Latest KFF Health News Stories
In A Place Where Suspicion Has Dug In Roots, Researchers Want To Demystify Science
A small community in Georgia sees a nuclear plant as the source of their health woes. Scientists know otherwise, but getting that message across isn’t going to be easy. In other public health news: natural disasters, mental health clues on Instagram, obesity and depression, sinus cancer, hospital violence and more.
Gene-Edited, Virus-Free Piglets Revive Hope For Organ Transplants Between Animals, Humans
Dr. George Church, a geneticist at Harvard who led the experiments, said the first pig-to-human transplants could occur within two years.
The Cost Of Treating An Opioid Overdose: $92,400
Researchers said the cost highlights a troubling trend: that overdose patients are arriving in worse shape, requiring longer stays and a higher level of treatment. In other news on the opioid crisis: a vaccine for addiction, treatment deserts, sober homes, safe injection centers and more.
As Much Of The Country Sees Insurance Gains Under ACA, Texan Women Are Left Behind
The Commonwealth Fund’s 2016 Biennial Health Insurance Survey reported solid progress for women across the country since the law was enacted, but in Texas the gains for women have been minimal. Meanwhile, state lawmakers are inching toward passing legislation that will require women to buy separate insurance for abortions.
Republican Candidates For Colo. Governor Say Medicaid Costs Are Unsustainable
Three candidates seek to make Medicaid’s budget a key campaign issue. In other Medicaid news, talks between Iowa officials and the managed care companies there appear to have bogged down but no one is talking about what the problem is, and two insurance companies have filed suit in Mississippi over how the state awarded the managed care contract.
‘I Have No Illusions’ Medicare-For-All, Single-Payer Bill Will Pass, Sanders Says
But Sen. Bernie Sanders is looking to start a conversation about why America has the problem it does with its current health care system.
Early Look At Premiums For Marketplace Plans Show Wide Variability
The price changes in 21 cities range from an increase of 49 percent to a decrease of 5 percent. Elsewhere, news outlets examine insurance companies’ efforts to get lawmakers to drop the health law’s tax on plans, some health organizations propose fixes for the law, Oscar’s plans for Tennessee, Ambetter’s decision to stay in the New Hampshire marketplace and other topics.
Escalating Discord Between Trump, McConnell Puts Shockingly Public Spotlight On Party’s Problems
President Donald Trump unleashed another wave of criticism toward Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), highlight the growing distance between the president and Congress.
Americans: Stop Trying To Undermine The Health Law And Start Fixing It
Just 3 in 10 want President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans to continue their drive to repeal and replace the statute, while nearly 8 in 10 say Trump should be trying to make the health law work according to a new poll.
Trump Declares Opioid Crisis A National Emergency. So What Does That Mean?
President Donald Trump hasn’t yet spelled out what the declaration will entail, but it could allow the government to negotiate lower prices for naloxone, open up additional funding to states and provide technical assistance and manpower to places where local and state resources have been overwhelmed. Some experts say it is a mostly symbolic move, though.
First Edition: August 11, 2017
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
Perspectives On Policies And Politics: Medicaid’s Value; Who Now Owns Obamacare?
Opinion writers also offer their thoughts on the Affordable Care Act’s stability, the negative systemic possibilities of Medicare for all and a range of other topics.
Longer Looks: Andy Slavitt; Medicaid Explained; Genetic Testing And The Insurance Industry
Each week, KHN’s Shefali Luthra finds interesting reads from around the Web.
Media outlets report on news from California, Arizona, New York, Massachusetts, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Florida, Tennessee, Maryland, Texas, Missouri, Kansas, New Hampshire and Georgia.
Democrat Uses Ultrasound Bill Against Opponent For Va. Lieutenant Governor Race
Republican Jill Holtzman Vogel sponsored the 2012 bill that would have required most women who get abortions to first undergo a vaginal ultrasound.
‘Alcohol Is Our Number One Drug Problem’: Experts Hope Drinking Study Serves As Wake-Up Call
The study finds that a “startling” number of adults in America are binge drinking at least once a week. In other public health news: stroke, Glenn Campbell’s struggle with Alzheimer’s, gallstones and pregnancy, exercise, video games, asthma, and more.
One In 12 Physicians Have Accepted Payments From Opioid Drugmakers
The study comes amid a raging epidemic across the country in which physician prescribing has been identified as a key factor. Meanwhile, states are taking steps to limit the number of painkillers a doctor can prescribe, and officials tout the benefits of declaring an emergency over the crisis.
‘Things Must Be Bad’: Mylan’s Stumbles Over Generic Drugs Indicative Of Larger Industry Trouble
The company is the latest to slash their forecast due to generic drugs.
HHS Watchdog Says Iowa Failed To Collect $700,000 in Medicaid Drug Rebates
The inspector general for the federal Department of Health and Human Services says that between March 2012 and December 2014 Iowa’s Medicaid program did not invoice drugmakers for the rebates that the state and federal government were entitled to. Also, California groups file suit to help some Medicaid patients stay out of managed care networks if the patients want to keep their doctors and specialized providers.
