Latest KFF Health News Stories
As Consumers Become More Health Conscious, Starbucks’ Frappuccino Is Going On A Diet
Some versions of the drink contain more than twice as much sugar as a Snickers. Meanwhile, a psychology professor offers a look behind what’s going on when you get “hangry.”
“It’s not known if alcohol is safe to drink when you are pregnant,” reads the poster from Drinkwise, an Australian organization. Public health groups are outraged that the ads could create confusion when the science is clear about the harmful effects of alcohol on a fetus.
More contentious policies — like protecting patient privacy and Medicaid funding — are likely to be kicked down the road until the lame-duck session following the midterm elections. Meanwhile, the FDA wants to encourage the drug industry to develop nonaddictive alternatives to opioids, and the company that makes Narcan eyes schools as an untapped market.
Hospitals say that the fixed methodologies used by ranking sites, such as U.S. News & World Report, are unfair because each patient has unique needs. Researchers now argue that allowing patients in on the process would help correct for that.
The provision in the trade pact would require a company to wait at least a decade before relying on data generated by a brand-name rival to then obtain regulatory approval and sell its own similar medicine. “The U.S. government is working in favor of the pharma lobby and against health,” said Peter Maybarduk, who heads the access to medicines campaign for Public Citizen. In other pharmaceutical news: Pfizer’s problems at its manufacturing plant, digital pills, recalls and more.
The proposed regulation would ban recipients of Title X funds from referring women for abortions. Groups fired back at the change that issues grants for six months rather than 3 years. “Shortened and inconsistent program grant cycles that force Title X entities to semi-annually compete for funding causes undue administrative burden, detracting from health care providers’ daily work of delivering high-quality preventive health care in communities across the country,” said Clare Coleman, president and CEO of the National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association.
A new report prompted the Puerto Rican government to revise the number of storm-related deaths from 64 to 2,975, which places Hurricane Maria among one of the worst natural disasters in U.S. history. President Donald Trump defended the sluggish response to the emergency in Puerto Rico, saying: “It’s hard to get things on the island.”
More than half of medical collections are for less than $600, a new study finds. Even though they’re not hundreds of thousands of dollars, those unpaid bills, when set to a collection agency, can hurt a patients’ credit just as fast.
It would be a tough task to get the measure to pass, but even a failed vote would let Democrats highlight the issue on the trail, where health care is a hot topic.
After failing to pass a repeal plan last year, Republicans have turned to the courts to challenge the health law. But they may not have an ally in Brett Kavanaugh, President Donald Trump’s nominee for the open Supreme Court seat.
Egg Freezing Clinics Aggressively Courting Younger Women — Who Are Eagerly Jumping On Board
It used to be that women in their mid- to late-30s were the main target demographic for the industry, but there’s been a shift. Meanwhile, media outlets offer looks at postpartum depression.
First Edition: August 30, 2018
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Opinion writers express views on these and other health topics.
Perspectives: Has the 340B Drug Program, Meant To Help The Poor, Outgrown Its Original Intent?
Read recent commentaries about drug-cost issues.
News outlets report on stories related to pharmaceutical pricing.
Media outlets report on news from Missouri, Florida, Arizona, Minnesota, Texas, Wisconsin, Idaho, Iowa and New Mexico.
State drug agents confirmed that 89 percent of the sites this year were contaminated by the chemicals, some of which are so strong it takes only a quarter teaspoon to kill a large bear. Other news on marijuana includes reports on revised conditions for medical usage in Connecticut, licensing requirements for cannabidiol in Ohio and efforts to shake the stoner image.
“It springs up spontaneously, like little wildfires,” said Rob Crane, a medical doctor and president of Tobacco 21, a Dublin, Ohio-based advocacy group that supports raising the minimum age to 21. “These are folks who are your neighbors. When you approach city council members in a small town in California or Ohio or New Jersey, they listen.” In other public health news: made-to-order DNA, earwax, exercise, AIDS, and whooping cough.
“The U.S. continues to have the highest STD rates in the industrialized world,” says David Harvey, executive director of the National Coalition of STD Directors, “and it preys on the most vulnerable among us.” Experts say drugmakers must start developing new antibiotics to treat the STDs.
9-Year-Old Boy’s Suicide Highlights Rare But Growing Problem In Preteens
Leia Pierce said her son Jamal Myles had been bullied over the past year because he was part of the LGBTQ community, which is particularly vulnerable to depression and suicide. Deaths among preteens more than doubled between 2007 and 2014.
