Latest KFF Health News Stories
Many See Racial Disparities As A Key Missing Piece In National Abortion Debate
The social and economic disparities that are particularly challenging to African-Americans, from mass incarceration to maternal and infant mortality, are often overlooked by white leaders of the abortion movement. Other news on abortion comes from Ohio, Alabama, and Missouri.
The full 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will review a decision by a three-judge panel that upheld the Trump administration’s regulations. Until it hears the case, the court has frozen the so-called “gag rule” that would impose additional hurdles for low-income women seeking abortions.
President Donald Trump talked about a planned executive order to establish a “favored-nations clause,” where America would pay whatever the lowest nation’s price is. The order would carry little force on its own, experts say, because Medicare’s main prescription drug program farms out its drug purchasing to private insurance companies, and is barred from negotiating with drugmakers directly. The federal government does buy drugs for some groups, including veterans and federal prisoners, but they represent only a small fraction of the nation’s drug market.
“When a child draws this, it’s telling us that child felt like he or she was in jail,” said Dr. Colleen Kraft, immediate past president of the American Academy of Pediatrics. The pediatricians’ group has been trying to advise Border Patrol on how to screen and care for children in their custody, but Kraft said a series of meetings came to an end without producing concrete results. Meanwhile, separate pediatricians call the care the children are receiving “malpractice.”
However, Kevin McAleenan, the acting secretary of Homeland Security, acknowledged that the situation is challenging and that the government is under strain from an influx of immigrants crossing the border. The situation gained national attention after reports emerged about the unsanitary and abusive conditions in shelters housing detained young immigrants.
Countries with government-run, universal health care often still place tough restrictions on providing that care for immigrants in the country illegally. Yet the idea is a popular one among the 2020 Democratic candidates. The New York Times looks at what would be involved in implementing the policy. In other news from the campaign trail: former Vice President Joe Biden promises to bring back the individual mandate if he’s elected, the complexities of “Medicare for All” continue to divide candidates and more.
On The Docket For Lawmakers Post Fourth Of July: Surprise Medical Bills And High Drug Prices
As Congress returns from recess, health care issues are on the summer agenda. “Obviously we will continue to have significant disagreements on … Obamacare,” said Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.). “What we’ve done is shift our focus to the larger topic — or the different topic — of reducing health care costs.”
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit will hear oral arguments on Tuesday in the high-profile lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the health law. The issue is on a likely path toward the Supreme Court, which would put it center stage in the 2020 elections. Although Republicans have adamantly pushed to overturn the law, that position did not prove successful for them in the most recent election cycle.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Opinion writers weigh in on these and other health care issues
Perspectives: As Congress Debates Over Drug Prices, States Lead The Way With Innovative Experiments
Read recent commentaries about drug-cost issues.
Editorial writers weigh in on these health care topics and others.
Five other patients also developed an Aspergillus infection. Aspergillus is a common mold tolerated by most people but poses a greater risk to those with weakened immune systems. Gaps in air filtration is believed to have been key in the presence of mold. News on hospitals is from Missouri and Illinois, as well.
Media outlets report on news from Indiana, Texas, Oregon, North Carolina, Arizona, Virginia, Georgia, California, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin, Massachusetts, Florida, Connecticut and New Jersey.
News outlets report on stories related to pharmaceutical pricing.
Current treatment of HIV using antiretroviral therapy requires lifelong use to suppress the disease. The scientists from Temple University and the University of Nebraska Medical Center were able to eliminate the virus in nine of 23 mice, according to a study published Tuesday in Nature Communications. “The possibility exists that HIV can be cured,” said Howard Gendelman, author of the study.
Remember Zika? Yes, It Is Still A Problem
Even though the media coverage of the disease almost completely dropped off, it doesn’t mean Zika vanished entirely. “The next outbreak is not a matter of if, but when,” said Dr. Ernesto T.A. Marques, a public health researcher at The Oswaldo Cruz Foundation in Rio de Janeiro. In other public health news: the idea of “real-world” evidence, acupuncture, stories from veterans, weight loss, Ebola, and more.
Facebook and YouTube are being flooded with scientifically dubious and potentially harmful information about alternative cancer treatments and other “miracle cures.” The companies are facing increasing pressure to do something to address the problem.
Law Requiring Doctors To Tell Patients Abortions Can Be Reversed Compels AMA To Step In
When asked about the decision to sue to block the Nebraska law, AMA President Patrice A. Harris told The Washington Post that “we will oppose any law or regulation that restricts our ability to talk to our patients honestly about their health, health care, or treatment alternatives.” News on abortion and Planned Parenthood comes from New Hampshire, Missouri and Maine, as well.
South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, a Democratic candidate for 2020, proposed national service organizations as part of a broader plan to address some of the problems in the country. Buttigieg, who has faced pressure in recent weeks over a police shooting in his town, also focused on what he would do for African-Americans, including addressing systemic racism in the health care industry.
