Latest KFF Health News Stories
Although the FDA is officially continuing to oversee food recalls, monitoring for outbreaks, and can call staff back to work to address any emergency situations, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said that there is no question that “it is not business as usual” at the agency. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump says his border wall will help with the opioid crisis, but experts say it won’t really be a deterrent for the flow of drugs into the country.
“We should be the guys and gals that are putting up things that make health care more affordable and more accessible,” said Jim McLaughlin, another Republican pollster. “No question Democrats had an advantage over us on health care.” In other health new from Capitol Hill: short-term insurance plans, single-payer and gun control legislation.
First Edition: January 9, 2019
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Opinion writers focus on these health care topics and others.
Media outlets report on news from New Hampshire, Texas, Virginia, Florida, Michigan, Georgia, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, California, Maryland, Alabama, Tennessee, Colorado and Minnesota.
Doctors in 12 clinical centers pull out all the stops to try to find a diagnosis and treatment for thousands of patients looking for miracles. Public health news also focuses on a mosquito-borne virus worse than Zika; the Dunning-Kruger effect; the poor’s smoking rates; race and Alzheimer’s disease; stroke risk; the birth of a podcast; the future of newborn DNA testing; what it’s like to have nut-allergies; the upside of breakups; and good news about braces.
This Algorithm Can Use A Photo Of Someone To Tell Which Of Their Genes Were Mutated
In a study using a condition called Noonan syndrome, the algorithm was correct 64 percent of the time, far more than the 20 percent success rate that would be expected from guesswork. “We went for this high-impact journal to prove beyond any doubt that this technology is good, it performs as we say, we can stand behind it, and now it opens a lot of doors to publish more,” said Yaron Gurovich, the company’s chief technology officer. Other health and technology news looks at telemedicine for psychiatry and robots.
While the use of fentanyl is expanding and overdoses and deaths appear to be under-reported, the U.S. territory neglected to apply for a federal $7.8 million grant to help get people into treatment. News on the opioid epidemic comes from Pennsylvania and Massachusetts, also.
Republicans are arguing for new restrictions, such as work requirements, as lawmakers begin to work toward a compromise to keep Medicaid expansion alive in the state. “If I was a betting man, I’d think Medicaid will pass in some form,” said state Senate President Scott Sales (R-Bozeman). Medicaid news comes out of Louisiana, Idaho and Virginia, as well.
The state’s Senate and the Assembly have struggled in the past to find common ground. “I don’t want to overpromise on that right out of the gate,” Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau) said, even as Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) announced his chamber would be taking up a bill protecting the coverage. Other health law news comes out of Connecticut and California, as well.
“The unfortunate thing is that for most consumers, because it’s standard charges not related to their coverage, it’s not that helpful,” Rick Gundling, senior vice president of the Healthcare Financial Management Association, told Modern Healthcare. “It was an exercise that doesn’t add a lot of value to the consumer.”
CEO Of Nursing Facility Where Woman In Vegetative State Gave Birth Resigns
The Arizona Department of Health Services also said that it will be conducting an investigation of Hacienda HealthCare following the reports of the woman giving birth. The nursing home, which is south of downtown Phoenix, specializes in the care of people with intellectual disabilities.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) also said that he will try to make an executive order permanent that requires all health insurance policies in New York to cover contraception without copays, coinsurance or deductibles.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) says he will also create a state surgeon general position via executive order and make California the first state to cover immigrants without legal status who are younger than 26 through Medi-Cal. Newsom did not provide details during his inauguration speech about how he is going to pay for these health care goals, though Democrats in the Legislature are generally supportive of his ideas.
The purchase could be very lucrative for Eli Lilly. Loxo Oncology’s drug Vitrakvi was approved by the FDA recently based on evidence that it can shrink tumors in 75 percent of patients whose cancer tests positive for a particular kind of genetic mutation.
The drugmakers argue that the FDA limits their ability to warn patients about the side effects of their medicine, while patients say that pharmaceutical companies should be more transparent about the potential risks of their medicines. The Supreme Court heard oral arguments on Monday.
Health Systems Flock To Fledgling Organization Created By Hospitals To Make Their Own Generic Drugs
Civica Rx is an initiative created by seven big hospital groups in response to high drug prices. Now, about 750 U.S. hospitals have joined the effort. Initially, the not-for-profit expects to supply at least 14 hospital-administered generic drugs to hospitals and health care systems this year.
The Office of Drug Evaluation Science is going through the final stages of review and FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb expects to start the office in the first half of this year. Gottlieb will outline his plan via video-conference at the annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference.
A Harvard/Politico poll geared to take the temperature of Americans’ health care views found that while support for a plan like “Medicare for All” was mostly coming from Democrats, even Republicans were receptive to allowing Americans under 65 to buy into Medicare as another option. Americans from both parties were also in overwhelming agreement that lawmakers should make sure insurance companies provide coverage to people with pre-existing conditions
Last week, Democrats officially filed a motion asking the court to allow the House to intervene as a defendant in a Republican-led lawsuit against the Affordable Care Act. The agency’s opposition is due Jan. 24, but Justice employees can’t work during the partial government shutdown.
