Latest KFF Health News Stories
Menthol Cigarettes Could Be Banned As Part Of FDA’s Aggressive Crackdown On Tobacco Products
The menthol proposal is just one of several initiatives the FDA plans to announce sometime next week, including a ban on sales of most flavored e-cigarettes at retail stores and gas stations across the country. FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb has been vocal recently about his concerns that a boom e-cigarette industry is leading to an “epidemic” of young people vaping.
Vice President Mike Pence penned an opinion piece on Sunday praising the administration’s efforts on behalf of veterans. “Our actions are having a real impact on the men and women who have sacrificed for our country.” Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie has rejected calls to end testing on dogs, saying the research change veterans’ lives.
Kansas Gov.-elect Laura Kelly and Wisconsin Gov.-elect Tony Evers, both Democrats who flipped seats from Republicans, vowed in their campaigns to expand Medicaid coverage. They might be aided by the momentum of ballot success in other states, but they do face headwinds in their legislatures. News on Medicaid comes out of North Carolina and Florida, as well.
“This new majority is not going to be afraid of our shadow,” Mike Thompson, a California Democrat who is chairman of the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, told The Wall Street Journal. “We know that we’ve been elected to do a job, and we’re going to do it.” The Democrats are promising to pass the most aggressive gun-control measures in decades when they take power. Meanwhile, California already has strict laws, but activists have already started weighing what more can be done.
The Democrats have made it clear that they think “health care was on the ballot and health care won.” Now that they have some power in the House, here’s what some of their top priorities will likely be.
First Edition: November 12, 2018
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Editorial writers weigh in on these and other health issues.
Perspectives: Just Maybe, A Bipartisan Force Is Finally Emerging To Focus On Gun Safety
Opinion writers weigh in on how to reduce gun violence.
Research Roundup: Smoking In Adolescents; Salt Intake And Heart Failure; And Medicaid
Each week, KHN compiles a selection of recently released health policy studies and briefs.
Media outlets report on news from South Carolina, Massachusetts, Oregon, Tennessee, Wisconsin, California, Ohio, Texas and Kansas.
Abortion Rights Advocates Challenge New Abortion Laws In Kansas, Kentucky
If a Kansas ban takes effect Jan. 1 as scheduled, doctors would have to be physically present when a woman takes medication to end her pregnancy. Abortion would not be available after 15 weeks, if the Kentucky law stands.
Scientists worry, however, that such a ban would stifle research on chemicals that could be developed into alternatives to the addictive prescription opioids. In other news on the crisis: needle exchanges, employee injuries, medical devices, and a controversial death certificate initiative.
CEO Of Geisinger Is Moving To Google To Head Health Care Venture
David Feinberg has both medical and business degrees. The new Google leadership position is expected to direct the company’s initiatives targeting health care, from web services to machine learning to devices.
Medicare Advantage plans to offer a host of new benefits next year, such as transportation to medical appointments, home-delivered meals, wheelchair ramps, bathroom grab bars and air conditioners for asthma sufferers.
The recent shooting at a bar in California highlights how difficult it is to decide on how emergency responders should handle highly dangerous situations. Meanwhile, The Associated Press looks at California’s gun laws, which are some of the strictest in the country. And a community grieves.
FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb has been trying to cut down on what he’s called an epidemic of teenagers’ use of vaping products. The FDA stopped short of including menthol flavors in the vaping sales ban, partly out of concern that some users would switch to traditional menthol-tobacco cigarettes. New York is also considering a ban on flavored e-cigarettes.
Thousands of people have been dropped from Arkansas’ Medicaid rolls after failing to report their work hours, and thousands more are poised to fall off in the coming months. The Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC) has recommended the government hit “pause” until any potential kinks can be worked out.
Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) is expected to take up the gavel of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, which will give him authority to haul drugmakers in front of Congress to question them on high prices. Meanwhile, pharmaceutical companies are already getting nervous about a potentially relationship between House Democrats and President Donald Trump over the issue.
House Democrats Already Mulling Vote To Intervene In Lawsuit Against Health Law
The potential vote would serve as an intervention in the lawsuit working its way through the courts that could effectively kill the health law. It would also force Republicans to go on record almost immediately against the popular provisions of the ACA, such as protections for preexisting conditions.
Elections Help Cement Health Law As Part Of National Landscape, But Changes Still Lie Ahead
Health care was the No. 1 issue among many voters this election, according to a recent survey, and the results seem to speak to the health law’s growing popularity in recent years. And with Democrats in control of the House, Republicans will be unable to move forward with any lingering plans for repeal. Meanwhile, ballot measures in several red states and a switch in leadership in Maine could mean that Medicaid could see its biggest boost in enrollment since expansion began. It’s not all rosy for the program though: some results could chip away at gains already made in Alaska and Montana.
