Latest KFF Health News Stories
An official determines that there are enough valid signatures to add the measure to November’s ballot, but a judge is currently weighing a lawsuit that argues the proposal violates the Nebraska Constitution by including more than one subject: broadening eligibility for the state-federal health care program and asking state officials to seek federal approval of the expansion. Medicaid news comes out of Iowa and Oregon, as well.
The Associated Press fact checks Democratic Sen. Heidi Heitkamp’s claim about how many North Dakotans were denied coverage pre-health law, and finds that she overstates the number of people who wouldn’t have been able to get coverage.
Former CDC Chief’s Arrest Over Groping Allegations May Derail Massive Public Health Initiative
Dr. Thomas Frieden surrendered himself to police on Friday and was charged with groping a woman in his apartment. The former head of the CDC has been raising hundreds of millions of dollars in private funds for an international campaign to address heart disease and epidemics. But his arrest may put his backers in an uncomfortable position.
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) died Saturday, a little over a year after he’d been diagnosed with glioblastoma, a wildly aggressive form of brain cancer. Advocates have been frustrated for years about the lack of research about and progress being made against the disease. Meanwhile, though health care policy was not a primary focus for McCain, he’s remembered for casting the vote that saved the health law he hated.
First Edition: August 27, 2018
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Former CDC Chief Tom Frieden Arrested On Charges Of Sexual Abuse And Harassment
Thomas Frieden, former director of the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention, is currently in NYPD custody and is expected to head to Brooklyn Criminal Court for arraignment.
Sen. John McCain To Cease Treatment For Brain Cancer
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), whose 82nd birthday is this week, was diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer last year. “In the year since, John has surpassed expectations for his survival. But the progress of disease and the inexorable advance of age render their verdict. With his usual strength of will, he has now chosen to discontinue medical treatment,” McCain’s family said in a statement.
Opinion pages look at these health topics and others.
Different Takes: GOP Has Big Plans To Cut Health Care; Single-Payer Plan Is Also Extreme
Editorial pages focus on issues impacting health care costs.
Research Roundup: Ovarian Cancer; Opioid Deaths; And Marijuana Use During Pregnancy
Each week, KHN compiles a selection of recently released health policy studies and briefs.
Media outlets report on news from Texas, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New York, Wisconsin, California, Indiana, Delaware and Florida.
While saying nothing found during the inspections of the 13 facilities would have brought immediate harm to the children, state health officials are pursuing civil penalties for the fingerprint card violations, and the facilities are making changes to sleeping areas.
Addiction specialists say that they’re seeing a sharp upswing in teens abusing benzodiazepines, which can cause seizures during withdrawal. “We see things first. So, I’m not surprised that the spike in Xanax use isn’t reflected in national data yet,” said Sharon Levy, director of adolescent addiction treatment at Boston Children’s Hospital. “When I ask them if they’re using opioids, they say, ‘No. I wouldn’t touch the stuff.’” News on addiction and the opioid crisis also comes out of Louisiana, Wisconsin and Arizona — and was a topic of discussion on this week’s “What The Health” podcast.
Sobering Report On Alcohol: No Amount Of Drinking Is Good For Your Health
“People should no longer think that a drink or two a day is good for you,” said Emmanuela Gakidou, senior author of the report appearing in the Lancet. For people ages 15 to 49, alcohol is the leading risk factor for experiencing a negative health outcome. Other public health news also includes reports on e-cigs that appeal to children, HPV-related cancer rates, electronic medical records, antibiotic resistance, political influence and more.
Vaccine Wars In U.S. Provided Fertile Ground For Russian Trolls Meddling With 2016 Elections
The bots didn’t pick a side, though, instead hurling insults at both pro- and anti-vaccine advocates. A new study found that their only intent seemed to be to raise the level of hostility in the debate.
Appeals Court Denies Arkansas’ Request To Lift Judge’s Order Against Law Banning Abortion Pills
The law, if it went into effect, would make Arkansas the first state to effectively ban the pills. Abortion-related legal news comes out of Minnesota and Alabama, as well.
Republican Senators’ Plan Would Amend HIPAA To Include Preexisting Conditions Protections
GOP lawmakers have been the target of Democrats’ attacks that they want to strip away one of the most popular provisions in the health law. The new measure would give them cover if the lawsuit against the Affordable Care Act succeeds.
Critics Accuse Education Secretary Of Putting NRA’s Bottom Line Ahead Of Student’s Safety
According to sources, the Education Department is mulling the idea of using federal funds to arm teachers following the recent string of school shootings. The plan drew fierce condemnation. “Instead of after-school programs or counselors, programs that are critical for creating safe and welcoming schools and addressing the mental health needs of kids, DeVos wants to turn schools into armed fortresses and make kids and educators less safe,” said Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers.
Patients don’t end up paying the list price of any drug, and the cost could vary depending on insurance plans and how much the person spent on health care that year. But the Senate joined in the push on Thursday, doling out $1 million to HHS to implement transparency regulations.
The idea would be to allow people who earn too much to qualify for expanded Medicaid to buy a Medicaid managed-care plan instead of commercial coverage. But even that proposal has hospitals balking.
