Latest KFF Health News Stories
Agency officials vowed by year’s end to begin the lengthy process of setting drinking water limits for two of the most widely detected compounds, known as PFOS and PFOA. But critics say the plan is short on the aggressive action that’s actually needed to rein in the toxins. “EPA continues to punt and has failed to even lift a finger to regulate these dangerous contaminants that are in millions of people’s drinking water,” said Erik Olson, health program director for the Natural Resources Defense Council. “If they can’t regulate something like these highly toxic chemicals that are all over the country, what can they regulate?”
Late-Term Abortion Will Play Heavily In Trump’s Reelection Strategy, Activists Report
President Donald Trump and White House officials met with advocates, including Susan B. Anthony List President Marjorie Dannenfelser, who reported back on the news from the discussions. “The national conversation about late-term abortion … has the power to start to peel away Democrats, especially in battle grounds,” she said. Trump has made a point in recent weeks to refocus his attention on the contentious debate that helped secure him his presidential victory. Abortion news comes out of Kansas and Ohio, as well.
Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper said he is concerned that “Medicare for All” calls for dismantling the current system when less disruptive measures may achieve universal health care. Meanwhile, two Democrats on Capitol Hill are looking for sponsors for their version of “Medicare for All.” And KHN’s weekly podcast takes a deep dive into the history, prospects and terminology surrounding the debate.
House Democrats Allowed To Help Defend Health Law In Court, But Judge Won’t Fast Track Appeal
Once Democrats took control of the House, they petitioned the judge overseeing the health law case to join with Democratic state attorneys general in defending the ACA. Because the Trump administration joined the 20 GOP-led states in attacking the law, the House under Democratic control said it had a right to intervene.
First Edition: February 15, 2019
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Editorial pages focus on these health topics and others.
Opinion writers weigh in on gun violence on the anniversary of the Parkland Mass Shooting.
Research Roundup: Spending On Elderly Patients; Suicide; And Race And Health Coverage
Each week, KHN compiles a selection of recently released health policy studies and briefs.
The Science Of Science: Smaller Is Better When It Comes To Building Innovative Teams
A study published in Nature mines large databases and reports that while big teams help drive progress, they are best suited for confirming novel findings, rather than generating them. Public health news also looks at beneficial insects; a failed uterus transplant; chronic inflammation’s toll on memory; income predictors at age 6; and aging-in-place pitfalls.
“One common idea would be that they’re all absolutely looney-tunes, crazy people wearing tinfoil hats and reading all these conspiracy theories on crazy blogs on the Internet,” said medical anthropologist Elisa Sobo. “And that is absolutely not the case.” Sobo talks about what she learned from interviewing families at a school with low vaccination rates in California. In related news, what Facebook is doing to cut down on vaccine conspiracies and a look at vaccinations abroad.
Adam Boehler, head of Medicare and Medicaid’s innovation institute, said significant financial awards will be given to the top submissions, but he declined to say how much money is being devoted to the program. In other news, Dr. Eric Topol says he’s not impressed with what AI has done to progress health care.
Opioid Lawsuit That’s Flying Under The Radar May Actually Upstage Sweeping Case In Ohio
Oklahoma decided against joining the massive consolidated opioid lawsuit against drugmakers that’s caught most of the country’s attention. But Oklahoma’s case is slated to be the first to go to trial, and could set the stage for many of the arguments that will be made in the larger case. In other news on the epidemic: ‘Mexican Oxy’ pills, the dangers of synthetic opioids, and the Insys court case.
With Purchase Of Technology Firm, J&J Continues Push Into Surgical Robotics Field
Johnson & Johnson is buying a company that created a medical device that can help physicians access nodules in patients’ lungs to diagnose and target treatments. Large medical-device makers have recently been pushing into the robotics market, partly because the equipment can command high price tags. In other health industry news: hospital sales, bankruptcy, and lawsuits.
A tour for journalists inside the facility that serves as a emergency intake shelter for migrant children includes stops by a soccer field, the phone-home room, the medical clinic and the school classrooms, as well as descriptions of holiday parties and talent shows. Child welfare advocates, though, say that’s not reality. “We see a very different picture than the reporters see,” Leecia Welch, senior director of legal advocacy and child welfare at the National Center for Youth Law, told NPR.
Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) pledged to make military housing reform the subject of further Senate hearings and said Congress must halt the problems. The problem came to light when Reuters reported that the living conditions for families on military bases were often slum-like and unsafe.
With New Records Regulation, CMS Wants To Empower Patients To Control Their Health Care
At the HIMSS19 conference in Florida, CMS officials talked up two newly proposed rules intended to push the industry to make use of application programming interfaces to speed up how patients can access information on their mobile devices.
Following a Frontline and Wall Street Journal investigation, HHS is now investigating why the Indian Health Services allowed a pediatrician to continue working for the federal agency for 21 years after officials concluded he was molesting Native American boys. People familiar with the doctor’s situation say information about the allegations against him at one IHS hospital were never recorded in his credentialing file at the second facility where he worked.
During a dinner at the White House before the National Prayer Breakfast, President Donald Trump reportedly laced into devout-Christian Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.). People who witnessed the confrontation said it was “awkward” and aggressive. The intensity of the exchange underscores how much the president sees abortion as a winning issue with his much-needed evangelical base. News on abortion comes out of Arkansas, Mississippi and Kansas, as well.
The short-term plans offer far less coverage than ones regulated under the Affordable Care Act. Although they have been subject to political bickering in the past, some Energy and Commerce Committee Republicans hinted that they might support consumer advisories for the coverage. The GOP lawmakers were less receptive to the other legislation aimed at shoring up the health law that was offered at the meeting–including a rule requiring the plans to disclose that they may not cover pre-existing conditions.
Democrats Push More Moderate, Politically Palatable Plan That Would Allow Medicare Buy-In At Age 50
The Democratic lawmakers say their plan moves in the direction of universal coverage in a more realistic way than progressive-favored “Medicare for All” proposals would. “This is a piece of legislation where you could turn the switch on overnight,” said Rep. Joe Courtney (D-Conn.). The sponsors said the plan will pay for itself with premiums from the new enrollees.
