Latest KFF Health News Stories
Longer Looks: Climate Change; Abortion; And Global Pandemics
Each week, KHN’s Shefali Luthra finds interesting reads from around the Web.
Media outlets report on news from Connecticut, New York, Virginia, Michigan, Iowa, Texas, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Missouri, California, Wisconsin and Ohio.
In other news on innovations, the MAVEN Project helps underserved communities around the country by connecting retiring, volunteer doctors with patients via telehealth, videoconferencing and phone calls.
Lessons From The Civil War: Long Shadow Cast By Trauma Stretches Far Beyond A Single Generation
There’s evidence that a father’s extreme hardship can alter the function of his genes in ways that can be passed on to his sons and shorten their lives. In other public health news: genetic testing and privacy, research quality, Alzheimer’s, dementia, prostate cancer, fish oil, the flu and more.
Here’s What We Know About The Polio-Like Illness In Children That Has Health Experts Baffled
This year, 62 cases of the illness are confirmed and others are under investigation, according to federal health authorities. Scientists don’t know what causes acute flaccid myelitis, but they are urging people to avoid getting mosquito bites. Paralysis comes on suddenly and can be permanent.
“To some, Maddie was just a junkie — when they saw her addiction they stopped seeing her. And what a loss for them. Because Maddie was hilarious, and warm, and fearless, and resilient. She could and would talk to anyone, and when you were in her company you wanted to stay,” read the obituary for Madelyn Ellen Linsenmeir, who had struggled with opioid addiction. The words garnered a great deal of attention, putting a human face to the opioid epidemic holding the country in its grip. News on the crisis comes out of Missouri, Ohio, Florida and Virginia, as well.
Benefit Of Multimillion-Dollar Industry That Accredits Hospitals Called Into Question In Study
The Harvard University study challenges the assertion that patients benefit when a hospital is accredited. “The wealthy, big hospitals that generally have more resources are more likely to be Joint Commission-accredited, and the thinking is that they have better outcomes,” said Ashish Jha, the author of the study. “What you find is that it doesn’t have a big effect, and it really makes you worry. We’ve put a lot of faith and resources into accreditation.”
Questions Raised About Sen. Dean Heller’s Support Of Unproven ‘Brainwave’ Treatment For Veterans
The company marketing the treatment has connections to Sen. Dean Heller (R-Nev.) The Trump administration is encouraging the VA to use more alternative treatments, even though doctors and mental health experts caution against steering patients to procedures that haven’t been scientifically demonstrated to be safe and effective.
Experts don’t predict the proposed requirement would cause a broad pullback of ad campaigns, but companies will have to make some tough, and possibly expensive, choices. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump hints at a big win for drugmakers with a big change to Medicaid’s rebate rule.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) called the failure to repeal the health law “the one disappointment of this Congress,” and suggested he would consider it in the future if the support was there from members.
Georgia’s Gubernatorial Race Shines Light On Growing Political Force: Home Health Aides
Georgia state Rep. Stacey Abrams (D) is locked in a tight race with Republican Secretary of State Brian Kemp, and members of The National Domestic Workers Alliance have been knocking on doors and pouring money into ad campaigns in support of the Democrat. News on the upcoming elections comes out of Alabama, Kansas, California and New Hampshire.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) is in a high-profile race with Democrat Beto O’Rourke. For years he has called for a repeal of “every word” of the health law but now his tone has shifted, but in a reflection of the current political landscape and of many races across the country. Meanwhile, in a recent poll, health care comes in as the top issue for voters this year.
The widening budget deficit announced in recent days has sparked conversation among Republicans of cutting budgets and look for trims to entitlement programs. The Democrats are seizing on the tone shift, and using the potential changes to Medicare, Medicaid and other safety net programs as talking points on the campaign trail.
First Edition: October 18, 2018
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Editorial pages focus on these health care topics and others.
Perspectives: Is Requiring Pharma to Include Prices In Ads Long Overdue Or Is It Ineffective?
Read recent commentaries about the Trump administration’s plan to require companies to include medications’ prices in their ads, along with other drug-cost issues.
One Option States Are Pursuing To Lower Drug Costs: Treat Pharma Like A Public Utility
News outlets report on stories related to pharmaceutical pricing.
Media outlets report on news from Florida, California, Louisiana, Ohio, Iowa, Colorado, Georgia, Texas, Minnesota and Massachusetts.
The inability to provide quick, inexpensive tests to diagnose the virus is hindering efforts in Angola to track the disease that can cause severe disabilities in babies, health experts say. In other news on Zika, mothers in Brazil give around-the-clock care for their disabled children.
Geneticists are alarmed that their research is being misinterpreted by white supremacy groups. “Studying human genetic diversity is easier in a society where diversity is clearly valued and celebrated — right now, that is very much on my mind,” said John Novembre, a University of Chicago evolutionary biologist. In other public health news: brain science, obesity, concussions, mental health, surgery centers and more.
