Latest KFF Health News Stories
Insiders have long worried privately about the lifestyle of people who work in the restaurant industry, which has one of the highest rates of illicit drug use and alcoholism and a tradition of masking mental-health struggles. In other news on mental health: farmers devastated by Florence are especially vulnerable to depression and judges are starting to favor outpatient treatment over hospitalization.
One NFL player, Mike Pouncey, complained to Aaron Hernandez, who was serving a life sentence for murder, that “they don’t even want to give me my Toradol shots anymore.” In another call, former Patriot Brandon Spikes recalled “how they used to pass [painkillers] out on planes.”
Getting a sedentary nation off the sofa — only 20 percent of us get the recommended amount of exercise a day — is a big concern for the government, which updated its guidelines Monday for the first time in 10 years. Since the first guidelines were issued, research has expanded the recognized benefits of movement, including reducing the risk of cancer, anxiety and depression and improving cognitive function and sleep.
Athenahealth has rejected the hedge fund’s attempts to push it into a sale previously. The all-cash deal between the companies values the medical billing software maker at $135 per share.
Search Teams Scour For Human Remains As Camp Fire Becomes Deadliest In California’s History
The death toll climbed over the past day to 42, surpassing the previous record. Hundreds still remain missing, and officials expect more grim news.
Advocates Want To Make Sure Veterans’ Unique Needs Aren’t Lost As Congress Addresses Opioid Crisis
Veterans can have chronic pain and wounds from the war that need to be treated by opioids, but they are also twice as likely as nonveterans to die from an accidental opioid overdose. Advocates see Congress’ efforts to address the crisis as a good start, but warn that lawmakers still have blind spots when it comes to treating veterans. In other news, a program that allows veterans to seek care outside the VA, which President Donald Trump and other Republicans have championed, is falling behind in its implementation.
One of the concerns of the next leaders of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee are reports about three members of President Donald Trump’s private Mar-a-Lago resort — Bruce Moskowitz, Ike Perlmutter and Marc Sherman — steering VA policy and personnel decisions. Meanwhile, the likely new chairwoman of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee is emphasizing the importance of respecting science as she seeks the position.
Rising health care costs are forcing otherwise financially secure Americans to make tough decisions about who in their family gets coverage. David and Maribel Maldonado’s struggles are highlighted in a Bloomberg series looking at the painful financial and medical trade-offs Americans are making just to get care.
Defeated Republican Congressman: John McCain’s ‘No’ Vote On Repeal Cost Republicans The House
First-term Minnesota Rep. Jason Lewis penned an opinion piece casting blame on late Sen. John McCain’s thumbs-down vote that killed Republicans’ best attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act. In other election news, Democrat Kyrsten Sinema, who ran on vows to protect preexisting conditions coverage, claims victory in the Arizona Senate race.
First Edition: November 13, 2018
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Opinion writers express views on several women’s health issues.
Editorial pages focus on these health issues and others.
Media outlets report on news from Colorado, New York, Utah, Georgia, Kansas, Virginia, Minnesota, South Carolina, Delaware, Illinois and Washington.
California Wildfire Death Toll Climbs To Become One Of Most Deadly On Record
A total of 29 bodies have been found so far from that fire, while another 228 are still missing. A quarter million people remained evacuated on Sunday amid fears that the infernos that broke out Thursday could flare up again, as dense smoke made air unhealthy for millions from San Francisco to San Diego.
Following on the heels of President Ronald Reagan and Tennessee’s basketball coach Pat Summitt, Sandra Day O’Connor’s announcement about her struggles with dementia helps caregivers and others afflicted by the disease deal with the stigma of the illness and make decisions to seek early diagnosis even though there is no cure. Other public health news looks at an Ebola clinical trial, a problem from soy-based baby formula, last year’s deadly flu season, anorexia, poor sleep, wheat sensitivity, life saving playlists and more.
A large study published in JAMA examines the wide-ranging health problems — from depression to drug use — that flare up in adulthood in people who experience early trauma compared to those who do not and raises ways to address it. Other reports on children’s health focus on the negative impacts of spanking, ways to comfort a child in pain, and nutrition.
The NRA’s tweet saying doctors should “stay in their lane” over the gun control debate sparked furious, and sometimes graphic, responses from physicians who deal with gun shot victims frequently. “Do you have any idea how many bullets I pull out of corpses weekly?” Judy Melinek tweeted. Another doctor posted: “My lane is paved by the broken bodies left behind by your products.” Meanwhile, media outlets examine the widespread mental health effects of mass shootings.
Former first lady Michelle Obama talked about the silence surround fertility, miscarriages and IVF in an interview about her memoir, “Becoming.” “I felt like I failed because I didn’t know how common miscarriages were because we don’t talk about them,” she said.
The guidelines also recommend the use of two new kinds of drugs for those at the greatest danger of heart disease.
Although both Vitamin D and fish oil drugs have gained popularity recently, a massive study found that healthy people who take the supplements do not lower cancer rates nor do they reduce the rate of major cardiovascular events.
