Latest KFF Health News Stories
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
Short-Term Insurance Plans Will Siphon Off Healthier Patients And Split Market Place, Opponents Warn
Insurer lobbying group AHIP spoke out against the Trump administration’s proposal to allow people to buy short-term health insurance for up to 12 months. But supporters of the plans say fears are overblown and argue that the expanded options are needed for people who are uninsured. Meanwhile, is health care really the “No. 1 issue in America?” The Washington Post fact checks that claim.
By private industry standards, Robert Redfield’s annual pay is modest for someone with his resume. But it is high for a government public health position. Redfield is being paid under a salary program called Title 42, which was established to attract health scientists with rare and critical skills to government work. The previous director, Dr. Brenda Fitzgerald, was being paid $197,300 a year.
VA Nominee’s Hearing Postponed As Senators Look Into Unverified Allegations Of Misconduct
Senate Democrats huddled privately Monday to discuss the allegations related to improper conduct in various stages of his career. “There are reasons, as there are with every presidential appointee, for very close scrutiny and vetting. We need to know if allegations raised by others may have some factual basis. That’s the process of vetting that has to occur,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.).
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Editorial pages highlight these and other health topics.
Media outlets report on news from New York, Colorado, Texas, New Hampshire, Florida, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri and California.
New York Tries To Curb Soaring Maternal Mortality Rates With Doulas
Studies have shown that the birth coaches can help increase birth outcomes and reduce birth complications for the mother and the baby. “Maternal mortality should not be a fear anyone in New York should have to face in the 21st century,” said Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
Bystanders Can Save Lives In Mass Shooting Events—Especially If They’re Trained On Basic Strategies
A lot of the training focuses on making potential bystanders feel comfortable enough with knowing how to stop the bleeding to actually act if the situation were ever to arise.
A study has found that relying on data about doctor-diagnosed arthritis alone may miss almost half of cases in a younger population who may see doctors less often or ignore occasional joint symptoms. In other news on aging: thinning bones, the benefits of volunteering and Alzheimer’s.
How Scientists Decide When A Vaccine’s Risks Outweigh The Number Of People It Will Help
While the debate is theoretical, scientists can weigh possible risks versus the lives they know the vaccine will save. But a recent example of a controversial drug is throwing the issue into the global spotlight in a very real way. In other public health news: clinical trials and ethics; decoding a baby’s DNA; home health care workers and infection rates; a new type of self-harm in teenagers; and more.
School officials say even children that young are dealing with the fallout from the epidemic. One student in a Ohio school brought a heroin needle her father used into class because she didn’t want a younger sibling to step on it. “This is here. This is real,” said Joy Edgell, a principal of Belpre Elementary School.
Hospitals That Have Always Been Hesitant To Go Global Start Looking Beyond Their Home Turf
The investment required to globalize has been daunting to the hospital industry. But facing anemic growth and other troubles, some hospitals are looking abroad. Meanwhile, Anthem is being taken to court over its new policies that restrict outpatient imaging and emergency department reimbursement.
PhRMA Spent Big On Lobbying In Record-Breaking First Quarter
The drug industry trade group focused its spending on issues such as generics, the “doughnut hole,” and trade.
