Morning Breakouts

Latest KFF Health News Stories

Supreme Court Hearings Provide Platform For 2020 Contenders’ Campaign Speeches

Morning Briefing

Sens. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) were all vocal in their resistance to Kavanaugh, in what might be a theatrical preview of an unpredictable 2020 race against President Donald Trump.

Kavanaugh’s Opinion On Immigrant Teen’s Abortion Rights Comes Under Fire As Roe Concerns Loom Over Hearing

Morning Briefing

In a recent lawsuit where an undocumented teenage immigrant sued to be allowed to have an abortion, Brett Kavanaugh wrote that HHS shouldn’t be required to allow an abortion and that a delay until the plaintiff found a sponsor didn’t constitute “undue burden.” Many of the raucous protests at the hearings were sparked by concerns about women’s rights.

Verbal Brawling, Chaos Dominate First Day Of Kavanaugh Hearings, But Dems Still Face Brutal Odds Of Blocking Nominee

Morning Briefing

“If you want to pick judges for your way of thinking, then you better win an election,” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) told Democrats who dominated the first day of hearings for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. Republicans remained mostly unfazed, confident that they have enough votes to get him through.

Doctors May Have Found Cause Of Those Mysterious Symptoms In U.S. Diplomats: Microwave Weapons

Morning Briefing

Some researchers were at first skeptical that the wave of illnesses in U.S. diplomats wasn’t psychosomatic. “Everyone now agrees there’s something there,” said Douglas H. Smith, the author of a new study looking at the cause of the symptoms.

Our Evolutionary Instincts Are Turning Us Into Chicken Littles In This Modern World

Morning Briefing

Our brains are wired for survival in a time that didn’t include the vast wealth of information now available to us — and it’s making us more scared of the world than we need to be. Meanwhile, researchers find some more bad news on political partisanship.

Can Engineered Bacteria Help Cure Patients From The Inside Out?

Morning Briefing

Synthetic biologists reached a milestone with an experiment to use bacteria to help patients with a condition that causes them to have to avoid dietary protein in foods such as meat and cheese. The concoction that the volunteers drank could become the first synthetic biology-based medical treatment to gain approval by the FDA. In other public health news: vaping, maternal mortality, CRISPR, pollution, stretching, vitamins, chronic diseases and more.

Late-Life Suicide Controversy Leaves Many Doctors Feeling Unprepared To Help Patients Deal With Complex Issues

Morning Briefing

As suicide rates rise among the elderly, some health care providers think that even though it’s difficult to do so, it’s valid to discuss the topic and help those who think there are fates worse than death. In other news on aging: muscle loss and loss of independence, bereavement time for long-term care workers, malnutrition, dementia, and more.

DeVos Has ‘No Intention Of Taking Any Action’ Over Arming Teachers With Federal Funding

Morning Briefing

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’ statements come after backlash over the possibility that a pot of money geared toward helping schools would go toward paying for guns and firearms training for teachers. In other children’s health news: foster families, FluMist, helicopter parents, ADHD and more.

California Tribes’ Struggle With Opioids An Echo Of The Decline Of River That Once Was Their Nourishment

Morning Briefing

As the Klamath River has struggled, so has the health of Native American tribes that live along its Northern California waters. Now, it’s hard to find anyone among the Yurok, the Karuk and the Hoopa Indians who has not been touched by the heroin epidemic. Meanwhile, alumni are troubled by the deaths of former students of a school that aims to help teens with drug and alcohol abuse.

Comcast At Forefront Of Controlling Health Care Costs For Its Employees With Do-It-Yourself Approach

Morning Briefing

The cable behemoth’s health care costs have stayed nearly flat in the past five years–increasing by about 1 percent a year, well under the 3 percent average of other large employers and below general inflation. In other industry news: investors are excited about Berkshire Hathaway’s new health venture; Johnson & Johnson scores high at Management Top 250; and doctors at work is the latest perk at some tech companies.

Insurers Pocketing Millions From Medicare By Combing Through Medical Charts For Additional Diagnosis Codes

Morning Briefing

The practice of identifying the additional codes to send to CMS for payment is legal but costing Medicare millions. Meanwhile, new Medicare cards are being issued, and The New York Times lays out some tips on what you need to know about them.

Legal Immigrants Forgoing Aid For Infant Formula, Healthy Food For Kids In Fear Of Losing Green Card Eligibility

Morning Briefing

The panic stems from a potential Trump administration policy that would penalize legal immigrants if they receive aid from the government. “It’s a stealth regulation,” said Kathleen Campbell Walker, an immigration attorney at Dickinson Wright in El Paso, Texas. “It doesn’t really exist, but it’s being applied subliminally.”

Health Care A ‘Huge’ Priority For Voters As Midterms Near

Morning Briefing

Democrats have seized the issue that was once used against them, while Republicans are focusing on economy. Immigration is also a top concern for many voters. Meanwhile, lawmakers are desperate to avoid a government shutdown before the midterms.