Latest KFF Health News Stories
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.
The mystery is stoking tensions, not only between the U.S. and Cuba, but also internally in Washington as theories continue to be shot down. In other public health news: blood pressure, gut microbiomes, red meat, genetics, aging and more.
First Edition: November 9, 2018
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Opinion writers weigh in on these and other health topics.
Editorial pages focus on the impact the midterm elections will have on the health care.
Each week, KHN’s Shefali Luthra finds interesting reads from around the Web.
Media outlets report on news from Texas, Kansas, Illinois, Maryland, Florida, Ohio, California, Georgia, Massachusetts, and Missouri.
Study On Mice Shows THC In Cannabis Could Be Beneficial For Alzheimer’s Disease
Genetically engineered mice given tetrahydrocannabinol performed better during a brain test than mice that received a placebo, according to a study that also said they lost fewer brain cells and had fewer plaques associated with the disease. Other public health news focuses on a potential new treatment for gonorrhea, the final Agent Orange cleanup, tips for flu season, ZIP codes and life expectancy rates, babies with older fathers, and more.
Companies Embark On Initiative With Hospitals To Chart Ways For Lowering High Costs Of Childbirth
Few details have been worked out, but one approach is to recommend hospitals to workers where fewer complications and better outcomes occur. In other industry news, the CEO of Kaiser Permanente discusses the quality of care and its costs.
The policy change is much more narrow than a previous proposed rule that is now stuck in the courts, and applies mainly to religious organizations, nonprofits and small businesses. Advocates, however, are already vowing to fight the rule in court.
