Latest KFF Health News Stories
Court-watchers aren’t sure how likely the Supreme Court justices are to even take up the Alabama law once it works its way through the lower courts. Instead, the justices could chip away at the legality of abortion while avoiding a ruling that could negate Roe v. Wade.
Alabama Governor Signs Ban On Abortions, But It’s Unclear When, Or Even If, It Will Go Into Effect
The eyes of the nation were on Gov. Kay Ivey (R-Ala.), who approved the most restrictive ban on abortions in the country. “To the bill’s many supporters, this legislation stands as a powerful testament to Alabamians’ deeply held belief that every life is precious and that every life is a sacred gift from God,” Ivey said. At the earliest, the measure will take effect in six months, but even its sponsors expect it to be blocked by the courts.
Controversy Over The Costliest Drug On The Planet Goes Far Beyond Just The Price Tag
The FDA is poised to approve treatment for a rare disorder that had doomed children to death. But the expected price would make it the most expensive drug on the market. Not only does it raise questions about the cost and value of gene therapies, but it also brings to light fierce bare-knuckle fight between two drugmakers involved. In other pharmaceutical news: Democrats’ drug strategy, pharmacy benefits managers, pricing for HIV prevention pills, generics, a kickback case, a nonprofit’s first product, and much more.
Bipartisan Duo Channels Baseball With Their Proposal To Protect Patients From Surprise Medical Bills
Sens. Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.) will co-sponsor a measure that would set up an independent-arbitrator system to make a ruling if hospitals and insurers can’t work out who picks up the extra costs. “It’s called baseball-style arbitration. It’s been piloted and used well in New York,” said Hassan. The bill is just one of several expected over the next few weeks that deal with surprise medical bills, an issue that got a recent boost from President Donald Trump.
A crowded Democratic presidential field — largely defined by the historic number of women running — jockeyed on Wednesday to decry the restrictive Alabama abortion bill. Meanwhile, Republicans mostly dodged questions about it.
Other states are working hard to put limits on the procedure and prepare for the possibility of Roe v. Wade being overturned by the Supreme Court. Media outlets take a look at movement on abortion legislation in Indiana, Ohio, Georgia, Kentucky, Wisconsin, Missouri, Louisiana, Utah and more.
Do-It-Yourself Diagnosis: Smartphone Could Let Parents Check If Kid Has An Ear Infection
Ear infections are one of the most common reasons for pediatrician visits, and getting the diagnosis correct can be tricky. A team of scientists, however, may have discovered a way to do it with just a phone app and some common household items.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Opinion writers weigh in on the anti-abortion laws being passed in several states.
Media outlets report on news from Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Minnesota, the District of Columbia, Massachusetts, Arizona, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Kansas, Texas, California, Washington and New Hampshire.
The suit says Purdue Pharma drug representatives made 531,000 calls on doctors in the state since 2007, when the company settled with Pennsylvania and 25 other states and agreed to stop illegal diversion of OxyContin and to promote it only for federally approved uses. The company is facing a barrage of legal challenges from local counties, states and other parties eager to hold it accountable for the role it played in the opioid epidemic.
Editorial pages focus on these health care topics and others.
Under the new rules, a liver must be matched with the most critical patient within 500 miles. That means a liver donated in Nashville could end up in Chicago. The intent of the change is to make organ transplants more fair nationwide, but transplant centers in the South and Midwest are fighting it.
As recent research has failed to find a treatment for the disease and other dementia impacting more than 50 million Americans, the World Health Organization released a report on what aging people can try to do to prevent it. Other news on aging looks at troubling “zombie cells” and palliative care.
FTC Commissioner Calls On Colleagues To Be More Aggressive In Policing Health Care Mergers
Federal Trade Commissioner Rebecca Kelly Slaughter’s remarks support the chorus of calls among lawmakers and policy advocates who say antitrust officials at the FTC and the Justice Department need to get tougher on mergers and anticompetitive conduct across industries. Other health care industry news focuses on Walmart and the American Medical Association.
Washington State Passed A Public Option But Now Comes The Hard Part: Making It Work
Politico looks at some unresolved issues Washington officials will have to confront in the months ahead. Meanwhile, California Gov. Gavin Newsom is trying to drum up support for his ideas to shore up the health law marketplace in his state.
Hurricane Maria Devastated ‘Monkey Island.’ Can The Surviving Primates Help Teach Us About Trauma?
Like humans, the rhesus macaques that live on Puerto Rico’s “Monkey Island” possess advanced problem-solving skills and opposable thumbs and have been known to use tools, and they have complex emotional and social lives. As scientists wonder how something like Hurricane Maria impacts a community longterm, some turn to the monkeys to help better understand. In other public health news: the HIV epidemic, cancer, doctors and TV shows, scientific labs, heart health, and exercise.
U.S. Births Continue Downward Spiral, Dropping To Lowest Rate In More Than 30 Years
Many demographers believed more births would coincide with a rebounding economy, but Tuesday’s new report from the CDC showed a 2% decline from the previous year and record lows for women in their teens and 20s.
Civica Rx and other nontraditional drug suppliers entering the market say they are seeking to fix a dysfunctional system that puts patients at risk and adds to fast-rising pharmaceutical costs. “It’s really a good idea to shore up our supply of these products. Without these, the alternatives are pretty grim,” said the University of Utah’s Erin Fox to The Wall Street Journal.
The opinion from the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel says the FDA lacks the authority to regulate drugs or other items when used in connection with the death penalty. When the only U.S. manufacturer of sodium thiopental stopped production in 2009, states began scrambling to find stocks of the drug in the U.S. and abroad. But the FDA had previously moved to halt such imports.
