Latest KFF Health News Stories
“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.
Perspectives: No Time To Compromise On ‘Medicare For All’; Tax Lessons On That Free Medicaid
Editorial writers weigh in on the quality and high costs of health care.
Opinion writers express views on these health topics and others.
Longer Looks: Forced To Divorce; 2020 Candidates On Measles Vaccines; And Health Costs
Each week, KHN’s Shefali Luthra finds interesting reads from around the Web.
“I’m here today with a message for the people of Wisconsin: I’m going to fight like hell for Medicaid expansion and I need your help to get it done,” said Gov. Tony Evers (D-Wis.) Meanwhile, CMS finalizes a rule on union dues, Tennessee lawmakers are at an impasse over block grants, a nonprofit must return Medicaid funds to Delaware, and the number of uninsured kids is on the rise.
Trump’s Plan To Lower Drug Prices By Targeting Rebates Would Cost Taxpayers $177 Billion
The Congressional Budget Office concluded that a proposal to curtail rebates in the drug system is unlikely to force drug companies to lower list prices across the board. Instead, they would reimburse pharmacies for discounts provided to individual seniors as they fill their prescriptions. In other pharmaceutical news: an aspiring drugmaker’s battle with federal regulators, Cigna’s strong performance in the pharmacy-benefits business, and more.
Investigations into Catherine Pugh’s financial deals with health care entities like Kaiser Permanente and the University of Maryland Medical System will continue after she stepped down Thursday, saying she’s sorry for the harm she’s done and that Baltimore deserves a mayor who can lead the city forward. City Council President Bernard C. “Jack” Young takes over as mayor until 2020.
The international court making the decision that impacts the 800 meter runner Caster Semenya is trying to level the playing field in sports, but medical experts and others say testosterone levels vary naturally and some women have higher levels than men. Public health news looks at a shortage of primary care physicians, organ transplants, scooter injuries, Facebook’s cardiologist, gene editing, unqualified trainers of service dogs and more.
In the midst of the country’s largest measles outbreak in decades, parents with very young babies are stuck in limbo. “It’s just maddening, because I shouldn’t have to worry about measles,” one mother tells The New York Times. Meanwhile, public health officials say that stable vaccination rates over the past years have masked the fact that there’s an ever growing population of children and young adults who aren’t protected.
Texas Senate Moves Forward With Bill Requiring Women To Get Counseling Before An Abortion
Bill advocates say such counseling is necessary to inform pregnant women of all resources available to them, but opponents fear that the legislation lacks key protections, like a requirement for the counselor to be a licensed medical professional. Meanwhile, an Alabama lawmaker gets push back over the language he used while criticizing his antiabortion colleagues for not caring for children after they’re born.
There Isn’t Enough Data To Justify Banning Breast Implants Linked To Rare Cancer, FDA Decides
But the FDA is considering bold warnings for a type of textured breast implant. The agency’s announcement followed a two-day public hearing in March, in which researchers and implant makers presented data, and women described a number of illnesses they developed after getting implants, including lymphoma.
Media outlets report on news from Texas, New Jersey, Ohio, North Carolina, Arizona, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, California and Missouri.
One in six Americans who get insurance through their jobs say they’ve had to make “difficult sacrifices” to pay for healthcare in the last year, including cutting back on food and taking extra jobs. And it is feeding resentments and deepening inequalities, as healthier and wealthier Americans are able to save for unexpected medical bills while the less fortunate struggle to balance costly care with other necessities.
