Latest KFF Health News Stories
Opinion writers express views on the impact of the zero-tolerance immigration policy.
Research Roundup: Transgender Veterans; Public Spending On Children; And Bundled Payments
Each week, KHN compiles a selection of recently released health policy studies and briefs.
Media outlets report on news from Washington, D.C., Minnesota, Florida, Connecticut, Iowa, Tennessee, Louisiana, Ohio, Florida, New Hampshire and Wyoming.
As Exhausting As Hospice Work Is, These Caregivers Describe Their Roles As Sacred, Deeply Fulfilling
At the nonprofit Hospice of the Western Reserve in Cleveland, which serves 1,200 dying patients daily, many employees and volunteers have great job satisfaction and readily answer a common question: “How do you work here?” In other public health news: Alzheimer’s, HIV outreach, hip replacement research, all-plant burgers, carcinogenic chemicals and racial profiling.
Despite all the national attention the crisis is receiving, deaths related to fentanyl continue to skyrocket. Meanwhile, readers respond to a New York Times piece about the cost of getting sober, with some spending tens of thousands of dollars with others opting to do free 12-step programs.
Doctors order more tests and screenings than necessary because they’re afraid of legal issues if they miss something. Meanwhile, a study finds that millennials have the largest share of medical debt.
Celgene Expected To Rake In $15B This Year With Strength Of Its Blockbuster Cancer Drug
But the company is on the look-out for its next blockbuster as Revlimid will face market competition in coming years. Meanwhile, advocate groups ask for insurance commissioners will investigate the growing use of copay accumulators.
Judge Orders Wisconsin To Pay For Transgender Surgery For Medicaid Recipients
“The likelihood of ongoing, irreparable harm facing these two individual plaintiffs outweighs any marginal impacts on the defendants’ stated concerns regarding public health or limiting costs,” U.S. District Judge William Conley said. In other news, the Trump administration will continue approving work requirement requests, despite a judge blocking Kentucky’s waiver.
Hospitals Are Often Skipping Easy Procedures That Could Drastically Cut Down On Maternal Deaths
The U.S. continues to fall behind other developed countries when it comes to maternal mortality. A USA Today investigation looks at how doctors and nurses are ignoring simple safety practices that could improve those numbers.
Coalition Of State Attorneys General Sues To Block Association Health Plans Rule
The Trump administration says the regulation would help small businesses and self-employed workers to afford insurance, but the 12 Democratic state attorneys general contend that the plans would undermine patient protections put in place by the health law. Meanwhile, House Democrats are pushing Republicans to agree to protect preexisting conditions coverage.
There are reports of failed reunifications, though, that are raising questions about whether the deadline has indeed been met. Beyond that, there are hundreds of parents who have either been deemed ineligible or were deported without their children.
Progressive-Favorite ‘Medicare For All’ Takes A Battering From Trump Administration Health Officials
HHS Secretary Alex Azar criticized the plan only a day after CMS Administrator Seema Verma said that it would become “Medicare For None” if the system were enacted. “Medicare is running out of other people’s money, and those other people happen to be our children,” Azar said. The secretary also spoke about plans for overhauling the Medicare billing structure.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Opinion writers express views on these and other health topics.
Different Takes: Lessons On Work Requirements, Disability And Association Health Plans
Opinion writers express views on the health law and how to improve health care and lower costs.
Longer Looks: Catholic Hospitals In Rural America; Sickle Cell Disease; And Free Narcan
Each week, KHN’s Shefali Luthra finds interesting reads from around the Web.
Media outlets report on news from Oklahoma, Texas, Minnesota, California, Wyoming, Ohio, Massachusetts and Florida.
Iowa, which has nearly 40 percent fewer psychiatrists per capita than average, is revamping its mental health care. “There’s a lot of energy and focus on this. It’s exciting,” said Tyler VanMilligen, one of the new psychiatric residents. News about hospitals comes out of New Orleans, Washington, D.C., California and Texas, as well.
Health Care Big Wigs No Longer Turning To Universities When They Want To Step Out Of Executive Roles
Instead, these high-profile names are heading to Google companies. In other news, former HHS Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell reflects on her time in office, the health law and more in Politico’s Pulse Check.
Where there’s a potential health crisis, there comes a way to make money from it. Companies are popping up with at-home sperm tests, sperm health scores and sperm cryobanking services. In other public health news: Zika’s destructive power, physician-assisted suicide, brain injuries in soldiers, eating disorders, and more.
