimed the ambulance hit was carrying Hamas militants. Separately, Turkey and Egypt agreed for 1,000 cancer patients and other injured civilians from Gaza to receive treatment in Turkey.
Medicare Requiring Hospitals To Make Pricing Information Easier To Find
New Medicare regulations aim to make hospital prices more transparent to patients by improving compliance and transparency with existing requirements and with plans to publicly assess facilities. Other Medicare news relates to home health care, outpatient reimbursements, and more.
Voters Set To Decide On Key Abortion Matters In Ohio, Virginia, Kentucky
Abortion rights are in the hands of voters in different ways in three states Tuesday. In Ohio, Republicans are accused of using taxpayer funds to promote false anti-abortion claims ahead of the state constitutional amendment vote.
Two GOP Lawmakers Say FDA Partly To Blame For Ongoing Drug Shortage
The two lawmakers allege the FDA is “failing to ensure” important medications remain on pharmacy shelves. In other news, Pfizer cuts 200 jobs in Michigan; details on how the Cleveland Clinic’s drone med delivery program will work; the shrinking American cigarette market; and more.