Morning Breakouts

Latest KFF Health News Stories

‘This Is A Crisis Like We’ve Never Seen’: Shutdown Jeopardizes Tribe Members’ Access To Life-Saving Medication

Morning Briefing

Native American tribes are facing food and drug shortages as the shutdown stretches on. The tribes are hit harder than others because they rely on federal funding for many of their basic services. In other news, the FDA has restarted some food inspections, and lettuce farmers are anxious to have the agency back on the job for growing season.

Counting Number Of Mutations In Tumor Cells Can Predict How Well Patient Will Respond To Immunotherapy

Morning Briefing

If the results hold up, they could spare many patients from suffering the severe side effects of these drugs with nothing to show for it. In other public health news: transplants, twins, biological weapons, suicides, stillborns, and more.

New Look For Americans: Bodies Aren’t Getting Much Taller, But They Are Much Heavier

Morning Briefing

New government statistics show both men and women have gained at least 30 pounds since 1960 while their height has remained about the same. Other nutrition news looks at how junk food is targeted to minorities and tips on how not to overeat.

Americans Are Now More Likely To Die In An Accidental Opioid Overdose Than A Car Crash

Morning Briefing

But most Americans are still most likely to die of natural causes such as heart disease or cancer. In other news on the opioid crisis: a mass drug overdose in California leaves at least one dead and more than a dozen in care; Purdue asks the court to review a decision about unsealing the company’s secret records; can medical marijuana help in the fight against the epidemic; and more.

Scientists Take Issue With Anti-Abortion Movement’s ‘Pro Life Is Pro Science’ Slogan

Morning Briefing

The “pro-science” emphasis is a somewhat new one for the anti-abortion advocates, who are gearing up for the March for Life on Friday, but march leaders say now is the perfect time to embrace the slogan. Scientists in the field, however, say the movement’s vocal opposition to fetal tissue research is at fundamental odds with the “pro-science” branding.

How Reselling Unused Test Strips For Blood Glucose Is Driving An Unusual Trade Online And On The Streets

Morning Briefing

Often the sellers of the strips are insured and paid little out of pocket for them, while the buyers may be underinsured or uninsured, and unable to pay retail prices, which can run well over $100 for a box of 100 strips. Unlike the resale of prescription drugs, which is prohibited by law, it is generally legal to resell unused test strips.

House Dems Open Investigation Into Pharma’s Drug Pricing Strategies, Calling The Probe One Of The Broadest In Decades

Morning Briefing

House Oversight and Reform Committee Chairman Elijah Cummings sent letters to drugmakers requesting detailed information about their pricing practices, focusing on drugs that are the costliest to Medicare Part D as well as drugs that have had the largest increases over a five-year period. The move is just the latest in a flurry of legislation and congressional action taken on the topic of high drug prices this year.

Court Issues Nationwide Injunction Against Trump Rules Easing Health Law’s Contraception Coverage Requirements

Morning Briefing

The decision came a day after a separate judge blocked the rules for a handful of states and D.C. Pennsylvania and New Jersey had challenged the exemptions by arguing that the burden would fall to the states to provide contraception to women who lost coverage. “The states’ harm is not merely speculative; it is actual and imminent,” U.S. District Judge Wendy Beetlestone wrote.

FDA Brings In Furloughed Workers To Resume Safety Inspections For High-Risk Foods

Morning Briefing

The inspections, which have been halted because of the government shutdown, will focus on risky items like cheeses, produce and infant formula. The FDA oversees about 80 percent of the nation’s food supply. Meanwhile, the shutdown could derail the timetable for some highly anticipated drugs.

In Face Of Blood Shortages, Red Cross Aims To Recruit More Donors With New App

Morning Briefing

The agency, responsible for nearly half of the nation’s blood supply, says the app helps people understand where there are shortages and where they can give blood. Public health news also focuses on a 22-minute workout; housing reforms for the mentally ill; science with borders; infections from Mexican surgeries; the importance of humility among researchers; suicides on campus; higher cancer death rates among the poor; 26 trillion steps and counting on Fitbit and more.