Latest KFF Health News Stories
Opinion writers look at these and other health topics.
Editorial pages focus on the pivotal role Justice Anthony Kennedy played in protecting abortion rights, what the future holds for Roe v. Wade and other health issues.
Longer Looks: The Court Without Kennedy; The Neuroscience Of Pain; And Medicaid Work Requirements
Each week, KHN’s Shefali Luthra finds interesting reads from around the Web.
Media outlets report on news from California, Connecticut, Washington, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Ohio, Maryland, Illinois, Arizona, Texas, Kansas, Georgia, Puerto Rico, New Hampshire and Massachusetts.
White House Plan Would Slash Public Health Corps That Responds To Disasters, Disease Outbreaks
“I don’t quite understand the animosity toward the Commissioned Corps,” said Jim Currie, executive director of the Commissioned Officers Association of the U.S. Public Health Service. “These folks are doing day jobs” — at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institutes of Health and elsewhere within the government — “and when they’re needed, they go and deploy and work their butts off for 12 to 14 hours a day.” In other public health news: genealogical sleuthing; cancer patients who defy the odds; bird flu research, mid-life fitness benefits, cancer care for older patients and circadian lighting.
Texas Patients, Families Detail Experiences With How Managed Care Companies Failed Them
Texas state lawmakers called a hearing about the companies after an investigation found that the MCOs failed to provide care for vulnerable Texans. Medicaid news comes out of Kentucky, Missouri and Iowa, as well.
Republicans’ latest attempt to chip away at the health law involves the administration backing away from defending the pre-existing conditions provision in court. If upheld, the effects could be more wide-ranging than some might expect. In other health law news, high deductibles mean some families are putting off getting care.
As Pressure Mounts From All Sides, Purdue May Be Cutting Back On Marketing For Opioids
In 2016, drugmakers spent $15.8 million to pay doctors for speaking, consulting, meals and travel related to opioid drugs. That was down 33 percent from $23.7 million in 2015 and is 21 percent less than the $19.9 million in spent in 2014. Meanwhile, federal regulators want internet companies to take a bigger role in fighting the epidemic.
Massachusetts wanted to exclude some drugs from coverage under its Medicaid program — a common negotiating tactic for private insurers looking to avoid paying for costly therapies. The Trump administration decided that the proposal goes too far, handing the pharmaceutical industry a win.
HHS Inspector General To Investigate Safety And Health Protections In Shelters For Migrant Children
GAO will also launch an investigation into the way HHS tracked minors in the system. HHS and DHS have been widely criticized for a seemingly haphazard approach to family separations. In other news: a look at how separations affect children’s well-being, a judge’s ruling on reunification, toddlers in court by themselves, and more.
VA Nominee Vows To Oppose Privatization, Tackle Long Wait Times
Robert Wilkie, President Donald Trump’s current pick to lead the troubled Department of Veterans Affairs, pledged to “shake up complacency” at the agency during his Senate hearing. He is expected to be confirmed with little opposition from Democrats.
The Supreme Court has barred public-employee contracts requiring workers to pay union dues, which can be used to support collective bargaining activities and other efforts including legislative advocacy, grievances and worker safety programs. The decision will ripple across the health industry in part because many workers in the field are part of unions. But another reason is that the organizations are often vocal supporters of health programs like Medicare and Medicaid.
With Kennedy’s Retirement, Abortion Rights Advocates Worry About Losing ‘Firewall’ To Roe V. Wade
Justice Anthony Kennedy’s announcement that he’s stepping down from the bench yanks the abortion fight right into the spotlight. It’s likely that President Donald Trump will fulfill his campaign promise and nominate a judge who will support overturning Roe v. Wade, setting up a hot political fight right before the midterm elections. Democrats alone cannot derail any nomination, so strategists are eyeing Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Republicans who favor abortion rights.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Editorial pages focus on these and other health issues.
Different Takes: Lying Gets A Thumbs Up Instead Of Women’s Right To Abortion; Free Speech Wins
Opinion writers focus on the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling to overturn a California law requiring pregnancy centers to inform patients about low-cost birth control and abortions.
Perspectives: The Government Should Utilize An Obscure Patent Provision To Lower Drug Prices
Read recent commentaries about drug-cost issues.
What Happens When A State’s Medicaid Program Decides A Drug Isn’t Worth The Cost?
News outlets report on stories related to pharmaceutical pricing.
Media outlets report on news from California, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Kansas, Massachusetts and Virginia.
Much-Hyped Easy-To-Take Flu Drug Could Be Approved By FDA Before Next Season’s Peak
People are buzzing about the single-dose drug that could revolutionize the way the flu is treated. Not only is it easy to take, but it’s been shown to reduce the duration of flu symptoms by a little more than a day and reduce the duration of fever by nearly a day. In other public health news: contagious rudeness, osteoporosis, Zika, end-of-life care, and walking.
