Latest KFF Health News Stories
First Edition: February 5, 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 women’s reproductive rights’ issues.
Media outlets report on news from Texas, New Mexico, Ohio, Illinois, Florida, Kansas, California and Missouri.
Advances In Cystic Fibrosis Treatment Give Many Hope, But Others Have ‘Panic’ Of Being Left Behind
Because the progressive disease is a complicated one that involves 1,500 rearrangements in the genetic code, about 10 percent of CF patients lack a treatment to slow down the disease and will die in their 40s. Other public health news focuses on cancer rates and obesity; aging surgeons; intimacy after cancer; walking buddies; cancer overtreatment for men; DNA tests; male sexuality; listening to your body; signs of depression; inmates’ mental illness; Ebola; diabetes; women’s heart attacks and more.
Hate Crimes Based On Sexual Orientation Skyrocket In D.C. Amid National Trend Of Increasing Rates
Hate crimes based on sexual orientation and gender identity accounted for nearly half of the city’s total hate crimes in 2018. While some experts say the rise in hate crime rates could be because the public is more aware of reporting it now, others point to a national trend. Meanwhile, nearly 2 percent of high school students are now identifying as transgender.
The added work requirements alone would likely end up in courts, but Utah’s waiver request could include an establishment of per-capita federal payment caps. Experts say only Congress has the power to revise the federal matching formula for Medicaid. News on Medicaid comes out of Georgia, North Carolina, Texas and California, as well.
Merger talks, which were officially announced in October 2016, were expected to span a year. After a series of setbacks over that time, the California Justice Department conditionally approved the merger Nov. 21, marking the final major regulatory nod. Other hospital news focuses on: strategies to lure cash-paying patients, pricing transparency, federal funding and more.
The health care initiative created by Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway and JPMorgan Chase worries traditional health care companies — the recent lawsuit between the venture and UnitedHealth is a stark example of aggressive tactics such companies will take to protect their turf from the technology powerhouses edging into the health care landscape. In other health industry news: a pelvic mesh settlement, the e-cigarette crackdown and health care real estate.
Will The Supreme Court Cut Back Abortion Rights?: Decision On Louisiana Law Might Tell
The makeup of the court is more conservative than when the justices overturned a similar Texas law three years ago. The decision is likely to be an indication of how the new court will police state laws. News on abortion comes out of Virginia, as well.
“In effect, the state proclaims that the sky is falling. But, falling acorns, even several of them, do not amount to a falling sky,” said Baltimore-based U.S. District Judge Ellen Hollander. Maryland had filed the case last year, asking a court to require President Donald Trump to continue to enforce the health law.
HHS Warns That Removing Separated Migrant Children From ‘Sponsor’ Homes Would Be Too Traumatizing
Jonathan White, who leads the Health and Human Services Department’s efforts to reunite migrant children with their parents, said the government should be focusing its efforts on finding the families for the children currently in custody. But advocates questioned the motivation behind the argument. “The Trump administration’s response is a shocking concession that it can’t easily find thousands of children it ripped from parents, and doesn’t even think it’s worth the time to locate each of them,” said Lee Gelernt, the lead ACLU attorney.
In State Of Union Address, Trump To Announce Strategy To End HIV Epidemic
Under President Donald Trump’s HIV strategy, health officials would spend the first five years focusing on communities across roughly 20 states where the most HIV infections occur. The State of the Union historically has been a platform for presidents to make bold public health proclamations — many of which haven’t come to pass. Trump is also expected to make drug prices a priority in his speech.
Azar Urges Congress To Pass Law That Would End Drug Rebate System More Broadly Than Trump Proposal
HHS Secretary Alex Azar asked Congress to introduce legislation that would echo a newly proposed rule from the administration that targets the drug rebate system in the pharmaceutical industry. The request highlighted the underlying question about the new rule in the first place: Does the administration actually have the authority to make such a change without action by Congress? Meanwhile, Cigna said the efforts will have minimal impact. And KHN offers a look at the winners and losers of such a policy change.
In 2009, McKinsey & Company wrote a report for Purdue Pharma saying that new sales tactics would increase sales of OxyContin by $200 million to $400 million annually and “suggested sales ‘drivers’ based on the ideas that opioids reduce stress and make patients more optimistic and less isolated,” according to the lawsuit. McKinsey also recommended that Purdue redirect its sales force to focus on doctors who were especially prolific prescribers of OxyContin. The firm was also part of the team that looked at how “to counter the emotional messages from mothers with teenagers that overdosed,” the lawsuit claims.
Supporting universal health care is emerging as a “must” for the progressive base, but many Americans are wary about eliminating the private insurance industry to get there. The issue is opening up a rift in the party, with moderates cautioning against taking an extreme stance on the issue. “Most of the freshmen who helped take back the House got elected on: ‘We’re going to protect your health insurance even if you have a pre-existing condition,’ not ‘We’re going to take this whole system and throw it out the window,’” said Kenneth Baer, a Democratic strategist.
‘This Could Go On For Weeks’: Experts Recommend Vaccine As Measles Outbreak Continues To Grow
With 47 cases confirmed in the Pacific Northwest, health experts say the solution to stopping the spread is very simple: the vaccine works and if you’re not sure if you’ve had it, a blood test can determine if you’re immune. Other news on measles comes from Michigan.
First Edition: February 4, 2019
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Opinion writers weigh in on these health care topics and others.
Editorial writers express views about legislation on reproductive rights.
