Latest KFF Health News Stories
Senate Republicans tried to kill the legislation in 2011, and Democrats and advocates are worried that this time they’ll succeed. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said he was “reviewing the legislation” and “we do not have any announcements at this time.”
HHS officials demand an apology from Rep. Ted Deutch (D-Fla.) for stating publicly that HHS staff sexually abused migrant children in agency custody. Deutch says he was referring to contractors as well as staff. “Our job is to conduct oversight,” Deutch said. “I’ve never seen a response like this, that simply refuses to come talk to members of Congress.”
Democratic leaders, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, try to keep a leash on progressives to get the party to unite behind incremental changes to the existing health law. But after grabbing headlines and attention this week with their “Medicare for All” proposed legislation, the left wing of the party is not on board with being contained.
Time’s Up, a movement against sexual harassment, announced it is launching a health care branch with the goals of uniting health care workers against harassment and inequity, improving care for those who have been marginalized, supporting awareness within health care organizations, promoting higher workplace standards regarding inclusivity and diversity, and reaching equitable compensation levels. On the same day, NIH officials publicly apologized for past failures in addressing a culture of sexual harassment.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Opinion writers weigh in on these health care issues and others.
Editorial writers weigh in on efforts to improve quality of care and lower costs.
Media outlets report on news from New Jersey, Arizona, California, Texas, Missouri, Kansas, Wisconsin, Georgia, New York, Tennessee, Minnesota and Ohio.
News from state legislatures comes from New Hampshire, Iowa, Texas, Florida and Georgia.
Are Safe Consumption Sites Really Illegal? No Easy Answer, As Advocates In Mass. Hope To Open Center
Federal prosecutors in Massachusetts and elsewhere have said federal law prohibits such facilities that are allowed in 66 countries, including Canada. Other legal experts interpret the law differently. News on the epidemic looks at efforts under way in Ohio to save lives, as well.
This Stem Cell Treatment Was Billed As A Miracle Cure. Then People Started Getting Sick.
Companies are advertising the use of umbilical cord blood, saying the treatment is “as miraculous as the birth of a child itself” and “stimulates regenerative healing.” But the products are not approved by federal regulators and can be dangerous to patients. In other public health news: cancer drugs, genome mapping, flu shots, dialysis, tobacco, and more.
Smartphones, Prevalence Of SUVs Cited As Possible Factors In Sharp Rise Of U.S. Pedestrian Deaths
An estimated 6,227 people died on foot from car crashes nationwide last year, the most since 1990. “The alarm bells continue to sound on this issue,” said Jonathan Adkins, the executive director of the Governors Highway Safety Association.
“We shouldn’t be criticizing people who get this information that’s false because they may not know it’s false,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci, infectious disease chief at the National Institutes of Health, during a House Committee on Energy and Commerce. Experts testifying stressed the importance of public health officials and doctors combating that false information and said outbreaks such as the one in the Northwest are “really unacceptable.”
CDC Finds That Progress Against HIV Epidemic Plateaued In Recent Years
The report comes just weeks after President Donald Trump announced an ambitious plan to end the crisis. “Now is the time for our Nation to take bold action. We strongly support President Trump’s plan to end the HIV epidemic in America,” CDC Director Robert Redfield said in a statement. “We must move beyond the status quo to end the HIV epidemic in America.”
The legislation also includes a strict ban on abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected, a measure that’s been struck down in courts multiple times. While supporters tout the measure, critics say they’re “terrified” of the draconian restrictions.
Patient At VA Hospital Shoots Doctor While Undergoing A Psychological Evaluation
According to investigators, Lawrence Bon, 59, had been in the West Palm Beach V.A. Medical Center since early morning and had been deemed “combative.” The doctor’s injury was not life-threatening.
At a closely watched Senate Finance hearing this week on high drug prices, pharma executives were asked if they’ve ever withheld samples from generic rivals to try to stave off competition. All of them said no, but two of the companies have made FDA’s list of drugmakers that have complaints of withholding against them. So what’s going on? Meanwhile, Novartis can’t quite shake its Michael Cohen connection.
From 2014 to 2016, the federal government picked up the full cost of a state’s Medicaid expansion. After 2016, the contribution started to decline. But a state that expanded Medicaid after 2014 doesn’t get the same matching rate. A proposed bill would change that. Medicaid news comes out of Texas, New Hampshire and Georgia, as well.
The Democratic lawmakers who are a part of the Affordable and Accessible Healthcare Task Force want to bring back efforts to stabilize the health law marketplaces–work that fell by the wayside due to political bickering. Meanwhile, the Trump administration is considering action on health savings accounts.
During her time in the Senate, presidential hopeful Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) advanced proposals that consumer advocates claim would put patients’ safety at risk, such as pushing the FDA to approve medical devices faster and calling for a greater presence of industry-backed experts at the agency.
