Latest KFF Health News Stories
“I’m very disappointed that industry was able to elbow its way into the discussion and hold up the ban,” said Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.) of reports that the vaping industry influenced President Donald Trump’s retreat on the issue. “Our children are not for sale.” In other vaping news: life insurance, a rise in arrests across U.S., and taxes.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, is worried about coverage losses seen in other states. But the Republican-controlled Legislature would have to agree to the pause.
Could Supreme Court’s First Major Gun Case In Nearly A Decade Be Dismissed As Moot?
Although the case is being closely watched, much of the arguments focus on whether the court should even decide the merits of the legal challenge because New York City eliminated the limits that are central to the case.
Lawmakers, Medical Groups, Lawyers Urge Supreme Court To Block Strict Louisiana Abortion Law
The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments in March on the state’s new requirements around abortion providers’ admitting privileges to hospitals. “Laws regulating abortion should be evidence-based and supported by a valid medical justification,” the medical groups wrote to the court. A similar Texas law was ruled unconstitutional, put the political make-up of the high court has shifted since that decision.
State Lawmakers’ Op-Eds Provide Glimpse Inside Lobbying Machine Working Against ‘Medicare For All’
The revelation that lobbyists helped draft or made edits to the lawmakers’ opinion pieces shows that critics of “Medicare for All” are investing time and energy beyond the presidential debate over the policy issue.
The public option, of course, would be less disruptive than getting rid of private insurance all together, but an inexpensive and attractive plan could still shake up the industry landscape. Meanwhile, former Vice President Joe Biden says 2020 rival Pete Buttigieg “stole” his health care plan.
First Edition: December 3, 2019
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Editorial pages focus on how to combat rising health care costs.
Opinion writers focus on these public health issues and others.
Media outlets report on news from California, Oklahoma, Utah, South Carolina, New York, Louisiana, Minnesota, Maryland, Florida, Ohio, Massachusetts, Arkansas, Nebraska and Texas.
A lack of a uniform policy allows convicted and accused perpetrators to access some dating apps and leaves users vulnerable to sexual assaults, according to an investigation. Public health news is on stem cell heart therapy, flu season, Parkinson’s disease, poetry therapy, problems with blood-sugar monitors, warnings about ski helmets, a grateful transplant patient, children prone to violent outbursts, and more.
How Many Teens Have Died Preventable Deaths In Psychiatric Wards? The Answer Isn’t Easy To Find
No single agency keeps tabs on the number of deaths at psychiatric facilities, yet they happen with startling frequency. A Los Angeles Times investigation reveals the scope of the problem in California.
As Schools Move To Crack Down On Vaping, A New Problem Arises: Litter In The Shape Of Discarded Pods
The extent of the trash reveals “how much this has become a part of our students’ lives,” says Kristen Lewis, an assistant principal in Boulder, Colo. “And that’s what’s scary… It really has become an epidemic in our schools.” News on the vaping epidemic focuses on a flavor ban, political fallout, doctors’ efforts to warn teens of e-cigarette hazards, and more.
And Pfizer and Novartis are leading the pack. The risks involved with drugmakers building their own manufacturing plants are big but so are the potential rewards. In other pharmaceutical news: a high-stakes bet on heart drugs, an invite-only club for biotech CEOs, President Donald Trump’s importation plan, and more.
For only $1 a day, early deaths can be prevented among toddlers whose mothers find the strawberry-flavored meds easier to dispense. News on HIV among infants is on the importance of starting treatment right after birth, as well.
As the class of 2000 headed toward graduation, an opioid epidemic was cropping up and spreading like wildfire. Nearly two decades later, the students who were there at the beginning of the epidemic recount just how much it has affected their lives. In other news on the crisis: safe injections of heroin, how a counterterroism machine helps fight overdoses, the end of the era of pill mills, and more.
The Next Medicaid Battleground: How Tennessee Is Forging Ahead With Controversial Block Grant Plan
CMS has been vocal in encouraging states to create more restrictions on their Medicaid programs. Many looked to work requirements, but those plans have faced major legal setbacks in courts. Tennessee could be leading the way on a new path. Medicaid news comes out of Missouri and New York, as well.
Some plans can change dramatically year to year, experts say. The open enrollment for Medicare is coming to a close, but experts offer tips on how to navigate the tricky system in the last few days of the season.
Stem cell clinics have popped up across the country, and they are largely unregulated. More and more patients have been coming forward to speak out about the predatory nature of the industry. News from the health industry also focuses on hospitals suing poor patients, a GE health care unit, and an FBI investigation into Beth Israel’s transplant program.
“You can’t take proper care of patients if you don’t document care,” said Stan Huff, chief medical informatics officer at Intermountain Healthcare in Utah. In searching through the records of immigrant deaths, Politico discovered troubling issues with malfunctioning software and failures to document patient care, among other things.
