Latest KFF Health News Stories
Cigna To Step Into War Against Opioid Epidemic
The health insurer plans to use predictive analytics to identify customers who are at the highest risk for an opioid overdose and develop partnerships in those areas to help combat the crisis. In other news: the government pulls funding for a pain relief training; a lobbying blitz has been launched on Capitol Hill as lawmakers vote on opioid measures; and more.
Maine’s Highest Court Gives Governor Breathing Room, Sets Arguments Over Expansion For Mid-July
Medicaid expansion is supposed to take effect July 2, but the law is on hold until oral arguments in a lawsuit can be held in later in the month. Meanwhile, the state’s legislature has approved a bill directing up to $54.5 million in surplus funds and tobacco settlement money for expansion.
Potential Double-Digit Rate Hikes For Health Law Plans Are Dark Clouds Over GOP Candidates
Polling consistently shows that more voters will blame Republicans for the pain in their wallets if the predicted hikes come to pass.
“Biosimilars foster competition and can lower the cost of biologic treatments for patients,” said FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb. “Yet the market for these products is not advancing as quickly as I hoped.”
Critics are concerned that adding “welfare” into the agency’s name brings with it a negative connotation. But the shake-up is unlikely to happen, and is more an insight into the direction in which the White House wants to move policy.
Don’t Get Distracted By High Drug Costs, It’s Surgery That’s Driving Health Spending, Gawande Says
Dr. Atul Gawande will be heading up the health care initiative formed by Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway and JPMorgan Chase that’s geared toward starving the “tapeworm on the American economy.” While many people’s attention is focused on skyrocketing drug prices, Gawande says that is just 10 percent” of total U.S. healthcare spending.
Migrant Children Must Be Reunited With Parents Immediately, Mental Health Experts Say
Although President Donald Trump ended his family separation policy, there’s no plans to address the children that have already been taken from their parents. Some advocates have suggested that public genetic testing sites could aid in the process of reuniting families. Meanwhile, there’s profit to be made off the health care needs of those held at the border. And chaos reigns supreme even after the president’s executive order.
A new study suggests that certain viruses could kick-start an immune response that might increase the accumulation of amyloid, a protein in human brains which clumps into the telltale plaques of Alzheimer’s. Scientists are being very cautious to warn that this might not prove anything, but it’s one of the few developments the field has seen in decades.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Viewpoints: Tax Law Changes Are Already Undermining Health Law, Causing Prices To Jump
Editorial pages focus on changes impacting the health law and other health care issues.
Opinion writers express views about the impact of the administration’s zero-tolerance policy on children’s health.
Longer Looks: The Trauma Of Family Separation; Nutrition Science; And Hiding Mental Illness
Each week, KHN’s Shefali Luthra finds interesting reads from around the Web.
Media outlets report on news from Georgia, Florida, New Hampshire, Missouri, West Virginia, South Carolina, Mississippi and Massachusetts.
Reisa Sperling looks at the ten to fifteen year span before the onset of the disease when patients already have build-up of a protein that is believed to trigger the deterioration of the brain. In other public health news: pancreatic cancer, gout, depression, genetic testing, grandchildren for hire, and more.
Health And Wellness Trend Taking A Toll On Companies’ Profits From Sugary Drinks
Concerns about sugar are prompting customers to skip the fraps and go for other options instead.
“This study confirms that the EPA’s guidelines for PFAS levels in drinking water woefully underestimate risks to human health,” said Olga Naidenko, senior science adviser at the Environmental Working Group. Other news on the safety of drinking water comes from New York and Cleveland.
The state’s managed care program is in the spotlight after it was reported that high costs that would not have been reimbursed prevented it from providing important care and services. Other Medicaid news comes from Connecticut and Indiana.
Intimidation, Fear Used To Prevent Potential Whisteblowers From Speaking Out, VA Employees Claim
“If you say anything about patient care and the problems, you’re quickly labeled a troublemaker and attacked by a clique that just promotes itself. Your life becomes hell,” said one longtime employee at the Central Alabama Veterans Health Care System. In other veterans’ health care news: a lawsuit over burn pits, the nomination hearing for the president’s pick to lead the VA, and staffing issues at medical centers.
The groups are challenging laws that say only doctors can perform abortions and that second-trimester abortions be performed in a hospital, which they argue are unconstitutional based on the Supreme Court’s 2016 ruling in Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt.
Experts Emphasize Importance Of Incremental Improvements With New Flu Vaccine
It was shown to be only slightly better than the old one. But baby steps are still forward movement, experts say. In other news on vaccinations: there’s a national shortage on the shingles vaccine; an experimental therapy for type 1 diabetes shows some early stages of success; and officials warn about hot spots for diseases where vaccination rates lag.
