Latest KFF Health News Stories
The study is the first to find a way for patients to lower their risk of mild cognitive impairment. “I think it actually is very exciting because it tells us that by improving vascular health in a comprehensive way, we could actually have an effect on brain health,” said Dr. Kristine Yaffe, a professor of psychiatry and neurology at University of California San Francisco.
Clark County, Wash. has a vaccination rate of 78 percent, well below the level necessary to protect those with compromised immune systems or who can’t get vaccinated because of medical issues or because they are too young. Health officials say the outbreak is a textbook example of why vaccinations are needed.
U.S. Citizen Accused Of Leaking HIV Records Of 14,200 People In Singapore Data Spill
The latest leak comes less than a year after a cyberattack on SingHealth that exposed the medical data of about 1.5 million people. The attacks underscore the difficulties companies and governments face in protecting private details of consumers.
“We’re already getting very close to the early stages of fire season,” said one former National Park Service superintendent. “Training is not happening right now, hiring is not happening for the summer season — all of that hiring is not happening.” Other news on the shutdown looks at the impact to rural health programs.
“Everyone agrees consumers should be held harmless, but the huge fight is over payment situation between insurer and provider,” said one analyst. President Donald Trump brought renewed attention to the issue last week during a health care roundtable, and there’s already bipartisan legislation to address the issue in Congress.
D.C.’s Failure To Curb Its Opioid Crisis Draws Fierce Criticism From Public Health Experts, Doctors
At a hearing that ran more than nine hours, dozens testified about failed efforts in the nation’s capital. It wasn’t immediately clear what new legislation could emerge from the hearing, but topics included the need for more street outreach to heroin users and the possibility of government-supervised sites where drug users can inject heroin. News on the drug crisis comes out of Ohio and Tennessee, as well.
John Kapoor, former chairman and CEO of Insys, and four others face racketeering and conspiracy charges on allegations that they used bribes to ramp up sales for its fentanyl spray Subsys and lied to insurers about which patients were getting the drug. The FDA has only approved Subsys as a treatment for severe cancer pain. “This is a case about greed, about greed and its consequences, the consequences of putting profits over people,” Assistant U.S. Attorney David Lazarus told a Boston federal jury at the trial’s start.
Now That Right-To-Try Law Is Enacted, Even Supporters Are Wondering If They Were Sold False Hope
As conservatives pushed for the right-to-try legislation, opponents of the bill were vocal in saying that it would give desperate patients false hope. Now, that those patients are trying to get experimental drugs from pharmaceutical companies, they face discouraging obstacles and frustrations. In other pharmaceutical news: Medicare Part D discounts; congressional drug price hearings; an expensive cystic fibrosis treatment; and more.
Kamala Harris Would Be Willing To Cut Private Insurers Out Of Mix To Enact ‘Medicare For All’
Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), a 2020 presidential candidate, talked about the health care plan that’s popular with progressive Democrats at a town hall on Monday, saying she feels “very strongly” about “Medicare for All.” Recent polls found that Americans don’t like the idea of giving up their private plans for universal coverage.
First Edition: January 29, 2019
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Editorial writers focus on these health care topics and others.
Media outlets report on news from California, New Hampshire, Georgia, Arizona, Maryland, Wisconsin, Kansas, Connecticut, Tennessee, Illinois, Minnesota, Ohio and Missouri.
State Of Emergency Declared In Washington As Measles Outbreak Grows To More Than 30
Meanwhile, vaccine advocates say an outbreak like this was “inevitable” for the area that’s been called an anti-vaccination hot-spot. “The bottom line is, there’s no surprise we’re seeing this right now,” said Alan Melnick, a Clark County health official. “If we don’t get our immunization rates up, we’re going to see more of it in the future.”
There was a time when smoking was advertised as a way to lose weight. The Washington Post goes back to look at some of the more extreme ways people have tried to lose weight. Meanwhile, is portion control more important than what you’re actually eating? And Whole Foods issues a spinach recall over a possible salmonella contamination.
During 2017-18, An American Student’s Likelihood Of Dying In A School Shooting Was One In 2 Million
That was the highest by far in the entire period studied between 1994 and 2018, CDC researchers found in a new analysis. Though mass school shootings command the nation’s rapt attention, their numbers and their toll are dwarfed by the daily drumbeat of one-on-one violence taking place in and around the nation’s schools.
Mental health centers in Florida, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and other states are adding in-patient internet addiction treatment to their line of services. But some health experts view internet addiction as a false condition. Public health news also focuses on a potential cure for sickle-cell; lessons from a Rwandan medical school; dealing with dementia in the workplace; an overlooked, dangerous infection; tips to avoid a cold; prediction models for pandemics; secrets of unlocking mysterious fascia; naming and taming your anger and problems with scooters.
Kissing, Snuggling Hedgehogs Are Off Limits, CDC Warns, Because Of Salmonella Outbreak In 8 States
They might be adorable and are rising in popularity as household pets, but researchers are linking the prickly mammals to a strain of salmonella that is making people sick. No humans have died.
When politicians across the country see counterparts getting attention and earning political capital for their heartbeat bills, it can become a matter of “keeping up with the Joneses and jockeying for position,” one expert says. CNN takes a look at the history and failures of these bills. Abortion news comes out of New York, Massachusetts and Louisiana, as well.
It’s Cheaper And Just As Safe To Get Dialysis At Home. So Why Aren’t People Doing It?
Experts say it’s because more than 80 percent of the nearly 6,500 dialysis facilities nationally are owned by two for-profit companies, and they want to see a return on the money spent building and staffing those dialysis clinics. In other industry news: decisions on investments and donors for hospitals.
The Oft-Forgotten Victims Of The Opioid Crisis: The Parents Who Have To Bury Their Children
“Who is saving us?” one mother wonders. “Nobody.” Being a parent of a child who died from drugs can be isolating and traumatic, yet few resources go toward helping these families. In other news on the crisis: a look at what the federal government is doing to curb the epidemic; prescribing practices of doctors; risks of giving opioids to young patients; Walgreens’ business practices; and more from the states.
