Latest KFF Health News Stories
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Editorial writers look at these and other health topics.
Research Roundup: The Opioid Crisis; Short-Term Plans; Systematic Cross-Checking
Each week, KHN compiles a selection of recently released health policy studies and briefs.
Media outlets report on news from West Virginia, Montana, Colorado, Georgia, Florida, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Wisconsin, Ohio, Missouri, Tennessee, Minnesota and California.
ProMedica Scoops Up Nursing Home Provider: ‘When You Look At The Trends … You Fight It Or Go All In’
The move is just the latest in a flurry of acquisitions and mergers that are taking place in the ever evolving health care landscape.
New CDC Chief On Board With Researching Gun Violence, Schumer Says
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said that he hopes the CDC “will use some of their newly increased resources from the omnibus spending package to get this done.” In other public health news: the E. coli outbreak, cancer, amputations, our ancestors’ brains, and more.
About 1 in 59 U.S. children were identified as having autism in 2014. The report also found that white children are diagnosed with autism more often than black or Hispanic children, but the gap has closed dramatically.
Genealogy Site Helps Police Nab Alleged Golden State Killer, Raising Concerns Among Privacy Experts
Investigators took DNA collected years ago from one of the crime scenes and submitted it in some form to one or more commercial genealogy websites that have built up a vast database of consumer genetic information. The results led law enforcement to the suspected killer’s distant relatives.
Charleston, W.Va. is at the very heart of the opioid crisis, yet the city just shut down its needle exchange, which has been shown to save money and cut the spread of disease while not increasing drug use. Experts look at why such programs, which seem like no-brainers to many, struggle to gain public acceptance.
Executive Order Cutting Planned Parenthood Out Of Title X Family Planning Grants May Come Next Month
If the executive order is signed, federally qualified health centers would have to take on about 2 million extra patients for contraceptive services, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a women’s reproductive health policy think tank. Meanwhile in Texas, more women are getting health and family planning services after a statewide marketing push.
The groups are being accused of driving up the cost of health care by masking the price of drugs and forcing higher costs on the insurance companies that pass them along to consumers and employers. Meanwhile, KHN dissects President Donald Trump’s rhetoric over high drug costs.
Coalition Of 20 Republican-Led States Suing Over Health Law Asks For Temporary Injunction
In its larger lawsuit, states led by Texas and Wisconsin argue that because Congress eliminated the tax penalty the health law is now unconstitutional.
Beyond The Theatrics Of VA Nomination Controversy Lies A Leaderless And Troubled Agency
Dr. Ronny Jackson withdrew his name as nominee to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs, leaving advocates worried about the chaos and risks ahead for the agency that serves 9 million military veterans and employs 350,000 workers. “Veterans are losing six different ways right now, from all directions, and it’s discouragingly unclear why this keeps happening or what might make it stop,” said Joe Chenelly, national executive director for AMVETS.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Opinion writers focus on these and other health topics.
Longer Looks: Fentanyl’s New Victims; Short-Term Insurance; And The Science Of Drinking
Each week, KHN’s Shefali Luthra finds interesting reads from around the Web.
Media outlets report on news from New York, Texas, Ohio, Missouri, Illinois, Arizona, Louisiana and Pennsylvania.
As Minibrain Research Continues To Progress, Scientists Begin To Wade Through Ethical Complexities
Minibrains hold tremendous potential for unraveling the mysteries around neurological diseases, but scientists worry about creating a sentient entity in the lab. In other public health news: tuberculosis; medical research; medication to save children from pneumonia, malaria and other diseases; the immune system; and more.
E. Coli Outbreak Continues To Grow While Source Still Remains Unknown
The CDC and the FDA say the growing region in Yuma, Ariz. is the source, but no farm has been identified.
Should Doctors Offer Immunotherapy To Terminal Cancer Patients? Some Are Rolling The Dice
The chance immunotherapy will help some patients is small — but not zero. “Under rules of desperation oncology, you engage in a different kind of oncology than the rational guideline thought,” says Dr. Oliver Sartor. Other doctors won’t even bring up the treatment though, arguing that scientists first must gather rigorous evidence about the benefits and pitfalls.
