Latest KFF Health News Stories
Health Technology Leaders Surprised And Giddy Over Administration’s Proposed Rules On Patient Data
Trump administration officials say the rules are geared toward putting patients in control of their own health records. Health technology experts were thrilled at the prospect of more open sharing of health information in a standardized format. “Oh, my goodness, I’ve been dancing in the streets!” said Aneesh Chopra, president of CareJourney, a company that analyzes data for health care firms. Other health and technology news focuses on the challenge of getting people to actually use new digital tools, simple devices that can have a big impact on patients’ lives, and mental health apps.
Democratic lawmakers pointed out what they called “troubling irregularities” in the regulatory review process of changes that the Trump administration wants to make to the Title X program. “We have reason to believe that the final rule, if implemented, would undermine the federal Title X family planning program and threaten access to family planning services for millions of low-income women across the United States,” they wrote.
On Heels Of Successful Medicaid Expansion Initiatives, Red State Lawmakers Mull Ballot Restrictions
Lawmakers in Florida and Missouri, two states that could be new targets for Medicaid expansion advocates, are considering bills that would add obstacles to getting initiatives onto the ballots. The changes could include charging fees, mandating more petition signatures or requiring more votes for passage. Meanwhile, NPR looks at how the work requirements added to Arkansas’ Medicaid program have effected enrollment. News comes out of Kansas, as well.
Supporters and opponents of abortion rights describe this as the most fraught time for Roe v. Wade since the early 1990s, when the high court was filled with Republican appointees and instances of blockades, bombings and arson at clinics were on the rise. “That was a moment people thought Roe v. Wade was going to end and abortion rights were going to disappear,” said David S. Cohen, a law professor at Drexel University whose research explores issues such as abortion at the intersection of constitutional law and gender. “Many people feel that way now.” Meanwhile, the practice of “adopting” other couples’ frozen embryos allows antiabortion people to take part in IVF in a manner they deem ethical.
First Edition: February 19, 2019
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Opinion writers weigh in on these and other health topics.
Longer Looks: School Shooters; Teen Vaping; And Measles
Each week, KHN’s Shefali Luthra finds interesting reads from around the Web.
Media outlets report on news from Connecticut, California, Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, New Hampshire, Texas, Wyoming, Minnesota, Georgia, Louisiana and Oregon.
Ambivalence Over Motherhood Could Reshape Practices Around Family Planning
New data from a CDC survey finds that in up to 19 percent of pregnancies, women are unsure if they want to be pregnant, a state of mind doctors need to be in tune with when counseling them, researchers say. Public health news looks at AIDS death rates in the South; depression’s harmful role in aging brains; looking for treatments in moss piglets and a reason to get off the couch this weekend, as well.
But African Americans still have the highest death rate and the lowest survival rate of any racial or ethnic group for most cancers. “The message is progress has been made, but we still have a long way to go,” said Len Lichtenfeld, interim chief medical officer for the cancer society.
The antivaccination claims–that childhood illnesses help boost immunity–touted by Darla Shine, the wife of White House communications director Bill Shine, have been debunked by health experts. Meanwhile, Facebook says it is looking for options to remove the antivaccine information that flourishes on its site.
Number Of Flu Deaths Relatively High For A Season That Is Considered To Be Low Severity
But the flu vaccine is still doing a pretty good job. Interim estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate the vaccine offers about 47 percent protection against all influenza infections.
Chinese scientist He Jiankui shocked the world when he announced that he’d used gene-editing technology on human embroyos–crossing a line that many had looked at as uncrossable in terms of ethics. In response, the World Health Organization will be forming a committee to offer guidance on the technology.
With The ‘Internet Of Things’ Comes Wealth Of Opportunity For Innovation In Health Sector
From apps to help track insulin, to digital pills, to implants that help paralyzed people walk, the technological boom is opening up a world of possibilities that would have at one point been called science fiction.
Insys Founder To Former CEO: ‘You’re Going To Be The Fall Guy’
Insys Therapeutics, which profited wildly from the sale of a powerful fentanyl spray known as Subsys, was under investigation by federal prosecutors for its marketing practices in 2015. At that time the company’s founder John Kapoor told then-CEO Michael Babich that Babich would be the one who was going to shoulder the blame — according to Babich, who has pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud and one count of conspiracy. He is now a key witness in the racketeering prosecution of Kapoor and four other former executives and sales directors.
Mounting debt and other financial worries have been weighing heavily on rural hospitals across the country forcing them to close their doors. But what do the towns do when their hospitals shut down? USA Today investigates. Hospital closure news comes out of Kansas, as well.
A group of men at the facility launched a hunger strike. Officials were force feeding them through tubes in their noses. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights Spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani said last week the office views force-feeding as potential “ill treatment” that would go against the U.N. Convention Against Torture. In other news, a look at the controversial influx shelter that’s often migrant kids’ first stop in the country.
“A payment system that only pays first responders to take people to the hospital creates the wrong incentive,” said Adam Boehler, director of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation. For now, the change is just part of a pilot program, but if it’s expanded nationwide it could save Medicare hundreds of millions of dollars a year.
The White House released details of President Donald Trump’s annual physical with Dr. Sean Conley. According to the report, Trump has gained weight from last year’s exam and upped his dosage of cholesterol medication. But doctors looking at the results said he’s in relatively good health, deeming him “lucky.”
FDA Gets Its Biggest Boost In At Least Five Year From Draft Spending Deal
The budget includes an extra $5 million for the FDA’s Oncology Center of Excellence, an added $10 million for rare disease drug development, and $47 million to combat the opioid epidemic. Although, it’s less than what was requested, officials are still pleased.
