Latest KFF Health News Stories
The Next Big Question In Opioid Court Cases: Will The Spoils Be Divided Up Fairly?
With so many counties, cities, municipalities and states in the game, everyone is vying for their equal share of the millions expected to come out of the court cases against the opioid-makers. Meanwhile, David Sackler, of Purdue Pharma notoriety, speaks out in defense of the company. In other news on the opioid epidemic: FDA’s opioid approvals, data on prescriptions, international guidelines for painkillers, and more.
Legislation Would Ensure Preference Given To American Companies For Pentagon Research Funding
A bioscience company’s decision to find a partner in China prompted the introduction of the measure. The legislation is the most recent example of the Trump administration and members of Congress taking a more aggressive role to counter the economic and national-security risks posed by China’s rise as a biotech power. Other news from Capitol Hill deals with abortion, black lung, and the 9/11 victims fund.
Progressive lawmakers had invited Big Pharma CEOs to participate in a hearing, but as a political group and not a formal congressional committee, the Progressive Caucus has little power to compel the industry figures’ presence. The hearing, however, provided an outlet for lawmakers to signal their frustration with Democratic leadership’s approach to drug prices. Meanwhile, following a lobbying blitz, lawmakers consider dialing down bill on patents.
Lawyers were allowed to interview immigrant children who are being held in U.S. custody to assess the care they are receiving. The issue has gained national attention following several deaths and high-profile reports of neglect. Meanwhile, years ago the government realized that the Border Patrol system was plagued by bad actors allowed to stay on the payroll. The problem is still not fixed, ProPublica reports.
The court has said that the Missouri health department can’t simply let the license lapse, and that it must make a decision whether to renew or reject it. Meanwhile, Planned Parenthood appeared to escalate its fight with Missouri on Thursday when it stopped performing one of two state-mandated pelvic exams for women seeking abortions.
Federal Appeals Court Rules In Favor Of Trump Administration’s Changes To Family Planning Funding
The panel of three Republican-appointed judges ruled that the Trump administration can implement new rules prohibiting federal family-planning grants to health clinics offering on-site abortions or referrals for the procedure. Although the decision isn’t the final say on the issue, the court predicted that the administration will come out the victor in the battle. Dr. Leana Wen, president of Planned Parenthood, called the news “devastating” for the millions of women who rely on the program for services such as cancer screenings, HIV tests and birth control, and said the organization would immediately appeal.
Advocates say that President Donald Trump’s expected executive order, which was first reported by The Wall Street Journal, will lift the veil of secrecy around negotiated health care prices. But the health care industry is resistant, arguing that it could cause costs to climb if some businesses learn competitors are getting bigger discounts.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Editorial pages weigh in on these health care topics and others.
Each week, KHN compiles a selection of recently released health policy studies and briefs.
UnitedHealth’s $4.3B Purchase Of Physician Group Approved By FTC With Conditions
The FTC alleged the UnitedHealth-DaVita deal would create a monopoly in the Las Vegas area and that the combination would have resulted in higher health-care costs and weaker competition for on quality, services and other amenities.
Media outlets report on news from California, Connecticut, Iowa, Tennessee, Ohio, New York, Illinois, Arizona, Minnesota, Georgia, Washington and Missouri.
The opioid epidemic has taken place over a shorter time span than what fell under the Big Tobacco settlements in the 1990s, and hasn’t resulted in as many deaths. Meanwhile, Oklahoma’s chief medical examiner testified in the case that could set a benchmark for the thousands set to follow. In other opioid news: bankruptcy committees, WHO guidelines, wrong-full death lawsuits, and more.
While President Donald Trump said recently that air quality in the U.S. is the best in the world, his claim is far from true. Ten other countries outrank the United States., including several in Europe. Microscopic pollution from power plants, car exhaust and wildfires causes the premature deaths of 100,000 American every year. Other public health news examines the debate over an injection to improve women’s sexual desire, a vaccine’s potential to lower risk of Type 1 diabetes, 9/11 responders and prostrate cancer, research on the next pandemic, the air industry’s response to food allergies, smartphones’ ability to reshape bodies, the toll suffered by surgeons’ moods, and more.
As Missouri’s last-remaining abortion clinic fights to stay open, one in Illinois is hiring more staff and considering adding extra hours. The fates of the two show how states are drifting further apart on the issue of abortion even as their neighbors go the opposite way. Abortion news comes out of Rhode Island and Michigan as well.
A Look At The Court Cases That Carved Out Protections For LGBTQ Community Over The Years
The New York Times reviews the history of LGBTQ rights in the courts. Meanwhile, a study on homophobia reveals a disconnect between perception and reality.
Black Public Health Leaders Condemn Medical College Decision To Accept Juul’s $7.5M Funding
The grant from the e-cigarette company set off a debate about the challenges of taking corporate money and not becoming biased in the funder’s favor. Leaders of Meharry Medical College in Tennessee said the grant allows them to open a public health center to study issues impacting African Americans. Opponents argue that African Americans are targeted with menthol cigarettes and have a higher death rate from smoking. In other news on vaping, a pen exploded and fractured a teen’s jaw.
By contracting directly with health plans and employers, Amazon-PillPack would essentially become its own pharmacy benefit manager, which, given Amazon’s distribution capabilities, could quickly shake up the nation’s prescription drug market. Court documents in a case about personnel revealed the strategy that many in the industry fear. In other pharmaceutical news: a drug-price watchdog group with ties to pharma; Merck’s expansion into cancer treatments; and more.
Philanthropists Bernard and Lisa Selz pumped millions into the anti-vaccination movement in recent years. The Washington Post looks at how the couple plays an outsized role in the debate. Meanwhile, a new report finds that mistrust of vaccinations around the world grows at the same time that government confidence declines.
Medicaid Work Mandate In Arkansas Didn’t Boost Employment And Left Thousands Dropped From Insurance
A new study may undercut one of the Trump administration’s key arguments that work requirements would cut unemployment rates. “It should certainly be a warning sign that there’s potential for large coverage losses, potential for significant confusion,” said Benjamin Sommers, a professor at the Harvard School of Public Health and the study’s lead author. Arkansas’s results are closely watched as other conservative states consider more restrictions to their Medicaid programs.
