Latest KFF Health News Stories
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Viewpoints: Unregulated Crisis Pregnancy Centers Actively Deceive Women
Editorial pages focus on women’s health and other health issues in the news.
Opinion writers weigh in on recent changes to the health law and proposed changes.
Perspectives: Attacks Against The 340B Drug Program Are Unfounded, Unfair And Dangerous
Read recent commentaries about drug-cost issues.
Drugs Can Often Ride A Wave Of Novelty And Marketing Before Reality Crashes Down
News outlets report on stories related to pharmaceutical pricing.
Media outlets report on news from New York, Massachusetts, Maryland, Texas, California, Montana, Kansas and Oregon.
White Americans Are Dying Faster Than They Are Being Born Thanks In Part To Opioid Epidemic
Demographers say the pattern is moving America towards a future where white people are no longer the majority faster than previously predicted. In other public health news: bioterror, anti-aging, survivors of childhood cancer, social media, HPV, and more.
Rural Hospitals Likely To Close In Missouri, Other States That Haven’t Expanded Medicaid
A new report finds 90 percent of recent hospital closures in rural areas were in states that had not expanded its Medicaid program. Also, Medicaid news comes out of Massachusetts, Mississippi and Florida.
Federal Rule Set To Halt Public Disclosure Of Data On Hospital Infections
CMS chief medical officer Kate Goodrich said the agency “is committed to transparency of quality and cost information” and denied that it was proposing to remove the information from Hospital Compare and said any changes are up for public comment.
Veterans are being sent letters that they’ll have to start paying money out of their monthly entitlements for combat-related disabilities because they’re enrolled in a Survivor Benefit Plan.
Facebook Launches Feature Redirecting Users Searching For Opioids Or Treatment To Federal Help Line
Social media companies have been under increasing pressure to step up in the fight against the opioid epidemic. In other news related to the crisis: medication-assisted treatment, a big increase in deaths in rural areas and the dangers of fentanyl.
Jaw-Dropping Results From Experimental Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Treatment Sparks Hope In Patients
“I have spent my life wanting to make a real change in this disease. Finally, we may be there. I am very hopeful. This is an emotional time for people in the field,” said Dr. Jerry Mendell of Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio.
CVS To Launch Prescription Home Delivery Service In Customer-Friendly Push
Drugstores and other retailers have been pushing more services such as this in recent years to hold Amazon.com at bay.
House Republicans’ Budget Plan Would Put Medicare In The Cross Hairs
While its not clear the measure would actually get to the floor before the midterm elections, the House Budget Committee’s blueprint shows where Republicans’ priorities lie in the coming years. The budget plan would remake Medicare by giving seniors the option of enrolling in private plans that compete with the traditional program.
Thousands of mental health professionals and physicians have criticized the Trump administration’s “zero-tolerance” policy, which is resulting in migrant children being separated from their parents at immigration facilities.
Most Republican lawmakers don’t want to touch the issue with a ten-foot pool this close to the midterm elections, but conservative groups are still pushing for a change. The proposal, which focuses on giving control to the states, was drafted by groups led by the Heritage Foundation, the Galen Institute and former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.).
The Trump administration announced the finalized rule yesterday that would give small businesses access to insurance options like those available to large companies and let them skirt some of the health law’s requirements. While President Donald Trump said the rule will save people “massive amounts of money,” Democrats and others in the health industry say the insurance plans are “junk” and they will further destabilize the marketplace.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Editorial pages focus on these and other health issues.
Different Takes: Changes Put Health Law On Shaky Ground; New Policies Are Good For Small Businesses
Opinion writers express views about changes to the health law and proposals for more changes.
