Latest KFF Health News Stories
Nationwide Injunction Issued Against Trump’s Policy Change On Family Planning Funding
Judge Stanley A. Bastian of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Washington state said in his order that the rule would cause family planning clinics “to face a Hobson’s choice that harms patients as well as the providers.”
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Editorial pages focus on these health topics and others.
Each week, KHN compiles a selection of recently released health policy studies and briefs.
Media outlets report on news from California, Louisiana, Florida, Minnesota, Florida, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Hawaii, Oregon, New York, Connecticut, North Carolina, Iowa and Kansas.
Still, analysts at J.P. Morgan wrote in a note that “the modest ‘noise’ in the numbers pales in comparison to the political risk that has been discounted into the stock” so far this year. Other industry news focuses on Athenahealth and Humana.
Majorities in both parties also want the government to act on high drug prices as well, a new tracking poll finds. The poll also shows that the Trump administration is out of sync with Americans when it comes to overturning the health law. Just slightly more than one-fourth of the public overall say that Congress should repeal the ACA.
The research done to create the life-saving pill was funded by taxpayer money, but talks have stalled about royalties so the government hasn’t been able to collect. For its part, a Gilead spokesman said “there are no ongoing negotiations between Gilead and HHS” about patents owned by the government. In other pharmaceutical news: the fault lines in the Democratic party over drug prices; experts suggest its time to kill off copays; FDA taps a public health expert to lead its regulatory policy office; the FTC sues Surescripts; and more.
The development offers much hope for patients who have lost their ability to speak through strokes, neurodegenerative disorders or accidents.
Thousands upon thousands of public health positions have been eliminated as budgets have been tightened, just as public health threats are steadily increasing. In other public health news: surgical robots, knee injuries, drug recalls, staffing levels, aging, mental health, and more.
New WHO Guidelines On Screen Time: Zip For Infants Under One, One Hour Max For Kids Under Five
In addition to setting harsh guidelines on how much time children spend on devices, the United Nations’ agency recommends high-quality programming and includes advice on physical activity and sleep. Pediatrician groups have previously expressed concerns on the issue, some differing from WHO’s.
Public’s Anger Toward And Loss Of Trust In Big Pharma Is Adding Fuel To The Fire Of Measles Outbreak
An erosion of public trust in anything Big Pharma says is undermining advocates’ efforts to get parents to trust the vaccines that are coming from the companies. Meanwhile, in California legislation moves forward that would remove doctors’ ability to grant exemptions–placing that authority in a state official, instead. News comes out of Oregon, as well.
Officials have long anticipated that this year would surpass past records, but the CDC on Wednesday confirmed that the country now has 695 cases, which tops the 667 cases in 2014. That makes this the nation’s worst year for measles since 1994, with eight months still to go in 2019. There were 963 cases in 1994.
The proposal, dubbed CMS Primary Cares, has generated cautious optimism among many primary care doctors. But the extent of its impact will be determined by an array of details not fully known–including what exactly the financial benefits look like.
The first expected rule would replace an Obama administration policy extending nondiscrimination protections to transgender patients. The National Center for Transgender Equality and other advocacy organizations believe the rules will make it easier for providers or insurers to refuse transition-related care based on religious beliefs. A second rule would finalize broad protections for health workers who cite religious or moral objections to providing services such as abortion or contraception.
Researchers who set the new guidelines for how doctors should prescribe opioids say the providers have wrongly implemented some of their recommendations. They find that some health care players use the guidelines to justify an “inflexible application of recommended dosage and duration thresholds and policies that encourage hard limits and abrupt tapering of drug dosages.” Other news on the crisis comes out of Tennessee, Texas and Louisiana.
Trump Vows To Hold Big Pharma Accountable For Role In Opioid Epidemic As He Touts Progress
President Donald Trump spoke to the Rx Drug Abuse and Heroin Summit in Atlanta about funding for addiction treatment, stronger scrutiny of Big Pharma and tougher interdiction of drugs at the border with Mexico. Experts, however, criticized his administration for falling back on fiery speeches without delivering progress. “It’s like pointing to a burning building, saying there is an emergency, then not calling the fire department,” said Andrew Kolodny, a director of opioid policy research at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Editorial writers weigh in on these health topics and others.
Opinion writers weigh in on the importance of vaccines and the future role of them.
