Latest KFF Health News Stories
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.
First Edition: September 11, 2018
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Editorial pages examine these health issues and others.
Perspectives: During Opioid Epidemic, Boost Funds, Efforts To Reverse Number Of Overdose Deaths
Opinion writers weigh in on issues surrounding the opioid crisis.
Media outlets report on news from North Carolina, Kansas, California, Connecticut, Wisconsin, Arizona, Maryland, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Colorado, Oregon and Ohio.
Puerto Rico’s Battered Health System Now Even More Vulnerable In The Face Of Future Storms
It’s taken a long time for Puerto Rico’s health system to recover from Hurricane Maria, and even though facilities are coming back on line and emergency plans have been made, there are new weaknesses that could be critically damaging if the island is hit with another storm. Meanwhile, why is it so hard to count casualties after a disaster?
But the development pipeline is slower than it ever used to be. “Donors are cutting back on funding at a time when we should be stepping on the gas,” said Gavin Yamey, the study’s lead author. Meanwhile, the fight against Ebola has advanced in recent years but it’s still facing old hurdles.
A look at California shows a new strategy in place for gun-control advocates and lawmakers: focusing on the bullets.
Nursing Home Residents Were Abandoned By Staff Members As Fires Closed In, California Agency Claims
None of the residents died or were injured in the fire, but the state’s Department of Social Services accused the staff of being unprepared and leaving before everyone was taken to safety. Nursing homes news comes out of North Carolina, Colorado, Wisconsin, New Hampshire and Tennessee, as well.
Dr. José Baselga’s failure to properly disclose his connections to the industry highlight a broader issue within the field over how weakly reporting requirements are enforced by the medical journals and professional societies charged with policing them.
Health Law Rates To Drop 9.3% In New Jersey As Hike Request Fails
In other news on health insurance costs, rate hikes will remain flat for thousands of retired state employees and teachers in Georgia, who were expecting increases.
The Drug Enforcement Administration hasn’t approved any of the applications that have come in during the past two years, and has offered no timeline on when they will be processed.
These Red-State Legislatures Blocked Medicaid Expansion. Now Voters May Give It The Green Light.
A movement to get Medicaid expansion on the ballot in states like Utah, Idaho and Nebraska has been gaining speed in recent years, and supporters are cautiously optimistic about their chances.
Obama Champions ‘Medicare For All’ As He Blasts Republicans For ‘Sabotaging’ Health Law
Former President Barack Obama spoke about Democrats’ ideas like “Medicare For All.” Meanwhile, Republicans are using the plan to attack their opponents, saying it will jeopardize Medicare’s current beneficiaries.
