Latest KFF Health News Stories
Research Roundup: Surprise Medical Bills; Opioid Abuse; And Heart Health
Each week, KHN compiles a selection of recently released health policy studies and briefs.
Media outlets report on news from Illinois, Maryland, Iowa, Texas, Ohio, Washington, Missouri, Minnesota and California.
Under Threat From Competitors, Fitbit Launches Cheapest Smartwatch To Track Workouts, Heart Rate
Rivalries are heating up as tech companies elbow into the hot wearables field. In other health technology news, Epic Systems is sued over its electronic health record software.
Facing such sensitive issues as suicide, smoking, STDs and depression, teens need alone time to talk with their doctor about any concerns they have, advocates say. Although there are guidelines in place for such one-on-one consultations, they often are unevenly practiced. In other public health news: depression medication, heart health, environmental contamination, HIV, and more.
Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus is targeting the health care of billions of people around the world and is promising a back-to-basics approach with focus on “universal health coverage.” But getting regional offices to follow has been problematic.
‘I’m Going To Fight This’: ‘Jeopardy!’ Host Alex Trebek Announces He Has Stage 4 Pancreatic Cancer
The disease has a particularly high fatality rate, but Alex Trebek said that he “plans to beat the low survival-rate statistics.” According to the American Cancer Society, for all stages of pancreatic cancer combined, the one-year relative survival rate is 20 percent, and the five-year rate is 7 percent.
Surgeon General Heads To Northwest Hinting At A New Push To Address Antivaccination Movement
During his visit, Surgeon General Jerome Adams said he cannot explicitly endorse state-level laws, but he voiced support for the idea behind bills in the Oregon and Washington legislatures that would eliminate widely used exemptions from mandatory vaccination.
Abortion rights groups said the decision sets a dangerous precedent at a time when the idea of “fetal rights” is gaining currency in state legislatures and courts. In other news on abortion, a “heartbeat” bill gains approval in a Georgia House panel.
Why Is So Much Less Research Done Into Pregnancy Than Into Much Less Common Conditions?
As soon as investors hear “sick, pregnant women” all the excitement dies. “There’s such a sense of liability,” said Melissa Moore, of the University of Massachusetts Medical School.
Dark Money Group Has Run More Than $100,000 Worth Of Facebook Ads Targeting High Drug Prices
“Citizens for Truth in Drug Pricing” has no website and appears to exist only as a collection of Facebook advertisements, but the spokesman is a well-known Republican communications professional. Meanwhile, lawmakers ramp up efforts to target pharmacy benefits managers for their role in high drug costs, and Allergan gets some disappointing news about its “exciting” investment.
Handwritten Note To Trump Confidante Highlights Influence Of Mar-A-Lago Associates On VA Policies
The note on a federal database for veterans’ dental care is the latest example of the outsized influence the “Mar-a-Lago” crowd has in reviewing all manner of VA policy and personnel decisions, including budgeting and contracting.
“We find it intolerable and inexcusable that child care operators are not immediately investigating reports, contacting and fully assisting law enforcement, preserving evidence and demanding justice for these children,” Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) wrote to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Inspector General’s Office. HHS records, which were released recently, detail 4,556 allegations of sexual abuse by children in immigration facilities from October 2014 to July 2018.
The attention on the opioid epidemic has been beneficial in a lot of ways, but the new efforts to curb opioids prescriptions leave many pain patients in vulnerable positions, more than 300 medical experts say in a letter to the CDC. Specifically, the letter asks the CDC to emphatically state that treatment decisions for these patients be left to their doctors. This is in part because insurers are using the restrictions as a justification for denying reimbursement claims.
“I’ve never seen an administration official, Republican or Democrat, that has worked with the Hill so well on a bipartisan basis,” a senior congressional aide told Stat of departing FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb. With his resignation, the Trump administration loses a crucial asset for pushing its health policy. Meanwhile, there have been worries that Gottlieb’s resignation will disrupt the strides he’s made against public health threats such as teenage vaping. Gottlieb, however, said he’s confident that won’t be the case. And Stat offers a look at who might be his replacement.
Secretive Health Initiative Founded By Billionaires Finally Gets A Name: Haven
The tight-lipped venture, founded by Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway and JPMorgan Chase, has been nameless for more than a year. The name Haven “reflects our goal to be a partner to individuals and families and help them get the care they need, while working with clinicians and others to make the overall system better for all,” according to the initiative’s new website. The industry has been watching the secretive venture nervously, as it’s expected to disrupt the health landscape.
A provision in the health law already allows such sales through state agreements, and, in fact, six states have passed laws to set up interstate sales. But no policies currently are being sold. That’s because the complexities of trying to regulate interstate sales deter most insurance providers from even trying. And any new insurers entering a state also face daunting competition from companies that are already well-established. On the consumer side, experts say it would do little to lower premiums.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Editorial pages focus on these health care issues and others.
Read recent commentaries about drug-cost issues.
Pharma CEOs Brush Off Importance Of List Prices, But Here’s Why They Actually Do Matter To Consumers
News outlets report on stories related to pharmaceutical pricing.
