Latest KFF Health News Stories
Babies As Young As 3 Months Old Are Being Held In U.S. Custody Without Any Parents At The Facilities
A Center for Investigative Reporting report finds that a dozen children arrived at Child Crisis Arizona starting in mid-June, after it garnered a $2.4 million contract to house unaccompanied children through January 2022. It’s unclear where the children’s parents are. In other news from the crisis at the border: a momentary reprieve in arrests, a commemorative coin’s connection to a toxic culture within Border Patrol, ICE raids, and more.
The Tennessean looks at the dramatic negative effects the paperwork system — which has now been replaced — had on the state’s children. Medicaid news comes out of Indiana, New York and Montana, as well.
Update To Controversial Hospital Star Ratings Delayed Until Expert Panel Reviews Changes
The American Hospital Association spoke out in support of CMS’ decision to hold off on releasing the ratings, which have long provoked push back from the industry over the methodology the agency uses.
The drug ampicillin, once a mainstay for treating the infections, has been abandoned as a gold standard because multiple strains of UTIs are resistant to it. “This is crazy. This is shocking,” said Lance Price, director of the Antibiotic Resistance Action Center at George Washington University. In other public health news: mental health and apps, sleep training, firefighter suicides, skull fractures in infants, climate change and health, young blood, and more.
When it looked like New York might pass a menthol cigarette ban, tobacco lobbyists invoked Eric Garner — a man who was killed on Staten Island by police officers enforcing cigarette regulations — in their arguments that it would disproportionately hurt black residents. The bill was set aside.
The case against Johnson & Johnson was the first of of more than 2,000 actions by state and local governments accusing drug manufacturers of contributing to the epidemic, and is expected to set the tone for the court challenges following it. Meanwhile, the Sackler family is left reeling as details over Purdue Pharma’s marketing strategy continue to emerge.
As more states pass strict abortion regulations, advocates for women on both sides of the debate are joining forces to focus on workplace safeguards for new moms. Abortion news comes out of Missouri, Oklahoma and Georgia, as well.
The legislation, which passed the House by a 402-12 vote, would fund all current and future medical claims from 9/11 survivors through 2090.
Democrats Urge Trump To Remove Language About Biologics In Trade Agreement
The lawmakers say the pending language in the U.S.-Mexico-Canada agreement “would hinder Congress from taking action to increase competition and enhance patient access to more affordable medicines.”
Judge Patty Schwartz, writing for the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia, said the Affordable Care Act plainly states that women must be provided preventive health services. The Trump administration’s rules that would allow employers to deny workers insurance coverage for birth control due to religious or moral objections sparked an immediate court challenge when rolled out in November.
The House Oversight Committee’s investigation into the Trump administration’s 2018 policy shows that many children were kept in government custody far longer than previously known. At least 18 infants and toddlers under two years old were separated from their parents and “kept apart for 20 days to half a year.” Meanwhile, the Trump administration agrees to allow a Stanford University pediatrician to conduct an independent investigation into health conditions for migrant children at the detention facilities.
Republican lawmakers are taking a new look at the options to replace the health law in case the court challenge working its way toward the Supreme Court is successful. The party has long struggled to craft replacement legislation, and had in previous months abandoned efforts to do so.
Former Vice President Joe Biden rolled out his health plan Monday morning following a weekend of trading jabs over “Medicare for All” with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). Biden’s plan would include the creation of a public option as well as the elimination of the existing cap on health care tax credits to make coverage more affordable. The proposal solidifies Biden’s stance as one the health law’s biggest defenders in a race where health care has become a dividing topic between the candidates.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Different Takes: Pros And Cons On Trump’s About Face On Drug Rebates
Editorial pages focus on Trump’s change of heart on drug rebates and Ohio’s attempt to lower drug prices.
Opinion writers weigh in on these health care issues and others.
Longer Looks: Trump’s Kidney Initiative, Measles’ Return & Fecal Transplants
Each week, KHN’s Shefali Luthra finds interesting reads from around the Web.
A ProPublica and Frontline investigation about gaps in oversight for patients living outside institutions prompted U.S. District Judge Nicholas Garaufis to order a report and make recommendations for improving care. At least six had died and others struggled to live on their own. Mental health news is from California and Massachusetts, as well.
Media outlets report on news from Missouri, Massachusetts, Nevada, New York, Florida, Connecticut, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, California, Virginia, Colorado, New Hampshire, Texas, Michigan, Mississippi and Nebraska.
The legislation is complicated and was quickly shepherded through the California Legislature with fears of the utility companies going bankrupt if something wasn’t done. The bill will provide investor-owned utilities with at least $21 billion to pay for damage from blazes linked to their equipment beginning this summer. Utility customers will be required to pay $10.5 billion to the so-called wildfire fund. Meanwhile, new data show the town of Paradise lost over 90% of its population since a wildfire killed 85 people last year.
