Latest KFF Health News Stories
Opinion writers discuss life after Roe.
Editorial writers examine these public health issues.
Study: Big, For-Profit Hospitals Charge More Facility Fees Than Not-For-Profits
Though that sounds self-evident, the study of 2021 data from over 1,600 hospitals underlines wide variations in facility fees charged across the industry. Separately, Stateline reports on drugmaker cutbacks on participation in federal drug discount programs — impacting low-income patients.
Confusion Around Minnesota’s Near-Legalization Of Weed
Politico reports that lawmakers who passed a recent change in Minnesota’s drug policy are confused as to what has actually happened, with questions over coverage of hemp-derived THC Delta-8 versus Delta-9, which remains illegal at federal level. Also: the opioid crisis, transgender laws, and more.
Scientists Warn Of Ineffective US Effort Against Monkeypox
The New York Times and Axios report on concerns that lessons from the early covid response haven’t been learned when it comes to combating monkeypox. Meanwhile, the World Health Organization is set to reconvene an emergency committee to tackle the global outbreak.
Possible Biomarker For Long Covid Identified In Blood
Boston researchers suggest that finding spike proteins in the blood up to 12 months after covid infections is an indicator for long covid that could help diagnoses of the illness. Other reports say big pharma is being slower to tackle long covid than the speed the industry achieved to fight covid itself.
Michigan Baby Formula Factory Reopens, Again, After Floods
Abbott Nutrition’s factory reopened July 1 to produce a specialty baby formula, after flooding caused the facility to close in June shortly after it had restarted operations in the wake of a Cronobacter contamination scandal. Separately, a beach in Iowa was closed due to finding a brain-eating amoeba.
Federal Abortion Rules Versus State Bans Causing Legal Morass For Doctors
The complicated legal situation between federal mandates for medical emergency abortions versus state laws that ban or restrict the procedure is reported by the Wall Street Journal. Meanwhile, in Iowa, a 24-hour waiting rule is now enforceable, making women wait for abortion treatments.
Gulf Of Mexico May Get Floating Abortion Clinic
To skirt Texas’ and other Southern states’ new anti-abortion laws, media outlets report on plans for a floating reproductive health center in the Gulf of Mexico, where care is instead regulated at a federal level. Also: HIPAA, abortion providers and technology, health education, vasectomies, and more.
Alarm Bells Ring Over New Omicron Variants BA.2.75 and BA.5.2.1
BA.2.75 appears to spread even faster than the highly-contagious BA.5, the strain that currently dominates the United States. BA.2.75 is making its way across India and about 10 other countries, including the U.S., where a third case was detected last week. Meanwhile, a new strain of BA.5 has materialized, but its effect is still unclear.
Biden Says He Is Weighing Health Emergency To Provide Abortion Access
Advocates have urged the president to declare a public health emergency so that some federal resources would become available to women seeking abortion, but administration officials have raised doubts about whether such an order would be legal or effective.
FDA Receives First Application For Over-The-Counter Birth Control Pill
The Opill, from French company HRA Pharma, is a progestin-only pill that has already been available with a prescription since it was approved by the FDA in 1973. Approval for OTC sales wouldn’t be expected until next year.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Longer Looks: Interesting Reads You Might Have Missed
Each week, KHN finds longer stories for you to enjoy. This week’s selections include stories on baby formula, abortion, liver transplants, pancreatitis, prosopagnosia, brain health. and more.
Opinion writers examine monkeypox, covid, and more public health topics.
Editorial writers weigh in on these abortion issues.
Shinzo Abe Assassination Rocks Japan, Where Gun Violence Is Rare
The former prime minister was shot and killed Friday in broad daylight by a man carrying what apparently was a homemade gun. Unlike in the U.S., residents of Japan must jump through many difficult hoops to own a gun. Meanwhile, ABC reports that the New York City Police Department said Thursday that murders and shootings are down in the city, despite three people being killed within an hour the night before.
North Carolina Law Prevents Billing For Sexual Assault Forensic Tests
Among a slew of new legislation, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, signed a measure saying hospitals can’t bill victims or their insurance companies for the tests, with payment coming from a special state fund. Separately, in Ohio, health advocates push to extend insurance purchasing subsidies.
Second Theranos Executive Found Guilty Of Fraud
Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani was convicted on 12 charges. Meanwhile, in California a whistleblower physician was reinstated at a Los Angeles Veterans Affairs hospital; the surgeon general addressed health worker burnout; concerns raised over digital mental health companies; and more.
The Heat Is On: 70 Million Americans Under Temperature Alerts
CNN labeled the current hot weather surge the “third heat wave” of the summer, and the New York Times notes 70 million people (about one in five) are under heat warnings or advisories. Meanwhile, the mysterious child hepatitis surge grows, with 12 new cases reported.