Latest KFF Health News Stories
Dr. William Husel kept working for four weeks after concerns were raised, and three patients died during that time after getting excessive doses. News on the opioid epidemic comes from Minnesota and Kentucky, as well.
Young Man’s Suicide Following Stint At Rikers Island Shines Light On Mental Health Crisis In Prisons
Kalief Browder, who was accused of stealing a backpack, spent three years on Rikers Island without being tried or convicted—and about two of those years were spent in solitary confinement. New York City has reached a $3.3 million settlement with his family. “There is no reason he should have gone through this ordeal,” NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio said, “and his tragic death is a reminder that we must continue to work each day to provide the mental health services so many New Yorkers need.”
Knowing which types of bat carry Ebola may help health officials prevent outbreaks by educating the public about how to prevent contact with the creatures, scientists said.
The research found that bacteria associated with gum disease was also in 96 percent of the brains of people with Alzheimer’s used in the study. But more research will need to be done to determine exactly what role it plays in the progression of the disease. In other public health news: transgender students, sleep, the Doomsday clock, Photoshopping, paid parental leave, climate change, and more.
Lawsuit Over Medicaid And Transition-Related Care For Transgender People Hits Iowa’s Supreme Court
At the arguments on Thursday, an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union argued that Iowa’s Medicaid ban on transition-related care discriminated unlawfully on the basis of gender identity. The attorney representing the Iowa Department of Human Services said the women’s attorneys failed to show discriminatory intent. Medicaid news comes out of Utah, Mississippi, Wyoming and Idaho.
‘I’m Not As Much Use In California’: Doctors Travel Across State Lines To Combat Abortion Deserts
There’s a great disparity in abortion access in the country. In an attempt to address that imbalance, abortion rights activists created a program in 2016 to match clinics needing doctors with providers who could travel to work. The Los Angeles Times follows one of those doctors.
The venture, launched by Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway and JPMorgan Chase, has been cloaked in secrecy from the start and it has the health care industry on edge.
The findings in the report suggest “hundreds of millions of dollars” that should have been allocated toward patient care may have been “shifted elsewhere,” said the Pharmacists Society of the State of New York, which hired a firm to conduct the analysis of pharmacy benefit managers. In other pharmaceutical news: whistleblower lawsuits, cancer drugs, a setback for Bristol, and the 2020 election.
U.S. District Judge John Bates seemed to express skepticism over the reason the Trump administration gave for expanding association health plans. “The case seems to me a dispute between Congress and the administration — an executive dispute with a former Congress,” Bates said near the end of the Justice Department’s arguments.
The group behind the ad is the Partnership for America’s Health Care Future, whose members include major industry players such as America’s Health Insurance Plans and PhRMA. The video is part of a five-figure ad buy over the next three weeks, as part of a larger six-figure effort that will continue through the year, the group said.
Elwood Community Schools Superintendent Casey Smitherman grew concerned about a student who didn’t show up for school. When she found him ill, she took him to a clinic to get an antibiotics prescription. The total bill for the treatment was $233. “From the beginning, my ultimate goal has been to provide the best environment for Elwood students’ growth physically, mentally and academically, and I remain focused on that purpose,” Smitherman said. She is being put on a pretrial diversion program, and the charges may be expunged from her record.
During a government shutdown, agencies that don’t have federal funding can only do work that’s necessary to protect lives or property. Experts suggest that even if the FDA’s reserves run dry, the agency can continue to review drugs because certain medical treatments are necessary to people’s health. In other shutdown news: food insecurity, wildfires, and a possible light at the end of the tunnel.
First Edition: January 25, 2019
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Opinion writers weigh in on these health topics and others.
Research Roundup: FDA Approvals; Medicaid And Justice-Involved Populations; And The Shutdown
Each week, KHN compiles a selection of recently released health policy studies and briefs.
Media outlets report on news from New York, Colorado, Oregon, California, Florida, New Hampshire, Minnesota, Connecticut, Washington, Massachusetts, Wisconsin, Louisiana and Ohio.
Eating Fried Foods Linked To Heart Disease, Earlier Deaths In Women Over 50
Increased risk of premature death was 12 percent higher for once-a-week consumption. Because more than a third of adults reportedly eat at fast food restaurants where fried foods take center stage, nutritionists suggest lowering intake. Nutrition news also looks at problems with popular diets and hypertension when you’re younger.
The gene-editing work conducted on human embryos by one person sent shockwaves through the field. Although researchers don’t agree what the next steps forward should be, most say there needs to be something done to stop rogue scientists. In other public health news: the flu, medical tourism, spinal fractures, blood pressure medication, climate change, and more.
Families often don’t know where to get help for addictions that killed 130 people a day in 2017. Two groups hoping to change that are piloting a national certification program. News on the national drug epidemic looks at recovery high schools and the “death certificate program,” as well.
“The government should not be in the business of forcing foster care providers to close their doors because of their faith,” said Lynn Johnson, HHS’s assistant secretary for children and families. Under the Obama administration, the program had been found to violate an anti-discrimination regulation.
