Latest KFF Health News Stories
Can Darwin’s Theory Of Evolution Better Help Scientists Battle Ever-Mutating Cancer Cells?
The cutting-edge strategy seeks to reduce the treatable cancer cells, stop treatment, and wait for those cells to grow back before treating them again, recognizing that cancer cells are always evolving to fit their environment. In other public health news: a cancer moonshot, the emerging virus in China, how to pack for hospital stays, male infertility, processed food and obesity, dementia, and more.
Sweeping ‘Reassuring’ Study Concludes There’s No Strong Link Between Baby Powder And Ovarian Cancer
These kinds of observational studies cannot determine cause and effect, but a more rigorous study isn’t likely to be done. “This represents the best data we have on the topic,” said the study’s lead author Katie O’Brien. The researchers did find hints of a potentially small increased risk for cancer for women who had never had a hysterectomy or fallopian tube-tying surgery.
“The pharmacist is not supposed to be second guessing the medical necessity of the doctor’s prescription,” said Timothy Johnson, an attorney for Discount Drug Mart. Walgreens, CVS, Rite Aid, Walmart and others who have found themselves in the cross hairs over who was responsible for curbing the opioid crisis filed their own suit against providers.
Earthquake Batters A Puerto Rico That Has Yet To Recover From Hurricane Maria’s Bruising
Gov. Wanda Vazquez has declared a state of emergency following a 6.4 earthquake that hit Puerto Rico on Tuesday. The island has been struggling to recover since Hurricanes Irma and Maria wreaked havoc back in 2017.
FEMA Details U.S.’ Vulnerability To Natural Disasters, Terrorism’ In Annual Report
Advocates decried the annual National Preparedness Report because it didn’t mention climate change, which experts say exacerbated the deadly wildfires and storms of recent years. Other administration news focuses on water pollution and a case against the “public benefits” immigration rule.
The practice of treating a defendant with no up front cost with the promise of getting paid once the suit settles. For some, that can mean a windfall of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
“Just because you’ve been in jail for a short period of time, that shouldn’t automatically knock you off the [Medicaid] rolls,” said David Davis, the Democratic sheriff of Bibb County, Georgia. “You then have to go through enrollment all over again.” The disruption in enrollment can often negatively effect an already vulnerable population of people. Other Medicaid news comes from Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Georgia, California and the South.
A new study found that in Canada, a country with a single-payer system, the cost of administrative work is $551 per person, a year. In America, it’s $2,497. Other news on costs looks at what states are –and aren’t– doing to keep health care affordable and more on surprise medical bills.
Group Aligned With GOP House Leadership To Pump $4M Into Fighting Pelosi’s Drug Pricing Bill
The American Action Network, which received $2.5 million from PhRMA in 2018, derided House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s drug pricing plan as socialism. The group is trying to build support for the House Republicans’ plan, which would not allow price negotiation but does cap out-of-pocket costs for seniors on Medicare.
First Edition: January 8, 2020
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Perspectives: At The Dawn Of A Golden Age Of Medicine, Pharma Promises To Put Patients First
Read recent commentaries about drug-cost issues.
The Brutal, Decade-Long Fight To Get This Small, Straightforward Drug Pricing Bill Passed
Read about the biggest pharmaceutical development and pricing stories from the past week in KHN’s Prescription Drug Watch roundup.
Opinion writers weigh in on these public health issues and others.
Maryland Awarded $3.6M In Federal Funding To Address Opioid Use Among Pregnant People, New Mothers
According to CMS, which awarded the grant, the “Maternal Opioid Model” is a national initiative that looks to support “the coordination of clinical care and the integration of other services critical for health, wellbeing, and recovery.”
Media outlets report on news from Massachusetts, Illinois, California, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Kansas, Ohio, Connecticut, Louisiana, New Hampshire, Washington, Georgia, Tennessee and Texas.
Advocates say the number of substance abuse programs serving teens afflicted by problems brought on by marijuana is insufficient to deal with the growing problem. Other public health news reports on the benefits of complaining, research on female athletes and dementia, a mysterious pneumonia in Asia, alcohol’s effect on AFib, the best milk for children, aging well, detecting cancer early, HIV outreach at church, new calorie labeling, and brain trauma studies.
Screening women when they present to the hospital for conditions that make them vulnerable to complications such as substance abuse disorder or obesity could avoid issues during labor, experts say. Hospital news comes out of Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Missouri, Georgia, and Michigan.
AI Helps Brain Surgeons Quickly Assess Tissue Samples While Patient Is Still On The Table
It’s standard practice to analyze the samples while the patient is still under, but new artificial intelligence helps brain surgeons do so in two to three minutes rather than the half-hour it used to take. In addition to speeding up the process, the new technique can also detect some details that traditional methods may miss.
California Lawmakers Introduce Vaping Bill That Would Go Far Beyond Trump Administration’s Efforts
The proposed California ban would prohibit flavored products not covered by the federal ban, including menthol-flavored cartridges and refillable, tank-based vaping systems that can be filled with flavored chemicals.
Bundled Payments Fall Short Of Expectations In Cutting Spending, Improving Quality
The federal government, hospitals and physicians have been gravitating toward bundled payments, but new studies challenge the belief that they help achieve cost savings. Meanwhile, CMS is proposing changes to Medicare Advantage payments for 2021, including an increase in the percentage of patient “encounter data” used to calculate payments.
