Latest KFF Health News Stories
Parents, Let Your Kids Get A Little Dirty; New Study Suggests It Has Health Benefits.
Researchers find that children who suck their thumbs or bite their nails are less likely to develop allergies later in their lives, which could support the theory that exposure to microbes does have health benefits. Also in public health news: the long-term effects of protesting, a second person with the superbug gene, workers’ habit of going into work sick, and more.
Families Turning To Unorthodox Autism Treatments, But There’s Little Science To Back Them Up
Almost 90 percent of parents of a child with autism have tried alternative therapy treatments, but there’s little guidance from the medical community on what are effective options. Meanwhile, a study finds that there have been improvements made for children being diagnosed and treated for autism, but it’s not enough.
There’s No Vaccine, There’s No Cure, But Experts Say We Can End AIDS
PBS NewsHour takes a look at the AIDS epidemic and the plan to bring it under control.
Inmates Are Dying With Disturbing Frequency From Opioid Withdrawal
What makes the growing number of people dying in jails troubling to advocates is that, while very unpleasant, withdrawal is not often life-threatening. In other news, voters want to see the opioid epidemic addressed by the national parties’ convention platforms while more coverage of the crisis comes out of the states.
Legislation Outlawing Malware Used To Ransom Hospitals Gets Support In California
The proposed law would upgrade the use of such ransomware to a felony. Elsewhere, news outlets cover health IT developments related to buying insurance on a smartphone, providing emergency personnel with medical information from an app and distracting tech-savvy kids before surgery.
Advocacy Groups Demand Speaker End House’s Planned Parenthood Investigation
The groups, led by the ACLU, write in a letter to Paul Ryan that the work of the select committee has “gone well beyond that scope and engaged in a fishing expedition in an apparent attempt to ratify a discredited smear campaign against Planned Parenthood.” Elsewhere, lawyers for abortion clinics in Alabama ask a judge to block new state laws.
The $20K-Pay Gap: Female Physicians In Academia Make Significantly Less Than Male Counterparts
The analysis examines data on roughly 10,000 physician faculty members at 24 medical schools, including those of the University of North Carolina and the University of Washington.
Humana’s Stock Being Sold In Droves On News Of DOJ’s Skepticism Over Aetna Deal
Meanwhile, New York has conditionally offered approval of the takeover, and Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., is urging Aetna to stay in the state regardless of the decision on the merger.
FDA Proposes Guidelines For Compounding Pharmacies’ Ability To Make Copies Of Drugs
Meanwhile, the Food and Drug Administration commissioner calls for a more robust evaluation process for medical devices. In other news, the Cures Bill, which would have strong impact for the agency, is likely on hold until the next Congress. And, recent FDA approvals of a new heart device and drug to treat dry eye also make headlines.
Drugmakers And Patient, Doctors’ Groups Seem To Link Opposition To Medicare Payment Change
A USA Today examination finds nearly identical language used by a physician trade group and the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers Association (PhRMA) to oppose a proposal by Medicare to change the way it pays for drugs administered in doctors’ offices. The paper also notes that the points made by patient groups funded by drugmakers that oppose the project track closely with the doctors’ and industry’s. Also in the news, drugmakers are spending big on California campaigns.
The Key To Reducing Side Effects May Be As Easy As Giving Patients A Choice
A study finds that when patients are able to choose between two medications that do the same thing, they report fewer side effects than those prescribed a single drug. In other news, even though the U.S. gave the industry a boost to develop innovative antibiotics in 2012, many companies are just making slight adjustments to old formulas, and health professionals warn about the dangers for heart patients of mixing drugs.
Partisan Bickering Persists On Hill Over Zika Funding
Neither side shows any evidence of caving, so it’s unlikely the funding will be approved before Congress leaves for a seven-week recess. Meanwhile, KHN talks with the man at the center of the country’s response to the outbreak.
Trump Vows To Revamp VA With 10-Point Plan Centered On Privatization
In a speech outlining his proposal of how to fix veterans’ health care, Donald Trump said they should have the ability to opt out of using VA doctors in favor of private sector health-care providers. Hillary Clinton’s campaign denounced the plan. In other news, Trump will have to strike the right chords on abortion at the upcoming convention if he wants a united backing, strategists advise.
Consultant Says Costs Are Up $25M In Arkansas Plan To Revamp Medicaid Expansion
The announcement to lawmakers dealt with the governor’s proposed changes to the Medicaid program. News outlets also report on Medicaid expansion developments in Georgia, Montana and South Dakota.
Scales Of Federal Power Could Be Tipped By Wonky Insurance Subsidies Battle
The fight between Democrats and Republicans over Affordable Care Act spending goes beyond health care. In other health law news, insurers are fighting legislation aimed at slashing the risk corridor program, and numbers out of Kansas offer a glimpse of stability in an increasingly turbulent marketplace.
In Critiquing His Health Law, Obama Calls For Congress To Revisit Public Option
President Barack Obama writes an article for The Journal of the American Medical Association summarizing the legacy of his signature legislation and offering ways to improve it. Obama also targets high drug prices as a problem that needs to be addressed by the next president.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Viewpoints: Zika And Planned Parenthood; The Public Option; Funding For Safety Net Hospitals
A selection of opinions from around the country on health care.
Outlets report on health news from Ohio, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Wyoming, New York, California, Florida, Iowa and Maryland.
Texas Supreme Court Temporarily Blocks Deep Cuts To Disabled Children’s Therapy Program
Texas lawmakers ordered $350 million in cuts for Medicaid programs that provide physical, speech and occupational therapy to disabled children arguing that the state overpaid for those services.
