Latest KFF Health News Stories
An analysis of campaign ads for the upcoming midterms reflects polls that find that the percentage of Americans who hold favorable views of the law has surpassed the share opposing it — a gap that has grown since Republicans’ failed repeat efforts. But many candidates focus on buzzwords like “preexisting conditions” rather than naming the contentious law itself. Media outlets take a look at advertisements and campaigns in races across the country.
First Edition: October 9, 2018
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Viewpoints: Eating Disorders Do Not Discriminate By Gender — Boys Can Get Them, Too
Editorial pages focus on public health.
Perspectives: Physicians Are Not Great At Showing Up To Vote. It’s Time To Change That.
Columnists offer takes about the upcoming election and other health care issues.
Media outlets report on news from California, North Carolina, Colorado, Michigan, Oregon, Kentucky, Florida, Maryland, Arizona, New Hampshire, Texas and Minnesota.
Researchers know that there is a link between women who experience sexual assault and harassment and later health problems. But much of the previous research relied on self-reported symptoms, meaning that the women might be missing health problems they didn’t known about.
Toxic stress affects the developing brain, the immune system, the cardiovascular system and the metabolic regulatory system, and can dramatically increases the risk of hypertension, heart disease and diabetes, among other costly health conditions.
While doing your job, your brain faces daily memory, processing and multi-tasking challenges that keep its cognitive functions sharp. Meanwhile, being diagnosed with dementia does not mean patients can’t have an active life.
Countries will have to take unprecedented actions immediately to avoid a dangerous warming of 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit by 2040. Media outlets take a look at what effects that change would have on human civilization.
Experts say buprenorphine is misunderstood, and its potential for abuse just shows the gaps that exist in treatment options in the U.S. News on the national drug crisis comes out of California and Maryland, as well.
What You Need To Know About The Upcoming Medicare Open Enrollment Season
Open enrollment for Medicare and prescription drug plans will begin Oct. 15 for coverage in 2019 and close Dec. 7. One change this year is that seniors can try a Medicare Advantage plan for up to three months and if they don’t like it, they can switch to another Advantage plan or enroll in traditional Medicare.
As Major Hospital Mergers Become The Norm, Experts Wonder If Antitrust Standards Need To Be Adjusted
Just because health systems are not direct competitors doesn’t meant they won’t create a power shift in the market that should be regulated, experts say.
In Progressive States, Abortion Foes Make The Fight About Money Instead Of Morality
Although defeating abortion rights efforts in liberal-leaning states is still an uphill battle for anti-abortion activists, they see an opportunity in appealing to an anti-tax faction. Oregon’s referendum on banning public funds for the procedure could offer a template for the strategy. News on abortion comes out of Louisiana, as well.
Drug For Rare And Fatal Disease Approved By FDA, But Given Black Box Warning
The warning is the strongest label the FDA can put on a prescription drug. In other news, the agency is banning the use of seven types of synthetic food additives.
HPV Vaccine Approved For Adults Up To 45
The cancer vaccine had previously only been approved for teens and young adults up to the age of 26, but testing done in older adults showed the treatment worked for them, too. In women 24 through 45, the original Gardasil was about 90 percent effective three years after the women received a third dose.
With Brett Kavanaugh on the bench, the Supreme Court is likely to be pulled right just as hot-button cases work their way through the lower courts. But it’s not clear yet what strategy the justices will use when deciding to tackle such politically charged issues — such as abortion and Planned Parenthood funding.
The New York Times fact checks President Donald Trump’s recent statements about the health law — and finds both truth and exaggeration. Meanwhile, insurers in the individual marketplace are returning to the financial stability of pre-ACA times.
Therapy Dogs Can Bring Joy And Relief To Hospitalized Kids — But They Can Also Bring Superbugs
Kids who spend more time with the dogs had a 6 times greater chance of coming away with superbug bacteria than kids who spend less time with the animals, a new report finds. In other public health news: primary care doctors, the flu, breast feeding, vaping, allergies, insomnia, memory, and more.
First Edition: October 8, 2018
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Editorial pages focus on insurance, public health and other health care issues.
