Latest KFF Health News Stories
Media outlets report on news from New York, Arizona, Massachusetts, Georgia, Florida, California, Louisiana, Oregon, Minnesota, Ohio, Kansas and Colorado.
The lawsuit details how Access Funding pressured victims, many of whom were mentally impaired, with calls and texts offering quick cash. News on lead poisoning comes out of Ohio, also.
Right now, patients often face the choice between dying from organ failure or dying years later of complications from their anti-rejection medications. Scientists, however, see hope in the idea of training the body to accept the new organs. In other public health news: veterans and yoga, syphilis, suicides, sweat, edibles, back pain, allergies, and more.
Scientist Who Used Gene Editing On Human Embryos Likely To Face Criminal Charges In China
China acknowledged the births and the fate of He Jiankui for the first time Monday. The Chinese ministry said it “resolutely opposed He’s work,” but the global science community argues He’s case underscores China’s lack of updated laws governing genetic research.
Has Program To Improve Readmission Rates For Medicare Beneficiaries Backfired?
Two new studies stoke skepticism over a program that penalizes hospitals when readmissions within 30 days exceeded national averages. While some worry the program hurts the very people it’s meant to protect, other experts defend the measures.
CVS, Walmart Resolve Pricing Dispute That Threatened Future Of Partnership
CVS says Walmart will allow its stores to continue to participate in CVS’s pharmacy networks to provide prescription drugs to patients through commercial and managed Medicaid programs. The agreement comes days after CVS announced Walmart would withdraw from its prescription networks.
Medicaid Work Requirements That Exempt Native American Tribe Members Approved For Arizona
Arizona is the eighth state to receive permission to impose work requirements on Medicaid beneficiaries but will be the first to allow an exemption for members of federally recognized tribes. Meanwhile, rural hospitals struggle to remain open, especially in states that didn’t expand Medicaid.
Trump Vows To Defend ‘Right To Life’ As Antiabortion Marchers Hit The Streets In D.C.
President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence touted the administration’s policy decisions during the annual March for Life on Friday. “If they send any legislation to my desk that weakens the protection of human life, I will issue a veto and we have the support to uphold those vetoes,” Trump said in a message to the thousands gathered. In other women’s health news: abortion bills are likely to stall in a divided Congress; the Trump administration is poised to finalize conscience protections for health workers; for now Planned Parenthood will remain a state Medicaid provider; and more.
In Counties Where Drugmakers Gave Large Number Of Gifts To Doctors There Were More Overdose Deaths
A new study looks at the overdose rates in communities across the country, offering evidence of a link between pharmaceutical companies’ marketing and opioid deaths. Previous research linked such marketing to opioid prescribing, but researchers say their study is the first to extend the comparison to overdose deaths. Meanwhile, despite the attention and funding going toward the epidemic at the moment, those affected still struggle to get help.
FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said he could see a future where the entire category of e-cigarette and vaping products were pulled from shelves. E-cigarette use spiked 78 percent among high school students and 48 percent among middle school students over the last year, and the trends have become a main priority for Gottlieb.
Shutdown Weighs On Low-Income People Who Are One Financial Crisis Away From Homelessness
“This is putting a hurt on all of us. Everything was going along normal until they decided to shut down the government,” said Amanda Neeley, 48, who gets by on a small disability check. “I can’t pay that much; it is beyond my means. It is not fair.” In other shutdown news: biotechs companies, unemployment benefits, and assistance for furloughed workers.
“Medicare for All” is on the agenda for liberal candidates pitching their hats into the 2020 race — including Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) who announced her candidacy on Monday. But a more incremental approach, such as opening Medicare to more demographics, is gaining traction with some of the more moderate lawmakers in the party.
Consumers Could Be On Hook For More Health Costs Under Trump Proposal To Incentivize Generic Drugs
The proposal would allow insurers to only credit the cost of a generic drug — if one exists — toward the annual limit for cost-sharing. So if a consumer filled a prescription with a $25 brandname drug, but there was a generic on the market that cost $5, the consumer might get credit for only $5 in out-of-pocket spending. In other news, CMS announced a voluntary program geared toward letting Medicare put more pressure on drugmakers to drive down prices.
First Edition: January 22, 2019
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Editorial writers focus on these health topics and others.
Longer Looks: A Father’s Illness; Exposing Lead; And Creating While Sober
Each week, KHN’s Shefali Luthra finds interesting reads from around the Web.
Media outlets report on news from Georgia, Ohio, Arizona, Tennessee, Florida, Kansas, Texas, California, New Hampshire, Minnesota and Massachusetts.
Youth Suicide Rates Up In States Where Gun Ownership Is High, 10-Year Study Finds
The lowest rates are reported in states where the average household gun ownership was 20 percent. Rates are highest in states with 52.5 percent ownership. News on mental health comes out of Minnesota, Virginia, Iowa and Texas, also.
Which Came First: Cannabis Use Or Psychotic Disorders? Scientists Weigh In On Dangers, Myths
Top scientists who specialize in marijuana research are divided over whether the drug can lead to disorders like schizophrenia. “I’ve been doing this research for 25 years, and it’s polarizing even among academics,” said Margaret Haney, a professor of neurobiology at Columbia University Medical Center. Other public health news focuses on climate change’s dangers; pain’s origins in the brain; the race for health apps; a video game for kids with ADHD; a new way to tell if patients take their meds; and lessons to stop severe bleeding.
Court documents that came to light this week show just how involved the Sackler family was in Purdue Pharma’s strategies to flood the country with its painkillers. Activists are calling on institutions such as Harvard and the New York Metropolitan Museum to cut ties with the family.
