Latest KFF Health News Stories
“Insufficient funding has hampered the ability of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state and local health departments to keep pace with the new and continuing threats to the health of the American people and to fully fund prevention initiatives,” according to the Trust for America’s Health, a nonpartisan, Washington, D.C.-based research organization. In other public health news: the flu, salmonella, suicide, Ebola, ticks, genetic testing, and more.
Billions Are Being Spent To Protect Students From School Shootings. Does Any Of The Measures Work?
Even though school security is a booming industry, The Washington Post surveyed schools that have had shootings and only one school suggested that any kind of safety technology might have made a difference. Many had robust security plans already in place but still couldn’t stop the incidents. The response is backed up by a federally funded study that cautioned about the effectiveness of school security technology. Meanwhile, a look at how doctors and nurses deal with the trauma of gun violence, and more is uncovered about the Pittsburgh shooter’s ties to neo-Nazis.
Even Though Laws Have Changed To Encourage Access To Naloxone, Some Pharmacies Set Up Roadblocks
A new study shows some pharmacies in California still require a doctor’s prescription for the life-saving antidote and pharmacies in other states don’t stock it. News on the opioid epidemic comes out of Massachusetts, North Carolina and Kansas also.
As Concerns About Vanishing Indigenous Women Mount, Study Finds Police Reporting On Cases Inadequate
The study brings more attention to the issue of violence against Native American women. Multiple bills at the state and federal level have been proposed to improve data collection, including Savanna’s Act, which the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs voted Wednesday to send to the full chamber for consideration.
More Women Support Options To Obtain Abortion Pill From Pharmacies Or Online, Survey Finds
Advocates hope that the pressure from that support will lead to a relaxation of guidelines on the controversial medication, which can be used to end an abortion. In other news, Ohio is expected to approve a “heartbeat bill” that would ban all abortion after a fetal heartbeat can be detected.
Death Toll In California Wildfires Keeps Climbing With More Than A Hundred Still Missing
“I can’t imagine that he is alive, but we have not stopped looking. We are still calling the shelters every day. We are calling the hospitals every day,” said Angela Loo of her stepbrother. Media outlets report on the efforts to find missing people, stories of the victims, public health threats from the smoke, and more on the California fires.
Advocates are worried that the policy–which would allow officials to weigh an immigrant’s use of aid such as Medicaid when deciding green cards–is already discouraging legal immigrants from seeking needed health care.
“We believe the evidence shows that menthol does not encourage people to smoke, make smoking harder to quit or increase the risks to health compared to cigarettes without menthol,” said a spokesman for Reynolds American Inc.
Since 2013, Walmart has given the option for employees to travel to certain hospitals and has offered to pay for expenses as well as the full procedure. Half of the workers who volunteered to travel ended up avoiding the high-cost surgery even though their local doctors said it was needed, so the company is now expanding the policy so it’s mandatory starting in January. Other health care spending news looks at diabetes, genetic testing, mammograms and retirement.
“What if we gave organizations more flexibility so they could pay a beneficiary’s rent if they were in unstable housing, or make sure that a diabetic had access to, and could afford, nutritious food?” HHS Secretary Alex Azar said. The proposals are part of a broader strategy in health care to address social determinants that impact patients’ wellbeing. Meanwhile, Medicaid programs are a driving force behind rising state spending.
When asked about the agency’s implementation of the “Right to Try” law — which allows desperate patients access to drugs that haven’t been approved by the FDA — Dr. Peter Marks, director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, pointed to stem cell clinics as an example of the sometimes fatal consequences of an unregulated industry. In other pharmaceutical news: blood pressure medication is recalled; a study finds that rapid release Tylenol is actually slower than others to dissolve; a watchdog agency reports that a Ginkgo biloba supplement had neither ingredient in it; and more.
Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) says fast-tracking generic drug approvals is also on the agenda. Meanwhile, the Trump administration moves forward with ideas to curb high drug prices — specifically plans that don’t need congressional approval. And, Michigan’s Medicaid program is granted a waiver to pay for drugs based in part on how well they work.
Health Law Enrollment Numbers See Slight Dip From Last Year, But It’s Too Early To Call It A Trend
Some experts are worried the slower rate is a grim sign of things to come, but others say there are reasons the numbers might be lower — such as consumers being distracted by the election in early November.
‘Profound’ Study Challenges Traditional Diet Tenet That All Calories Are Created Equal
A study that was unique in both its size and rigor found that adults who cut carbohydrates from their diets and replaced them with fat sharply increased their metabolisms. Meanwhile, states want to get kids moving, but children of low-income families struggle to get to parks because of lack of transportation.
First Edition: November 15, 2018
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Editorial pages focus on these public health topics and others.
Read recent commentaries about drug-cost issues.
News outlets report on stories related to pharmaceutical pricing.
Media outlets report on news from Massachusetts, Texas, New Hampshire, Missouri, North Carolina, Florida, California, Hawaii and Ohio.
Leapfrog’s Hospital Safety Grades For Delaware, D.C., North Dakota Are Worst Among 2,600 Facilities
While hospitals in Texas, New Jersey, Oregon, Virginia, and Massachusetts have the the highest percentage of “A” graded hospitals. Leapfrog grades are based on 28 factors, including responsiveness of staff, doctor procedures and outcome measures.
