Latest KFF Health News Stories
Wide-Ranging Opioid Package Passed By Senate, But Advocates Say It Doesn’t Go Far Enough
Advocates say the bills do little to tackle the nationwide bed shortage at addiction treatment centers, fail to encourage more doctors to prescribe medication to treat addiction and lack long-term funding guarantees for new programs. Media outlets take a look at what made it in and what got cut.
Some companies are going so far as to officially forbid employees from bringing in sugary snacks for their co-workers.
First Edition: September 18, 2018
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Editorial pages look at these health topics and others.
Perspectives: Serious Questions Remain About Kavanaugh’s Character And Integrity
Opinion writers weigh in on the confirmation process of Brett Kavanaugh
Media outlets report on news from Oregon, Minnesota, Kansas, Texas, Florida, Pennsylvania, Georgia, California, Wisconsin, Ohio and Arizona.
Infant Walkers Are Leading To Skull Fractures And ‘Have No Benefit Whatsoever’
The products “should not be sold in the U.S.,” says pediatrician Dr. Benjamin Hoffman. In other children’s health news: psych drugs and foster kids; mental health at detention centers; concussions; and transgender care.
When Cancer Patients Need Support And Encouragement, Personal Coaches Can Be The Answer
But some say that if the health system was doing its job, the independent coaches shouldn’t actually be necessary. In other new: over-the-counter medication packaging, strep throat, Alzheimer’s, cartilage, back pain, marijuana and more.
Aspirin Study ‘Slays Beautiful Theory’ About Benefits Of Daily Dose For Healthy Adults
Researchers were expecting it to prevent heart attacks and strokes in patients, but taking a daily dose may actually cause more harm than good.
Aggressive Breast Cancer Surgeries For Elderly Women ‘Might Be Worse Than Breast Cancer Itself’
Because nursing home residents are often sick, there is a high mortality rate after surgeries, according to a recent study. In other news on breast health, the FDA announces plans to discuss implant safety.
Free Gyms Help Those Recovering From Addiction Create Drug-Free Social Network
In the midst of the opioid epidemic, new strategies of coping with the crisis are emerging as advocates recognize the need for a multi-pronged recovery plan. In other news: homeless outreach teams take the fight to the streets; a new product allows users to test their drugs for deadly contaminants; California lawmakers target prescriptions practices with potential database requirements; and more.
Few Regulations Exist To Protect Elderly And Ill From Potentially Predatory Personal Care Aides
Unlike nurses — or even hairdressers or manicurists — home aides don’t need a state license in Massachusetts, which can leave those in need vulnerable to crime.
Dr. H. Gilbert Welch disputes Dartmouth University’s findings that one of his published papers includes a plagiarized graph. Meanwhile, the New England Journal of Medicine’s decision to leave the article is angering some researchers.
It’s No Longer Just About Medical Care: Social Factors Are Targeted More And More To Improve Health
“We’ve placed a high value and have invested heavily in building our care-delivery system,” says Paul Roth, head of the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center. “We’ve shortchanged our health outcomes by neglect of these other factors.”
FDA’s Efforts To Halt Epidemic Use Of E-Cigs Among Teens Get Full Support From HHS Secretary
As a father of teens, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar says he’s seen the pervasiveness of the devices. In other news on e-cigarettes, Camel’s Snus also comes under scrutiny and UCSF gets a grant to study the health effects of smokeless products.
It’s been a struggle to prompt pharma companies to develop new antibiotics because there’s not a lot of financial incentive for them. But FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb is trying to think new strategies as superbugs become stronger and more prevalent.
Members of the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission say Arkansas should press pause on the state’s new work requirements until officials figure out why people aren’t responding to them. Medicaid news comes out of California, as well.
Health care is a hot topic during the final stretch before the midterm elections. In a shift from years past, Democrats are trying to use the health law as a weapon against Republicans. President Donald Trump, meanwhile, is promising to protect Medicare — just like he did when campaigning for 2016. But this time around he has a record show that he supports cuts to Medicare and other safety net programs.
CDC emergency response teams know what patterns to look for, but it’s still a monumental task keeping those in the path of a hurricane healthy. Meanwhile, the death toll from Hurricane Florence continues to climb.
The plans will have much lower premiums than health law-compliant ones because they can turn away customers due to preexisting conditions or charge more based on age, health status and gender, with no out-of-pocket caps, among other things.
