Morning Breakouts

Latest KFF Health News Stories

Gilead CEO Defends High Price Of HIV Prevention Drug As Necessary For Research, But Lawmakers Aren’t Buying It

Morning Briefing

“This treatment was developed as a result of investment made by the American taxpayers,” said House Oversight Committee Chairman Elijah E. Cummings (D-Md.). “The problem is that Gilead, the company that now sells the drug, charges astronomical prices.” Gilead charged $800 a month for the drug when it was introduced in 2004. The drug now costs nearly $2,000 a month.

Bipartisan Group Of Senators Proposes Using Outside Arbitrator To Settle Disputes Over Surprise Medical Bills

Morning Briefing

The senators unveiled the legislation among a broader national push to protect patients from sky-high surprise medical bills. Although most agree that the patient shouldn’t be stuck with the costs, there is some dispute about how to settle any conflicts between the insurers and the hospitals.

Trump Administration Backpedals On Controversial Plan To Let Medicare Exclude Certain Drugs

Morning Briefing

When the rule was originally proposed, the Trump administration said that it would give Medicare more leverage to negotiate for better pharmaceutical prices. But opponents of the change say it would endanger patients’ lives.

Conservative, Liberal States Are Pulling Further And Further Apart As Legislatures Pass Abortion Restrictions, Protections

Morning Briefing

Missouri is poised to pass an 8-week ban on abortions, following Alabama and Georgia’s recent moves to restrict the procedure. Looks at how the issue is playing across the country reveal deep divides between the states as they charge in different directions.

Kavanaugh Wrestled Before With The Concept Of Overturning Precedent. Would That Hesitancy Resurface With Roe V. Wade?

Morning Briefing

Eyes are on both Chief Justice John Roberts, who appears to favor an incremental approach to his decisions, and Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who previously mused about what compelling reasons there could be to overturn precedent. Meanwhile, there’s a quieter battle being waged in courthouses across the country.

New Rules Pit Transplant Centers Against Each Other While Judge Again Orders Policy Delay

Morning Briefing

Doctors and patients in rural areas allege that HHS and United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) were ignoring federal court judge Amy Totenberg’s order to temporarily delay implementing new rules for distributing organs for transplant. Totenberg reissued the order Wednesday night.

Texas Lawmakers Poised To Go Home Without Taking Any Gun Safety Action

Morning Briefing

Despite support from Gov. Greg Abbott (R-Texas), the Texas Legislature is no closer to voting on tougher firearm storage laws to help prevent mass shootings such as the one at Santa Fe High School when 10 were killed a year ago. Lawmakers are moving forward with a measure to arm more school personnel. Meanwhile, in Washington, D.C., police officials study gun violence to try to understand the causes.

‘This Really Changes The Game:’ Teens Benefit As Much Or More Than Adults From Obesity Surgery

Morning Briefing

A new study finds that gastric bypass surgery works as well in teenagers as it does in adults: diabetes went into remission for 86% of teens and 53% of adults after the operations, while high blood pressure went down for 68% of teens and 41% of adults. Though 6 million American adolescents are candidates for surgery few get it, in part due to a lack of information on efficacy.

Alabama’s Law May Seem Jarring To Outsiders, But Anti-Abortion Roots Are Buried Deep In The State

Morning Briefing

Opinion polling has repeatedly shown that a broad segment of Alabama voters, including a majority of women, generally oppose abortion rights. Even before the restrictive ban was passed, only three abortion clinics remained in the state. For most on the ground, this wasn’t as stunning or sudden as it may appear to others.

Carefully Coordinated Campaign From Anti-Abortion Movement Challenges Democrats In Unexpected Ways

Morning Briefing

Much to the distress of abortion rights supporters, their own polling shows that the right’s message is penetrating beyond the social conservatives who make up a large part of the Republican base. Meanwhile, Democratic candidates continue to speak out against Alabama’s bill as national Republicans try to distance themselves from it.

House Dems Advance Health Law Bill Forcing Most Republicans To Vote Against Popular Provisions To Curb High Drug Costs

Morning Briefing

Most of the bill focuses on reversing steps — largely backed by GOP lawmakers — taken by President Donald Trump to weaken the health law. But the measure also includes language on curbing high drug costs. That put Republicans in the position of voting “no” on a hot-button topic that is at the top of voters’ minds. The legislation is unlikely to make it through the Republican-controlled Senate.

California Investigation Blames PG&E Equipment For Igniting Deadliest Wildfire

Morning Briefing

The utility, which had already acknowledged its electrical transmission lines were probably the cause of last November’s blazes, could face criminal charges following the report from state fire investigators and be held responsible for billions of dollars associated with the destruction and loss of lives. PG&E filed for bankruptcy protection in January.

Pediatric Hospice Can Be A Godsend For Heartbroken Parents. But The Facilities Often Struggle To Stay Afloat.

Morning Briefing

By some estimates, around half a million children have serious medical conditions that are expected to shorten their lives. For too many of them, death will most likely happen amid the fluorescence and thrumming machinery of an intensive-care unit. For the lucky families, there’s pediatric hospice care. In other public health news: the mysterious illness in diplomats, liver transplants, snakebites, exercise for transgender people, tuberculosis, and more.

After Viral #ThisIsOurLane Debate, Doctors Find Gun Activism Has Helped Heal Their Own Trauma

Morning Briefing

Doctors recently clashed with the NRA over their role in the gun safety debate, speaking out about the endless number of gunshot victims they see. Some have found the process of getting involved therapeutic and a way to combat the burnout so common in the profession.