Latest KFF Health News Stories
Senate Poised To Vote On Massive Opioid Package, But Advocates Still Say It Doesn’t Do Enough
Although the vote will likely give lawmakers running for re-election in states hit hard by the epidemic a talking point, enough differences remain between the Senate and House versions that there’s still a lot of work to be done before it gets to the president to sign. And advocates are disappointed with what didn’t make it in the legislation. Meanwhile, Purdue is offering free addiction treatment medication as part of its efforts to settle the flood of lawsuits it is facing.
Despite the general outrage over drug prices and the Trump administration’s attempts to curb the hikes, Nostrum Laboratories CEO Nirmal Mulye’s comments show how little public shaming actually works on some in the industry.
Critics of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh have launched a final push against the judge, focusing in particular on Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) who has supported abortion rights in the past.
Russian Trolls Tapped Into Health Law Rhetoric To Sow Discord, Pitting Sides Against Each Other
It’s not just hot-button topics like vaccinations that are exploited by the Russian trolls. Substantive health policy issues have been hijacked as well. Meanwhile, the Congressional Budget Office says that if the House delays or repeals certain parts of the health law — such as the employer mandate — it would cost more than $50 billion.
First Edition: September 12, 2018
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Editorial pages focus on these health topics and others.
Opinion writers weigh in on the country’s growing concerns about losing health care protections under President Trump.
Opinion writers express views on the impact Brett Kavanaugh could have on the future of abortion rights.
Media outlets report on news from North Carolina, California, Maryland, Missouri, West Virginia, Georgia, Minnesota, Arizona, Texas, Colorado, Washington, Ohio and Wisconsin.
While touted by the FDA as a safe and effective form of contraception if used carefullly, Natural Cycles is raising eyebrows overseas, highlighting the difficulties regulators face in different countries with new technologies. Public health news also examines health disparities and premature babies; implantable devices for treating mental health problems; teens who prefer online chatting to the real thing; and the causes of infants’ projectile vomiting.
DNA Can Curl Up To Keep Vulnerable Bits Away From Predators, Making CRISPR Technology Ineffective
But this problem is only the latest in an expanding list of challenges with the technology, including genomic havoc and concerns about cancer. Meanwhile, an appeals court has struck down a challenge to a CRISPR patent ruling.
The People Behind Suicide Hotlines
Counselors must assess the crisis level of callers — and protect their own mental health, as well. In other news: suicide in young children is inexplicably on the rise and the transgender community is particularly vulnerable to suicide, as are college students.
The awards are sometimes referred to as the “American Nobels” and are given to living persons who have made major contributions to medical science or who have performed public service on behalf of medicine.
Doctors Gave No Medical Explanations For Nearly 30% Of Opioid Prescriptions
What the researchers discovered during a study of prescriptions made between 2006-2015 gives rise to questions about physicians’ prescribing process and the impact on the opioid epidemic.
There has been little addiction training in medical schools across the country, but a decades-long push may be changing that.
Flood Of Fentanyl Coming In Through US Postal Service Targeted In Senate Opioid Package
“We are being overrun with fentanyl,” said Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) “It is 50 times more powerful than heroin. It is very inexpensive. It is coming primarily from China and coming primarily through our U.S. Postal Service, if you can believe it.”
The Missouri laws require doctors who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at local hospitals, which can be difficult to obtain, and for abortion clinics to have costly hospital-grade facilities to be licensed as ambulatory surgical centers. The court wrote that it did not have enough information to decide whether the rules constituted an undue burden on the clinics.
If the Trump administration doesn’t approve the program, Michigan will end its expansion of Medicaid, which currently covers 655,000 individuals. Meanwhile, two new studies raise doubts about the rationale behind the requirements because the vast majority of beneficiaries already work or would be exempt for other reasons.
The Washington Post fact checker compares Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh’s words during confirmation hearings last week, and his dissent in a case involving religious organizations being required to provided contraception coverage to their employees. Meanwhile, more Democrats are coming out publicly against Kavanaugh’s nomination.
On the campaign trail, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) has been focusing on the threat to preexisting conditions rather than explicitly talking about the Affordable Care Act. But it still shows how much of a change there’s been in recent years when it comes to campaigning on health care.
