Latest KFF Health News Stories
News outlets report on stories related to pharmaceutical pricing.
Media outlets report on news from Kentucky, Connecticut, Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, North Dakota, New York, Washington, Oregon, California, New Hampshire, Michigan, Georgia, Colorado, Ohio, Illinois, D.C. and Texas.
Ohio Weighs Pros, Cons Of Expanding Hospital Oversight After Patient Overdose Deaths
Ohio, the only state that doesn’t license all hospitals, is examining more regulation after two hospitals lacked policies to prevent staff members from accessing and administering fatal amounts of painkillers. News on hospitals comes from Kansas, Missouri and Massachusetts, as well.
Michigan AG Promises That In ‘Likely’ Event Roe Is Struck Down She Won’t Enforce State Abortion Ban
Michigan is among 10 states that still have pre-Roe abortion bans on the books. “I will never prosecute a woman or her doctor for making the difficult decision to terminate a pregnancy,” Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said. Abortion news comes out of Oklahoma, Texas and North Carolina, as well.
The substance has offered hope to those recovering from opioid addiction, but the FDA contends that there is no evidence to indicate that kratom is safe or effective for any medical use. The CDC weighed in last week with a new report citing a significant death toll linked to kratom. In other news about the crisis: the Sackler deposition has gone mainstream, CVS is fined for its Percocet prescription practices, President Donald Trump will appear at a summit in Atlanta to discuss the epidemic, and more.
Where Are Americans’ Tax Refunds Going? Toward Paying For Health Care.
The week after people get refunds, out-of-pocket health care spending bumps up 60 percent. In other health costs news, Texas passes legislation to try to combat surprise medical bills.
Stat looks at the top people hired by Amazon as it tries to shoulder its way into the health care landscape. In other health industry news, Johnson & Johnson and UnitedHealth post their first-quarter profits.
The government estimated that it would two years to ensure all the migrant families that were separated at the border are reunified, but U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw, who has been insistent in the past that the federal agencies need to do better, says it shouldn’t take that long.
23andMe’s testing formula for this risk is built around just three genetic variants, most prevalent among Ashkenazi Jews. A new study–conducted by Invitae, a competitor of 23andMe–demonstrated that most people carry other mutations of the gene. Other public health news focuses on CRISPR, stillbirths, embryo editing, depression during pregnancy, lead screening, telemedicine, the shingles vaccine shortage and more.
Many employers have embraced work wellness programs, but studies about them have been mixed. However, the latest one was one of the first large-scale studies that is peer-reviewed and employs a more sophisticated trial design. The results: the programs don’t cut costs or improve health in any significant way. “These findings may temper expectations about the financial return on investment that wellness programs can deliver in the short term,” conclude the study’s authors, Dr. Zirui Song
Public Health Advocates Worry Vaccination Science Is Becoming As Politicized As Global Warming
Republicans in state legislatures are pushing back against Democratic measures aimed at tightening vaccination laws. Advocates are concerned that it’s a trend that could lead to vaccination requirements to becoming politicized and thus subject to the pitfalls of tribal politics.
The search comes just days before the 20th anniversary of the school massacre at Columbine High School. The FBI discovered that 18-year-old Sol Pais arrived at the Denver airport before buying a pump-action shotgun and ammunition at a store. “Her comments, her actions that we have heard about from others tend to cause us great concern that she may pose a threat to a school,” officials said. Other news on gun violence focuses on research, the effects of mass shootings on first responders, and police-related gun deaths.
Acting FDA Commissioner Ned Sharpless plans to keep moving at full-speed ahead to address the issue that became central to former FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb’s mission. “Let me dispel any misconceptions that the change in leadership reflects some desire of the president or the secretary for the FDA to go in a different direction from the Gottlieb era,” Sharpless said. Meanwhile, Democrats are releasing a measure that would would raise the minimum age to purchase tobacco products to 21 years of age and make it unlawful for companies to market certain products to those under 21.
Litigation over pelvic mesh, also called transvaginal mesh, ranks as one of the largest mass tort cases in the nation’s history in terms of claims filed, number of corporate defendants and settlement dollars. Advocates have been trying to persuade the FDA for years about the dangers of the product.
UnitedHealth Group CEO David Wichmann spoke out against the measures, which are popular among progressive Democrats and some 2020 presidential candidates. The move comes as shares of hospitals and insurers lose $28 billion in market value.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Opinion writers weigh in on these health issues and others.
Media outlets report on news from New York, Illinois, New Hampshire, Missouri, Connecticut, Texas and California.
Families are finding they are able to keep loved ones with Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases at home longer with special apps, but if those devices fail then life becomes tricky once again. News on Alzheimer’s looks at early warning signs and the burden on the African-American community, as well.
Even People With Employer-Sponsored Plans Are Spending A Big Chunk Of Income On Health Insurance
“The affordability trends in the employer market are driven by healthcare costs rising a lot faster than the median income,” said Sara Collins, vice president of healthcare coverage and access at the Commonwealth Fund. The trends may be fueling some of the “Medicare for All” interest, experts say.
