Latest KFF Health News Stories
Rules requiring prior authorization from insurance companies for buprenorphine exist in at least 40 states, preventing doctors from immediately being able to provide treatment to help prevent overdoses. News on the opioid crisis focuses on Purdue Pharma’s media campaign to hide the truth and criminal penalties for dealers, as well.
The study published Monday in JAMA recruited 2,600 men from online social network and music sites. Half of them were sent four free test kits. The rest got a link to a local testing service. Overall, 25 infections were detected in the self-testing group, versus 11 in the other group. Public health news is on P&G’s new focus on wellness, free E-books on health, healthy gatherings, retraining physicians for blood pressure testing, duvet dangers, autism, taking modern care to the poorest countries, and remedies for hearing loss in newborns, as well.
“Hey Twitter, the whole point of this ad campaign is to raise awareness,” Gov. Kristi Noem of South Dakota said in response to the furor over the campaign. “So I think that’s working … #thanks #MethWeAreOnIt.” In South Dakota, from 2014 to 2018, the state saw a 200 percent increase in people seeking treatment for meth-related addiction.
The nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest studied 39 “fertility” supplements and found no evidence they increase a woman’s chance of conceiving. In other women’s health news: health disparities between the rich and poor, and the challenges of being a female athlete.
The hospital was one of only three centers in the country that specialized in treating the boy’s rare condition, but the insurer kept telling the family to find care closer to home. While the company eventually relented, the family was left wondering why it has become so hard to get needed care. Other health care costs news focuses on a public insurance option and the actual cost of a flu shot.
The fact that Jeffrey Epstein was able to commit suicide in one of the country’s most secure jails has thrown a spotlight on the bureau that has for years dealt with accusations of serious misconduct. Other news on prison issues comes out of Arizona.
The nursing homes cried foul at the red icon on the government’s database that allows consumers to compare the quality of the facilities they’re considering, saying it paints an unfair picture of the facility. But advocates say the icon is doing enough and is just catching the “tip of the iceberg” when it comes to rampant abuse within the industry.
‘Please Just Let Me Out’: Children Locked Away In Isolation In Schools Across Illinois
A ProPublica and Chicago Tribune investigation reveals the extent to which schools use “quiet rooms” to put children in “isolated timeouts.” But advocates argue the practice, which isn’t broadly monitored, can cause trauma for the children — and they say there are better ways to deal with difficult behavior.
Gout Drugs As A Way To Help Heart Attack Survivors? Scientists Start Thinking Outside The Box
Nearly half of all U.S. adults have some type of cardiovascular disease, and scientists are turning to old drugs as well as novel concepts as they try to figure out a way to improve treatments. In other pharmaceutical news: Alkermes acquires Rodin Therapeutics and a drugmaker shuts out a family-run rival.
Native Americans Are More Likely To Have Trouble Accessing Water Than Any Other Group, Report Finds
Advocates said they knew anecdotally that water access is a massive problem for the tribes but when they went looking for data it didn’t exist. A new report lays out the full scope of the problem. In other environmental health news: asbestos cases, childhood cancer and shale gas drilling, a $9.4 billion chemical plant, and toxins in the water.
Executive director of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness Matthew Doherty wrote that the Trump administration “no longer wishes to have me” in the position. Doherty was appointed during the Obama administration.
Following reports that President Donald Trump has changed his mind on the flavor ban, Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D., Ill.) wrote to the OMB and FDA to inquire into the status of the proposed regulation on flavors. Public advocates were also left disappointed. “If the Trump administration backs off for political reasons, it will create a public health crisis that we will live with for decades,” Matthew Myers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, said. Meanwhile, California is joining the ranks of those suing Juul over its marketing.
Dr. Sean Conley, President Donald Trump’s physician, backed up the White House’s explanation that this weekend’s unplanned visit to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center was a part of Trump’s annual physical. But the statement hasn’t squelched the speculation — or stop the topic from becoming fodder for late-night comedians and political rivals alike.
After his primary victory, California Gov. Gavin Newsom admitted that single-payer is a hard reality to achieve. Now that he’s in office, though, he has had some success inching the needle forward. As 2020 Democratic candidates make similar big promises on health care, can they look to him for when they need to turn a political slogan into policy? Meanwhile, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s plan to gradually ease country into “Medicare for All” has once again all but guaranteed the topic will come up in the debate on Wednesday.
First Edition: November 19, 2019
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Editorial pages focus on these public health issues.
Media outlets report on news from California, Connecticut, Illinois, Ohio, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Pennsylvania, Missouri, District of Columbia, Georgia, Maryland and Texas.
Opinion writers weigh in on these health care issues and others.
In This World Nothing Can Be Said To Be Certain Except Death, Taxes … And Health Care Costs Going Up
The National Business Group on Health’s CEO Brian Marcotte talks about the current health care landscape and where it’s headed in the future. In other health industry news: the Blues team up, a hospital system settles allegations of ADA violations, and more.
Despite Warnings About Health Risks Of Youth Tackle Football, New Leagues Emerge In Texas Town
A coach reassured trustees in Marshall, Texas that new concussion protocols and rules have made the game safer. The school dropped the programs several years ago. Public health news is on faces behind anti-vaccine ads on Facebook, mental health in solitary confinement, cancer treatment risks, cures for dwarfism, dementia controls, images of love and disease, aging bladders, China’s recruiting of scientists, teens charged with adult crimes, alternatives to knee surgery, and more.
