Morning Breakouts

Latest KFF Health News Stories

Navy Lures Once-Mocked Researcher Out Of Retirement To Lead Venture Selling Viruses For Potential Cures

Morning Briefing

The success of a therapy technique that injects viruses into bacteria and lets them reproduce like crazy until the germs explode was great news for Dr. Carl Merril — and convinced him to return to work as a government scientist, starting a new company. Other public health news includes: babies’ sleep, depression, maternal death rates, caregivers, medical data profits, mental health and surgery center ratings.

Investigation Into Prominent Cardiologist’s Research Finds Fabricated Or Falsified Data In 31 Published Studies

Morning Briefing

Dr. Piero Anversa popularized the idea of stem cell treatment for damaged hearts, prompting the formation of start-up companies to develop new treatments for heart attacks and stroke. Harvard has called for the studies to be retracted.

Administration’s ‘Public Charge’ Rule Would Weaken Herd Immunity, Putting All Children At Risk, Physicians Warn

Morning Briefing

“The flu season is just upon us, and we are seeing that we are having difficulty getting our immigrant children and adults in for flu shots,” said Dr. Lisa Ward, president of the board of the California Association of Family Physicians. “It is quite likely that one of the reasons is that they are too afraid not only to get health care for the adult parents but for their U.S.-born children as well, and that’s just one tiny bit of health care.” News on the policy comes out of Texas and Massachusetts, as well.

After Biggest Known Health Hack In U.S. History, Anthem To Pay Record $16M To Settle Potential Privacy Violations

Morning Briefing

The Anthem settlement is nearly three times larger than the previous highest amount paid to the government in a privacy case. In other health industry news: telemedicine fraud, tariffs and health care construction, and electronic health records.

Architect Of Maine’s Conservative Reforms To Social Safety Net Tapped For Position Overseeing Medicaid

Morning Briefing

Mary Mayhew, who was announced as the deputy administrator and director of Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, worked previously as Maine’s health commissioner under Gov. Paul LePage, a Republican known as a fierce opponent to Medicaid expansion.

Another 4,100 Dropped From Arkansas’ Medicaid Rolls After Failing To Properly Report Work Hours

Morning Briefing

And the report found that another 4,800 people are at risk at losing coverage if they don’t meet the work requirement by the end of this month. For critics of the requirements, it’s their worst fears realized. “This is an absolute train wreck, and it is a slow-moving train wreck that the state can stop at any time,” said Sam Brooke, deputy legal counsel for the Southern Poverty Law Center, one of three groups that had sued Arkansas over the mandate.

Wave Of GOP Ads Promising To Protect Preexisting Conditions Coverage Highlight Potency Of Campaign Issue On Midterms

Morning Briefing

Democrats have been sounding warnings about the potential threat to preexisting conditions coverage on the trail for months. Now some Republicans are trying to get ahead of the issue through ads including family members with health problems. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump goes after Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’ “Medicare For All” plan.

Trump Proposes Rule Requiring Pharma To Include Prices In Ads, Setting Up Possible First Amendment Legal Battle

Morning Briefing

The rule, which is part of President Donald Trump’s blueprint to rein in high drug costs, sparked immediate push back from pharmaceutical companies. Beyond the industry, experts are skeptical that the regulation would do anything to bring down prices and may confuse patients because consumers often don’t pay the list price for medications.

First Edition: October 16, 2018

Morning Briefing

DON’T MISS: It’s bad enough that a patient has a health emergency so dire that it requires a helicopter ride to make it to the hospital in time. But then comes the bill. Tune in to the next KHN Facebook Live – on Friday, Oct. 19 at 12:30 p.m. – when KHN senior editor Diane Webber outlines the factors that allow air ambulance costs to be so high.

‘Beautiful Boy’ Movie Explores The Difficulties Of Addiction And The Ways It Impacts Loved Ones

Morning Briefing

The movie tells the story of Nic Sheff and his father David, offering a look into a family touched by addiction. After seeing the movie, David recalled his difficult struggle to view his addicted son with sympathy, to make the mental shift from “how could he do this to me and the family and to himself, to understanding that he was troubled and ill.”

The Unique Challenges Older LGBTQ Americans Face Add Extra Layer Of Complexity To Aging, Experts Say

Morning Briefing

For example, a 63-year-old transgender woman wonders if she would be accepted at a long-term care center. Would she have to hide who she is and go back into the closet “to get the care I deserve to get?” In other news on aging, predicting Alzheimer’s, knee replacement surgery and staying active in the later years.

Emergency Communications Can Often Fail To Take Into Account Disabled Americans

Morning Briefing

Missing closed captioning and other gaps for emergency communications can cut off Americans who are deaf from getting the news on life-threatening situations. Meanwhile, Florida hospitals are still recovering from Hurricane Michael.

Unapproved, Sometimes Dangerous Drugs Found In Dietary Supplements

Morning Briefing

The research most commonly turned up the drug sold as Viagra in the supplements. Despite what consumers may think, the supplements are actually regulated as food and therefore not subject to premarket safety and effectiveness testing imposed on pharmaceuticals.

FDA Solicits Information On E-Cigarette Sales As Part Of Aggressive Crackdown On Products

Morning Briefing

FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb is particularly concerned with the increase of e-cigarette use among teens. As part of his efforts to curb their proliferation, Gottlieb sent letters to companies to see if they complied with a rule that banned the sale of new e-cigarette products after August 2016 without regulatory approval.