Latest KFF Health News Stories
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
Outlets report on health news from New York, Tennessee, Minnesota, Kansas, North Carolina, California and Texas.
Planned Parenthood Faces Off With Kansas, Louisiana In Court Over Funding
Attorneys for the women’s reproductive health organization go to court to try to stop Kansas from cutting off Medicaid money. And in Louisiana, the attorney general wants a federal appeals court to overturn an earlier ruling that barred the state from blocking funds.
When It Comes To Dying, Doctors Are No Different Than The Rest Of Us
New research disrupts the myth that doctors are dying better than the rest of the general public. In other public health news, a study finds that febrile seizures after children get vaccines are rare, doctors are treating strokes in a new way and young people are developing persistent tinnitus.
Infection And Allergy Risks Prompt Many Hospitals To Ban Get-Well Gifts
The flowers, stuffed animals or balloons that people traditionally buy to cheer up a hospitalized patient are no longer welcome at many facilities due to health concerns.
Opioid Crackdown Disproportionately Affecting Elderly Patients With Chronic Issues
Older patients are more apt to have chronic pain, and are less likely to abuse painkillers, but they still are faced with restrictions that are limiting their access to the drugs. In other news, states are scrambling to ban a new synthetic opioid that has been connected to at least 50 deaths, the FDA concludes that Pfizer’s long-acting painkiller can be abused, a new study shows states’ drug-monitoring programs work and Sen. Joe Donnelly, D-Ind., discusses the epidemic with state and federal officials.
How The Superbug Discovery Unfolded
It was clear the germ was dangerous, but it took testing to realize the extent. “We had to drop everything else to get this done,” microbiologist Patrick McGann says. “When [the test] came back positive, all hell broke loose.”
Finding Donations To Fight Zika Is Proving Difficult
Public health officials in both the U.S. and the World Health Organization have been pleading for additional spending to stop the spread of Zika, but they may be facing donor fatigue. News outlets also examine Zika issues in Texas, Iowa, Minnesota and Ohio.
With New Cancer Database, Biden Wants To Destroy Researcher ‘Cult Of The Individual’
Genomic Data Commons has launched with clinical data for 12,000 patients, with more to come. The project aims to bolster team science in a field that Vice President Joe Biden says tends toward researchers siloing themselves. In other news, a study finds that cancer patients are still being treated aggressively at the end of their lives.
Dashing Its Hopes To Return To Normalcy, Bedeviled Valeant Posts First-Quarter Loss
The pharmaceutical company, which has been dogged by government investigations into its business and accounting practices, saw its shares fall 14 percent before opening bell.
Medicare Sets New Rules For Evaluating ACO Cost Savings
The change will set cost benchmarks for accountable care organizations at regional levels, rather than using national data, Modern Healthcare reports.
Consumer Groups Seek Transparency In Missouri Review Of Aetna-Humana Merger
In other marketplace news, filings indicate that some of Connecticut’s major insurers will seek premium rate hikes above medical inflation, while in Ohio, a new insurance product could reduce premium costs by 15 percent.
John Oliver Forgives $15M In Medical Debt
The “Last Week Tonight” host’s latest stunt-with-a-message — to buy nearly $15 million in medical debt for just $60,000 — highlights the struggle many cope with after getting sick and amassing huge bills. And although the Affordable Care Act means more people have insurance to help pay for those sky-high costs, people are still leaving the hospital with crippling debt.
Senate’s Health Spending Bill Reportedly Will Bump Up NIH Funding By $2 Billion
A senate subcommittee is expected to get a markup bill today that will include the new NIH funding, as well as increases in spending on initiatives for Alzheimer’s disease, opioid abuse, precision medicine and antibiotic resistance. In other Capitol Hill news, the House is getting ready to act on a hospital bill and Speaker Paul Ryan is slated this week to release his action plan, which will include health measures.
Doing Too Much, Too Fast: The Lessons Clinton Learned From Hillarycare’s Failure
In 1993, Hillary Clinton pushed a grand sweeping plan to ensure all Americans had health insurance. She took her ideas to Capitol Hill, and what happened next was instrumental in shaping the presidential candidate’s approach to governing and politics.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Viewpoints: The Urgency In Developing New Antibiotics; Louisiana And Its Medicaid Expansion
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
Outlets report on health news from Minnesota, Florida, California, Tennessee, Colorado, Pennsylvania and North Carolina.
Outpatient Centers Claim Share Of Joint Replacement Procedures From Hospitals
In other news, plans for the development of a regional hospital in the Washington, D.C., suburbs face challenges and two new hospitals are approved by Florida regulators.
Texas Medicaid Officials Again Propose Pay Cuts For Disabled Children’s Therapists
The move comes after therapists lost an effort in court to stop the reimbursement cuts. In other news, advocates for Medicaid are questioning the move to private managed care plans in Iowa.
