Latest KFF Health News Stories
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.
Financial Challenges Top Hospital Leaders’ Main Concerns From 2018
Those economic worries were followed by concerns about government mandates and patient safety.
Appeals Court Rules Texas Can Bar Planned Parenthood From Medicaid
The appeals court returned the case to U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks, arguing he didn’t follow proper medical standards when ruling in favor of Planned Parenthood in 2017. Texas has sought repeatedly to cut funding for Planned Parenthood.
Largely Symbolic Proposal To Permanently Ban Federal Funding For Abortion Knocked Down In Senate
The legislation would have enshrined in law a long-standing provision that is tacked on to appropriations bills every year, but the measure wasn’t expected to get the 60 votes it needed to begin the debate. The vote was scheduled just ahead of the country’s largest annual march against abortion.
The FDA’s rejection of Immunomedics’ drug designed to treat aggressive breast cancer cements a 37-year drug development drought for the biotech company. In other news, a FDA advisory panel splits over a decision on approving a diabetes drug.
The inspector general report also found a consistent pattern of ethical violations within the security detail tasked to protect top VA officials.
The proposed rules are necessary to cut inflated subsidies for people buying coverage on the exchanges, CMS officials said. But Democrats view the plan as one more way the Trump administration is chipping away at the health law.
FDA To Focus On Drug Review Process As Shutdown Forces Agency To Make Tough Prioritization Decisions
Drugs to treat epilepsy, triple-negative breast cancer and spinal muscular atrophy are just a few of the medications slated for review over the next several months. But there’s only so much time that FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb can buy with dwindling funds. Meanwhile, a furloughed worker who had to start rationing her insulin puts a face to the troubles thousands of people are facing as the shutdown drags on. Other news on the standoff focuses on school lunches and food security.
A government watchdog report found that there was an influx of separations even before the “zero tolerance” policy drew international outrage last year. The total number of children separated from a parent or guardian by immigration authorities is “unknown,” but officials estimate it being in the thousands.
First Edition: January 18, 2019
NOTE TO READERS: KHN’s First Edition will not be published Jan. 21. Look for it again in your inbox Jan. 22. Here’s today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Editorial pages focus on these public health topics and others.
