Latest KFF Health News Stories
For Some HIV Advocates The Trump Administration’s Past ‘Actions Speak Louder Than It’s Words’
Although many remain cautiously optimistic that President Donald Trump’s pledge to end new HIV transmissions by 2030 will move the cause forward, others say the administration’s repeated efforts to cut AIDS funding and roll back protections for patients with HIV and other preexisting conditions show otherwise.
Speaking out on gun control issues used to be a gamble for all but the safest incumbents, but there seems to have been a shift in the atmosphere as of late. In other news: gun seizure laws, school shooters, and death rates.
Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.), the new Democratic chairman of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, requested documents and “information about alleged improper influence” by Isaac Perlmutter, Bruce Moskowitz and Marc Sherman “over policy and personnel decisions of the Department of Veterans Affairs.” But some lawmakers caution against going too far down that path, when there are so many other important issues for the committee to address.
Louisiana Abortion Case Tests Chief Justice Roberts’ Commitment To Guarding His Court’s Legacy
Chief Justice John Roberts, in a surprise move, joined the Supreme Court’s liberal justices by voting to temporarily block a restrictive Louisiana abortion law from going into effect. While the decision isn’t a guarantee that Roberts will protect abortion as a constitutional right, “it does suggest that he is at least in a go-slow mode,” court watchers say. Meanwhile, as abortion action has moved to the state-level, red and blue states are getting further and further apart on the issue.
GOP lawmakers are eager to get Democrats to agree to have a hearing on the issue, which has become somewhat of a litmus test for progressive 2020 hopefuls.
First Edition: February 11, 2019
Mark your calendar: Join our Facebook Live chat, “Helping People Age With Independence,” with KHN columnist Judith Graham on Tuesday, Feb. 12, at 12:30 p.m. Share your questions or experiences ahead of time, or ask questions on Facebook during the event.
Opinion writers weigh in on these health topics and others.
Editorial pages focus on these and other aspects surrounding the costs of health care.
Longer Looks: Medicare For All; Magic Mushrooms; And Stopping HIV
Each week, KHN’s Shefali Luthra finds interesting reads from around the Web.
Media outlets report on news from Pennsylvania, Texas, Massachusetts, Virginia, Connecticut, Arizona, Colorado, Wisconsin, Ohio, California and Florida.
Nobel Prize Winning Economist Develops Kidney Transplant ‘Chains’ That Are Saving Lives
Nobel laureate Alvin Roth deserves much of the credit for coming up with a solution for increasing the number of donors and getting people off dialysis sooner. Other public health news focuses on self-harming images; Duchenne muscular dystrophy; hangover prevention; cocktail safety; living alone; breast implants and more.
First Attempt To Use Gene Editing To Cure Patients With Rare Disease Offers Sobering Reality Check
But scientists are still hopeful that they’re at the “cusp” of a breakthrough.
Philadelphia Council Strikes Down Bill Designed To Regulate Pharmaceutical Sales Reps
The controversial bill was introduced last fall as a means to curtail the influence sales reps have over doctors — which many believe has contributed to the overuse of opioid pain killers. News on the opioid epidemic comes from Tennessee, Ohio and New York, as well.
One possible way to solve the debate over how to end surprise medical billing disputes is make it a loser pays system with a neutral arbitrator. Each side would submit a price, and the arbiter chooses one. Both sides are bound by the decision, while patients’ charges for out-of-network care are limited to what they would owe to in-network providers. By forcing an arbiter to pick an offer, rather than forging a compromise, both parties are, in theory, encouraged to moderate their bids.
Getting Insulin Without The Prick? High-Tech Pill Would Inject Drugs Into The Stomach
Many drugs, like insulin, can’t survive the harsh trip through the digestive system. But the new invention would involve a swallowable capsule that contains a micro-injector that would pop out and inject the stomach wall.
The cure rates are skewed because of the tremendous progress that’s been made with childhood leukemia, but in other pediatric cancers, the cure rates haven’t changed in 20 years. And scientists have a short-list of ideas how how they want to spend the extra money that President Donald Trump pledged in his State of the Union address. Meanwhile, HIV advocates say that to make inroads against the disease, which Trump also made a priority in his address, officials need to increase outreach to black women.
Walgreens Put On Notice By FDA Over Sales Of Tobacco Products To Minors
Walgreens has racked up nearly 1,800 violations for selling tobacco products to minors, the agency reported. FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said Thursday he is requesting a meeting with Walgreens’ corporate management.
Commander Jonathan White of the U.S. Public Health Service testified at a hearing about the Trump administration’s “zero tolerance” policy. “There is no evidence that HHS leaders ever tried to stop this abhorrent policy,” said subcommittee leader, Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.) “As the agency dedicated to the health and welfare of children, we need to know why.” White said he was not aware that anyone at HHS knew the policy was coming.
Trump To Undergo Next Annual Physical With New Doctor
Last year, his personal physician, Dr. Ronny L. Jackson, had declared him to be in “excellent health” because of his “very good genes.” Jackson was replaced last year after Trump nominated him to lead the Veterans Affairs Department, which revealed a controversy involving alleged on-the-job drunkenness. This year, Trump will be examined Dr. Sean Conley, a Navy veteran and doctor of osteopathic medicine.
Despite Possible Political Dangers, Georgia Governor Takes Steps Toward Partial Medicaid Expansion
Gov. Brian Kemp’s aides maintain that he won’t support outright Medicaid expansion, but that he will direct a consultant to devise several options, including some that could allow a more limited expansion of the program, like adding work requirements to the program. Other Medicaid news comes out of Missouri, Tennessee, Utah and Arizona.
