Latest KFF Health News Stories
Toxic Dioxin Found In Houston Soil Samples
The samples were taken by the city’s health department from an area near a creosote treatment facility. Meanwhile, in Milwaukee, White House infrastructure czar Mitch Landrieu talked about investments to speed up lead water pipe replacements to clean up drinking water.
House Advances Bill To Give Veterans Coverage For Burn Pit Exposure
The bill now goes back to the Senate. It authorizes about $285 billion over the next decade to treat ailments that have been tied to the military’s customary practice of disposing of trash — including toxic substances — in burn pits. It would streamline veterans’ access to such care and would cover any service member stationed in a combat zone for the last 32 years.
US To Offer 800,000 More Monkeypox Shots By August
U.S. officials have completed inspection of a Danish vaccine factory and are expected to authorize the facility, meaning hundreds of thousands more monkeypox vaccine doses may be available by the end of July. But Republican Sen. Richard Burr has slammed the White House’s monkeypox response.
Worries Roe V. Wade Overturn Could Hit School Sex Ed Curricula
The 19th reports on worries over the impact of the end of Roe V. Wade on what children are taught in school about sex, with Texas Republicans particularly in the spotlight for plans to potentially teach medically false information. Separately, risks of more domestic violence are also a concern.
Arrest Made In Rape Of Ohio Girl, 10, Amid Firestorm Of Critics, Rumors, Lies
A 27-year-old Columbus man was charged Wednesday with impregnating the girl, who was forced to travel to Indiana for an abortion because of Ohio’s six-week ban on the procedure. The story made headlines after President Biden condemned the girl’s lack of freedom. Several news outlets and high-profile Republicans then expressed doubt that the girl’s story was true. Scroll to our Editorials section to read The Wall Street Journal’s retraction and other opinions about the case.
Over Half Of Young Americans Say Abortion Laws Will Affect Choice Of Where To Live
The data came from a Generation Lab/Axios poll, which also showed that about half of the 18- to 29-year-old male respondents would be likely to take oral contraceptives if approved in the future. Meanwhile, in Arizona, the Republican attorney general is pushing to unblock an abortion ban.
Denying Drugs That Cause Abortion Violates Law, HHS Tells Pharmacists
The administration says withholding these drugs could violate civil rights law. Still, its effort to assert that federal law preempts state bans on abortions is likely to be challenged in court.
‘Well Past The Time’? Officials Play Catch-Up In Warning Public Over BA.5
The AP reports that BA.5, the highly transmissible covid variant now spreading across the U.S., accounts for 65% of cases. In other news on the pandemic: reinfection risk, loss of smell, mask mandates, and more.
Study Finds Children Have Stronger Immune Response To Covid
Researchers in Italy find that in families that have had mild infections from the virus, children showed higher levels of antibodies than did the adults. A possible link between covid and Type 1 diabetes, slow demand for vaccines for kids, and teen sports betting are also in the news.
FDA Authorizes Novavax Covid Vaccine, A Fourth Option For US
Instead of relying on mRNA technology, Novavax is the nation’s first protein-based covid-19 vaccine. The two-dose shot should be available “in the next few weeks,” according to the Department of Health and Human Services, but first needs clearance from the CDC.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Perspectives: Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Co. On The Right Track, But Needs More Work
Read recent commentaries about drug-cost issues.
WHO Releases Recent Data On AMR Vaccines; Theophylline Testing To Restore Smell After Covid
Read about the biggest pharmaceutical developments and pricing stories from the past week in KHN’s Prescription Drug Watch roundup.
Opioid Makers Teva, Allergan To Pay San Francisco $54 Million Settlement
As part of the settlement, about $34 million in cash will be handed to the city, plus $20 million worth of Narcan, which can treat overdoses in emergency situations. In New Mexico, AP reports that doctors are pressing legislators to permit use of psychedelic mushrooms for mental health therapies.
US, World Bank Give Ukraine $1.7B To Pay Health Workers
Funds come from the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Treasury Department, and the World Bank and are to support the complex and stressed health system in the country during the invasion. USA Today reports that telehealth assistance is also coming from U.S. doctors.
20 Million US Patients Have Had Data Exposed In Hacks Already This Year
It’s only halfway through the year, but the 338 data breach reports listed by the Health and Human Services Department’s Office for Civil Rights is the second-highest ever for the first half of a year. Also: L.A.’s minimum health worker wage, the high cost of the nursing shortage and more.
New York Gets New Monkeypox Vaccine Provider After Botched Launch
Politico reports Affiliated Physicians will take over the administration of New York’s monkeypox shot program after errors were made in scheduling appointments. In San Fransisco, the LGBTQ+ community and a city supervisor are leading calls for greater federal efforts to distribute vaccines to the city.
Abortions Legal Again In Louisiana As Judge Grants Temporary Order
The yo-yoing legal position on abortions in Louisiana, with Tuesday’s restraining order blocking enforcement of state bans that were triggered just last month, is leaving abortion-seekers and providers “scrambling” to respond, says The New York Times. Meanwhile, Pennsylvania’s governor says he’ll protect out-of-state abortion seekers.
Senate Confirms ATF Chief; Vote Seen As Step Toward Preventing Gun Deaths
The approval of President Joe Biden’s choice of Steve Dettelbach means he’s only the second director in the gun regulatory agency’s history to win Senate confirmation. Meanwhile, in California, Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, signed a bill allowing gun violence victims to sue gunmakers.