Latest KFF Health News Stories
Parents from a town in Indiana are demanding the EPA do something about the old industrial site that’s responsible for carcinogenic vapors being released into their homes. But those pleas, along with a broader outcry for stricter regulations on such chemicals, is in direct contrast to the administration’s efforts to roll back health and environmental rules.
Senate Confirms ‘Drug Czar’ To Lead Office In Charge Of Administration’s Response To Opioid Epidemic
James Carroll has led the Office of National Drug Control Policy in an acting capacity since February. The Senate also confirmed Kelvin Droegemeier to head up the White House’s Office of Science and Technology, giving the office a director for the first time since President Donald Trump’s inauguration.
Funding For ‘Big Ticket’ Programs Is Already In Place, Blunting Shutdown’s Impact On Health Care
Congress already passed funding for HHS and the VA, so programs such as Medicaid and Medicare are insulated from the shutdown battle. But some other programs are vulnerable because they receive money from other agencies.
The House Democrats are set to vote next week on formally intervening in the suit against the health law that’s currently working its way through the courts. The measure puts pressure on Republicans, who campaigned on protecting preexisting condition coverage and other popular provisions in the ACA. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump predicts that the Supreme Court would come down against the health law if the case gets to the justices.
First Edition: January 3, 2019
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Opinion writers weigh in on these health topics and others.
Editorial pages focus on these health care issues and others.
Perspectives: 2018 Was Marked By Robust Profits For Biopharma, So What’s Ahead In The New Year?
Editorial pages focus on these health care topics and others.
Democratic Hopefuls Put Forward Plans To Tackle High Drug Costs As 2020 Jockeying Begins
News outlets report on stories related to pharmaceutical pricing.
Media outlets report on news from New Jersey, Ohio, Virginia, Maryland, Louisiana, Arizona, Massachusetts, Oregon, California, Oklahoma, Texas, Tennessee, Nebraska, Minnesota, Washington, Georgia, Florida, New Hampshire and Colorado.
Updates From State Capitols: Age Bans On Assault Weapons; Cigarette Sales; Health Insurance And More
News outlets take a look at some of the health-related laws enacted across the country as of Jan. 1, as well as other news from the state capitols.
Telemedicine Abortions Can Not Be Outlawed In Kansas, Judge Rules
Kansas legislators tried three times in 2018 to thwart a doctor’s ability to prescribe pregnancy-ending medication during video conferences. In other news on women’s reproductive issues, Ohio lawmakers are unable to undo a veto on the heartbeat bill and contraceptives gain approval across the country.
How Facebook Has Become One Of The World’s Largest Suicide Screening And Alert Programs
The company ramped up monitoring of its users’ posts after several people live-screened their suicides in 2017. But the proactive steps the tech giant is taking to help address the mental health crisis also puts it in a tricky spot as Facebook faces scrutiny about its privacy practices. In other public health news: evacuating the elderly, virtual reality and medicine, flu season, contact lenses, marijuana, Ebola, hearing loss and more.
Vowing To Improve Your Health In 2019? These Less Common Ways Might Help More Than Quick Weight Loss
Instead of a crash diet, try getting more sleep, changing when you eat, finding friends off of Facebook, exercising more, talking with your doctor and finding ways to reduce stress. Other nutrition and fitness news focuses on fad diets, dry January, heart failure and moderate drinking, safe HDL levels, heart attacks and stroke, designer meals and more.
After news that a Chinese scientist altered the DNA of a baby, a new poll reveals the complicated opinions Americans hold about future use of the gene-editing tech. Other news on innovation looks at China’s failure to monitor gene-edited cancer patients and experts ideas about upcoming breakthroughs.
“There’s no reason manufacturers must wait for #FDA to more forcefully address the epidemic” of teen vaping, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb tweeted. In other news on vaping, one man tells his story on how hard it is to stop.
Many in the industry say that it’s more important to keep people from dying than drawing black-and-white rules against taking drugs to kick an addiction. Others are wary about substituting one addiction for another. In other news on the crisis: quick test strips for fentanyl, death rates, federal funding, drug use while pregnant, and more.
A Look Back At 2018: Unexpected Health Care Partnerships And Players Joined The Field
Partnerships and mergers set the stage for an ever-changing health care landscape over the past year. Industry news also focuses on long-term care and court battles.
Was 2018 The Year That Health Care Reached Its Breaking Point?
For many Americans, the risk of going without insurance was the only real option. Other stories look at the high cost of both insurance and care, and the toll it’s taking on people across the country.
The Joint Commission, a nonprofit private body authorized by the government to review hospital performance, has long held an accrediting monopoly. It’s in charge of inspecting nearly 90 percent of the country’s psychiatric hospitals. But it revokes or denies accreditation to only a very small percentage of them. Other news on safety and quality comes out of Texas and Maryland.
