Latest KFF Health News Stories
What harm, if any, is caused by systemic exposure to the chemicals remains unclear, according to the study. But the FDA is asking sunscreen manufacturers to research the effects.
In Nursing, Experiencing Trauma And The Resulting PTSD Is A Fact Of Life
As many as one in four nurses experience PTSD at some point in their careers. The stressful environment of nursing can support many the “triggers and traumas of PTSD,” Meredith Mealer, an associate professor at the Anschutz Medical Campus at the University of Colorado, Denver, tells The New York Times. “Nurses see people die. They work on resuscitating patients. They try to control bleeding. They have end-of-life discussions. And sometimes they are verbally or physically abused by patients or visiting family members.”
The new treatment that has a potential $2 million price tag can cure spinal muscular atrophy, an inherited disease that typically kills babies before they turn two. But as more gene therapies hit the marketplace, insurers balk at the expense. Meanwhile, the FDA takes an unexpected step to introduce competition into the marketplace for an extremely pricey drug that treats a rare disease.
Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) says his opponents need to tell Americans the truth about the negative sides of “Medicare for All.” Bennet and Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) rolled out their “Medicare X” plan last month that would allow for a public health care option, modeled after Medicare, to be made available alongside private insurance. Politico looks at where all the candidates stand on universal health care, among other things.
Measles Tally Continues To Climb While More States Scramble To Tighten Vaccination Exemption Laws
There have been 60 new cases of measles reported in the U.S. in the past week, CDC officials say. Meanwhile, lawmakers in states from Maine to Oregon are taking steps to try to curtail the spread of the disease. In other news on the outbreak: Instagram joins other social media platforms in cracking down on misinformation; parents of babies too young for vaccinations are speaking out against the anti-vaccination movement; and pediatricians take tough stances on accepting patients who refuse shots.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Opinion writers weigh in on these health topics and others.
Editorial pages focus on the costs of health care and its role in the economy.
Health Care Hiring Dips In April On The Heels Of Unusually Strong March Report
As usual, most healthcare hiring took place in the ambulatory sector, which grew by 17,200 jobs.
Media outlets report on news from Arizona, Connecticut, Minnesota, New York, New Jersey, Alabama, Florida, Michigan, California, Iowa, Maryland, New Hampshire and Ohio.
Ovid Therapeutics’ drug for Angelman syndrome–a rare cognitive disease that currently has no treatment–saw a glimmer of success in a very small trial. The drug had beaten the placebo on only one metric and failed on a full 16 others, including measures of quality of life and ability to sleep. To investors, the ostensibly positive data looked cherry-picked. In other news at the convergence of pharma and public health: Alzheimer’s, dengue fever, superbugs, statins and more.
Nobody Likes Being Lectured: Why Health Advice That Comes Out As ‘You Should’ Isn’t Paying Off
Physician Perri Klass weighs in with ideas explaining how lecturing patients about complicated attitudes surrounding eating, sleeping and exercising doesn’t usually work and using motivational tools do help. In other public health news: travelers’ illnesses, autism, obesity, cancer care, stress, sex, Ebola and more.
“Our findings provide conclusive evidence for gay men that the risk of HIV transmission with suppressive ART is zero,” said Alison Rodger, a professor at University College London who co-led the research.
Public health officials are turning toward members of the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community at the heart of the outbreak for help on how to stop it. “Simple education in a respectful, hand-holding manner really is going a lot further than anything else so far,” said Blima Marcus, a 34-year-old oncology nurse practitioner who is also a member of the community. In other news on the outbreaks: doctors are tapping into medical records to help stop the spread of the disease, adults may need to consider getting another shot, and readers talk about how their lives have been effected by the outbreak.
Although much of the focus of the Title X funding debate has been on Planned Parenthood, the changes are also roiling the antiabortion movement, as well. That’s because under both the current and proposed Trump administration rules, Title X grantees must offer a “broad” range of birth control options, including hormonal contraception. In other news coming out of the administration: NIH reverses its position on blocking doctors from speaking to investigators; the VA suggests drastic cuts to federally funded union time; and the FDA is shutting down a controversial medical device program.
The upcoming trial will be the first in the United States to result from about 2,000 lawsuits seeking to hold painkiller manufacturers responsible for contributing to the opioid epidemic. In the trial that will be televised live, Oklahoma state lawyers will argue that, until 2016, two of the company’s subsidiaries grew, improved and provided the narcotic ingredients for much of the U.S. prescription opioid supply, failing to intervene as the drugs’ damage grew, and that it targeted children with its marketing. In other news on the drug crisis: jails and addiction medication, nurses’ authority, overdose deaths and more.
The Trump administration has been studying whether it legally can allow states this leeway, and Democratic lawmakers have vowed to fight block grants if CMS approves them. Critics say that shifting to block grants would leave states with little option other than to slash Medicaid enrollment and benefits. News on Medicaid comes out of Kansas and Iowa, as well.
The Justice Department’s draft proposal is based on a similar plan by the Department of Homeland Security to significantly broaden the definition of what it means to be a public charge. According to federal policy, many permanent residents do not qualify for public benefits unless they have had a green card for five years, making it unlikely they could be targeted for deportation on the basis of “public charge” even under the draft rule. But dozens of states have looser rules. Meanwhile, former Chief of Staff John F. Kelly joins the board of a company that runs the Florida facility that’s drawn controversy over the health of and quality of care for its detainees.
Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) is one of several 2020 presidential contenders co-sponsoring the “Medicare for All” bill introduced by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). But he added caveats to that support in an interview over the weekend.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
