Latest KFF Health News Stories
Iowa Court Rejects 72-Hour Waiting Period For Abortion, Says Women Have Right To Procedure
Abortion rights advocates said the ruling also weakened chances for the “fetal heartbeat law” passed this year.
Hospitals Scramble To Find Alternatives To Medications As Drug Shortages Persist
Hospitals and ER departments nationwide are coming up short when they need drugs such as morphine. “So many substances are short, and we’re dancing every shift,” said Dr. James Augustine, a doctor in Cincinnati.” In other public health news: palliative sedation, glaucoma, gaming addictions, ovarian cysts, emphysema and more.
More Americans Sent Home From China After Being Struck With Mysterious Illness
The tally of affected diplomats keeps growing, but officials still don’t have an answer to what’s at the root of the cause of the traumatic brain injuries.
Watching a loved one struggle with addiction can be a source of constant stress and take a physical toll in the long run. In other news on the crisis: violence in emergency rooms, blue-lit bathrooms, and legal action against a drugmaker.
Jury Sides With Patient That $229,112.13 Hospital Bill Was Unreasonable
Disputes over astronomical hospital prices are moving into the courts as more employers refuse to pay for their workers’ full bills. Meanwhile, to deal with skyrocketing health costs, some patients are turning to crowdfunding sites for help.
Before the federal health law, geography played a large role in Americans’ ability to get affordable coverage. Now, as some states take advantage of the administration’s relaxation of restrictions and others work to build up the protections granted by the ACA, there might be a return to those geographical disparities.
With Purchase Of PillPack, Amazon Will Have Access To Shoppers’ Personal Health Data
“Prescription drug information is highly personal information—it can tell if someone has cancer, if they have a sexually transmitted disease,” said Julie Roth, a health care regulatory attorney. Meanwhile, experts say the deal should act as a wake-up call to the rest of the industry that other companies need to step up their game on customer experience.
Recent Ethical Controversies At NIH Draw Congressional Attention
The House Appropriations Committee has included more transparency requirements for both NIH and the CDC Foundation in their annual reports. Meanwhile, in a report to Congress, the FDA suggested that the ability to offer higher salaries to their employees be expanded.
Children and their parents have been scattered all over the country, and even though a judge has ordered families to be reunited within 30 days, doing so is difficult.
Supreme Court Decision On Labor Unions Could Jeopardize Funding Pipeline To Progressive Initiatives
Unions tend to be big supporters of more liberal-leaning candidates and programs, both of which depend on the millions of dollars flowing in from the organizations. But that funding could be greatly diminished with the Supreme Court’s ruling.
Collins Won’t Support A Supreme Court Nominee Who Is Hostile To Roe V. Wade
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), along with Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), are being watched as crucial votes in a potential nomination battle because the moderate Republicans have a history of supporting abortion rights. Other lawmakers weigh in on the issue, as well. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump says he’s narrowed down his list of possible nominees.
Tennessee Has Been Hit Hard By Problems That Expanding Medicaid Might Help. So Why Has It Not?
Hospital closures, especially, have plagued the state. Experts discuss why Tennessee hasn’t taken advantage of federal help to expand its Medicaid program. News come out of Maine, Iowa and Missouri as well.
The case has been closely watched because many states are eager to follow in Kentucky’s footsteps and add restrictions to their Medicaid program now that the government has shown it’s receptive to requests. The decision — which accuses the Trump administration of never adequately considering “whether Kentucky HEALTH would in fact help the state furnish medical assistance to its citizens, a central objective of Medicaid” — was described as “scathing” by health policy experts.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Editorial pages focus on these and other health issues.
Opinion writers express views on a woman’s right to have an abortion and acquire honest health information.
Media outlets report on news from California, Colorado, Minnesota, Indiana, Ohio, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Texas, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts.
“The soda industry has deep pockets and used them to push the legislature into a no-win situation,” said California state Sen. Bill Monning (D). Arizona and Michigan have also capitulated to the industry, which is backing a ballot initiative in California that would make it more difficult to raise taxes.
“If this study is able to demonstrate that getting people who test for HIV enrolled in coverage when they test, it could improve their health generally no matter their HIV test result,” said Jeffrey Crowley, who served under President Barack Obama as director of the Office of National AIDS policy. In other public health news: LGBTQ youth and homelessness, the Goldwater Rule, the mysterious illness in diplomats, exercise and more.
Dirty Irrigation Canal Water Tied To Romaine Lettuce E. Coli Outbreak That Spread To 36 States
While unable to link the largest outbreak since 2006 to a single farm in the Arizona’s Yuma region, the Food and Drug Administration did find a genetic match to the bacteria in canals serving the area. The harvest season there has ended.
