Latest KFF Health News Stories
Some patients with developmental disabilities are unable to endure even regular dental exams or cleanings without general anesthesia. But most dentists don’t offer it and getting insurance to cover it for routine dental work is often a struggle. In other public health news: sugary drinks, skipping breakfast and permanent daylight saving.
President Donald Trump’s absence in the national conversation about the measles outbreaks has prompted some debate in the public health community about whether he should be playing a more active role. Meanwhile, another 71 cases were reported last week, bringing this year’s total to 626.
Government Officials Desperately Scour Country To Find Somewhere To Hold Detained Immigrants
A national spotlight has been on the health and care of immigrants who are in U.S. custody, even as facilities face mounting pressure of an influx of detainees. In one initiative examined earlier this year, Department of Homeland Security officials looked at housing migrant children at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.
At a hearing on Monday to set the date of a trial for Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes and her deputy Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani, Judge Edward J. Davila appeared sympathetic to the lawyers’ plight. “It’s only millions of pages,” Davila said wryly. “What’s the problem?” Davila discussed the potential of a start in April of next year, but delayed the decision until July.
Despite Massive Carnage From Rout, There Are Signs That Investors Aren’t Panicked About Health Care
Option prices for the $18.1 billion Health Care Select Sector SPDR Fund have increased over the past few days, diverging from those on the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust. But they’re not yet pricing in “an extreme level of fear that would be consistent with a capitulation in sentiment,” experts say. Meanwhile, despite all the volatility in the field, nearly all large health insurance companies gave their CEOs pay raises in 2018.
Pharma Pumps Near Record-Breaking Amounts Of Money Into Lobbying As Pressure Over Prices Ramps Up
The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America trade group, which represents 37 drug companies, spent $9.91 million in the first quarter. But while some companies have increased their lobbying spends by eye-popping amounts, others are tightening their wallets.
The Trump administration rule, which may come as soon as next week, could weaken or eliminate an anti-discrimination provision enshrined in the health law. The provision says patients cannot be turned away because they are transgender, nor can they be denied coverage if they need a service that’s related to their transgender status. Meanwhile, a new study suggests that transgender adults have a higher risk of poor health than those who are cisgender.
HHS Secretary Alex Azar says the new primary care experiment will transform the U.S. health system, and “move [the nation] toward a system where providers are paid for outcomes rather than procedures, and free up doctors to focus on the patients in front of them, rather than the paperwork we send them.” This new initiative is the most sweeping attempt to date to change primary care. While the program is voluntary, the administration hopes that as many as one-fourth of all primary-care doctors will participate.
Total Medicare costs are expected to grow from 3.7% of gross domestic product in 2018 to 5.9% by 2038. Lawmakers have been struggling to come up with a solution for the country’s eroding entitlement programs, which have been at the center of a political tug of war between Republicans and Democrats for years.
Opinion writers weigh in on these health topics and others.
Media outlets report on news from Washington, Massachusetts, Idaho, Utah, Florida, Ohio, Iowa, Wisconsin, Missouri, California, Colorado and New Hampshire.
The current season began the week of Thanksgiving, a typical start time, but in mid-February, a nastier strain started causing more illnesses and driving up hospitalizations. In other public health news: over-treatment, suicide, exercise, depression, cholesterol, autism, abuse, and more.
“There’s a growing awareness that the traditional design of emergency-department care isn’t well suited to frail, older adults,” says Kevin J. Biese, an emergency-medicine physician who heads the new Geriatric ED Accreditation Board of the American College of Emergency Physicians.
Consumers have gotten used to the benefits of PFAS, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances that make clothing water resistant and cooking ware easier to clean, but scientists say it will take years to discover their risks. Other news on the environment looks at how to protect yourself from air pollution when traveling.
Many parents think what they’re doing is safe and OK, until they lose their baby. “It is very, very distressing that in the U.S. we’re just seeing this resistance, or persistence of these high numbers,” said Dr. Fern Hauck, a University of Virginia expert in infant deaths. In other maternal and child health news: postpartum depression and commuting while pregnant.
Since Columbine, Millions Spent On ‘Hardening’ Schools, But That Has Done Little To Ease Fears
Mass shootings at schools remain rare, but the threat of one keeps America in its grips. Experts caution that schools should avoid over-preparing for mass shootings and should instead focus on more typical threats to students’ safety, such as mental health issues and family trauma.
In ads that are now geared toward adults rather than teens, e-cigarette companies tout their products’ potential to help adults quit traditional cigarettes. Although early evidence indicates that vaping can help traditional smokers quit, researchers see many caveats. Lawmakers and regulators are now considering if the crackdown on advertising should be more broad.
The nation’s largest insurer is under fire for its decisions on what mental health services it covers. In other news, the company is trying to push into a crowded digital health marketplace.
As the financial muscle behind the opioid epidemic, drug distributors rank among the largest American companies by revenue, with the three leading companies distributing more than 90 percent of the nation’s drug and medical supplies. They’ve faced numerous accusations that they deliberately circumnavigated regulators in favor of profit. Now, in what could be a test case, the United States attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York and the DEA are wrapping up an investigation that appears likely to result in the first criminal case involving a major opioid distributor. In other news on the crisis: generic nasal spray for overdoses, involuntary commitment for addiction treatment, arrests, and disappointing news for a novel pain drug.
