Latest KFF Health News Stories
Speculation Swirls Over Florida’s Possible Medicaid Expansion As State Doles Out Contracts
Florida has been on the watchlist of states that may expand Medicaid if a Democrat or amenable Republican wins the gubernatorial race. Republican Gov. Rick Scott rejected Medicaid expansion in 2015. Medicaid news comes out of Kansas and Rhode Island, as well.
Safety Report Spotlights Trend Of Urban Hospitals Performing Poorly
The Leapfrog Group has released its spring safety report that gives grades to hospitals across the country.
Scientists Take Step Closer To Designing Drug That Offers Powerful Pain Relief Without Addiction
In the midst of the opioid crisis, researchers are scrambling to come up with a way to help patients manage pain without contributing to the epidemic. These scientists may have found a way. In other news: a Senate panel sends its bipartisan opioid bill to the chamber’s floor; Google is using its homepage to bring awareness to the crisis; public speakers at FDA advisory meetings found to have financial conflicts of interest; and more.
Hospitals To Be Required To Post Prices Online As Part Of CMS Push To Increase Transparency
The price lists may still be confusing to consumers, though, because standard rates are like list prices and don’t reflect what insurers and government programs pay. “Given the inherent complexity of hospital billing, making prices easy to understand is clearly a lot easier said than done,” says Shawn Gremminger, of Families USA.
FDA Launches Undercover Sting Operations To Target Juul Devices That Are Popular With Teens
So far the agency has sent warning letters to 40 retailers that it says violated the law banning sales of vaping devices to anyone under 21. “We don’t yet fully understand why these products are so popular among youth,” FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said. “But it’s imperative that we figure it out, and fast.”
Dr. Ronny Jackson has been accused of overseeing a hostile work environment where staff had to “walk on eggshells” around him, drinking while on overseas trips and then banging on a female employee’s hotel door, and doling out prescription medications with such frequency as to earn the moniker “the candy man.”
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Allegations Directed Toward VA Nominee Include Practice Of Overprescribing, Drinking On The Job
Members of President Donald Trump’s legislative affairs team huddled Tuesday morning to discuss the nomination. After the meeting, a White House official said there were no current plans to withdraw Jackson’s name.
Editorial pages focus on these and other health topics.
Media outlets report on news from Kansas, Minnesota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Connecticut, Ohio, California and Iowa.
California Must Move Toward Single Payer To Avoid Fiscal Emergency, Gubernatorial Candidate Says
The issue of whether California should move toward a single-payer health system is proving to be a litmus test for candidates in the gubernatorial race. While some support it despite what they say are it’s flaws, others blast it as costly and unrealistic.
Familiar Double Helix DNA Strands Aren’t The Only Ones That Show Up In Human Cells
Scientists have found DNA structures that more resemble a tangled knot — and they seem like they may be fairly common in cells. In other public health news: “helicopter” children; E. coli; dirty scopes; and puberty.
Doctors Need To Make Postpartum Maternal Care An Ongoing Process, New Guidelines Recommend
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists have released guidelines in the midst of the country’s public health crisis over maternal deaths.
What Happens When Voters OK Medicaid Expansion, But Governor Refuses To Listen?
Medicaid supporters took the issue to Maine’s voters, who gave the green light to expansion. But Gov. Paul LePage (R) refuses to budge until lawmakers find a way to fund the program, leaving the state in limbo. Medicaid news comes out of Texas, Iowa and Missouri, as well.
Humana To Scoop Up Curo As Part Of Plan To Create Nation’s Largest Hospice Operator
Humana, TPG Capital and Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe had also previously announced plans to buy Kindred Healthcare’s hospice business.
Indicator Of Hospitals’ Financial Health Hits Low Not Seen In Past Decade
The prior low point of the median hospital operating cash flow margin came in 2008, when it reached 9.1 percent, when the deep recession sharply slowed growth in insurers’ spending on hospital care.
Prince’s Family Sues Hospital, Walgreens Pharmacy Over Performer’s Death From Fentanyl Overdose
The wrongful death lawsuit accuses a doctor and pharmacist at Trinity Medical Center in Rock Island, Ill. of failing to do enough to try to prevent a second overdose. The six heirs also accuse two Walgreens pharmacists of improperly dispensing prescription medication to Prince.
Can Failed Weight Loss Drugs Be Repurposed To Fight Opioid Addiction?
Scientists see a common thread between fighting obesity and the opioid crisis: addiction. In other news on the epidemic: it’s unclear whether a new proposal to empower the DEA will achieve its goal; a look at how a patient advocacy group is being used to promote a drugmaker’s painkiller; despite methadone’s proven effectiveness Medicare doesn’t cover it; and more.
Veteran Injured In Blast Undergoes Complex Penis Transplant Surgery
“While extremity amputations are visible and resultant disability obvious, some war injuries are hidden and their impact not widely appreciated by others,” W.P. Andrew Lee, chairman of the department of plastic and reconstructive surgery at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
Administration’s Teen Pregnancy Prevention Funding Rules Favor Abstinence-Focused Programs
The new rules for the funding do not exclude programs that provide information about contraception and protected sex, but they encourage ones that concentrate on abstinence. Groups that have been receiving federal money had been bracing for a change in the rules since last year
