Latest KFF Health News Stories
Arthritis Medication At Center Of Biosimilar Battle Between AbbVie And Amgen
In other pharmaceutical news, Pfizer closes a plant in India. And news outlets cover efforts to sync up drug refill timelines as well as proposed legislation to prevent overmedicating California foster children.
Doctor Shortages A Roadblock To Bringing Back Needed House-Call Model
More than half of Americans live more than 30 miles away from full-time providers of home-based medical care, a new study finds, but there just aren’t enough doctors and nurses to offer the care they need.
In Effort To Curb Errors, Hospitals Encourage New Residents To Ask For Help
The goal of the program is to increase communication between newer residents who are more reluctant to ask questions and more seasoned doctors who can help.
Feds To Crack Down On Abuse Of Nursing Home Patients On Social Media
The move by regulators comes after a media report about facility employees posting demeaning photos and videos of nursing home residents to platforms like Snapchat, Facebook and Instagram.
GOP Policy Experts Begin Etching Health Law ‘Grand Bargain’ In Case Of Clinton Presidency
They’re particularly focused on waivers that would allow states to replace the law’s insurance exchange structure with their own models.
Insurers In Tennessee Get OK To Refile Higher Rate Requests
The state’s insurance regulator said the decision was made to prevent possible withdrawal from the exchanges. In other health law news, some colleges in Ohio are dropping student health insurance.
Study: ACA’s Expanded Medicaid Safety Net Dramatically Improving Access To Care
The study finds that in states that have expanded Medicaid patients were 16.1 percentage points more likely to have had a checkup in the past year, and 12 points more likely to be getting regular care for a chronic condition.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
Outlets report on health news from California, New Jersey, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Virginia and Illinois.
In Ohio, CareSource Helps Medicaid Beneficiaries With More Than Health Care
Also, Kansas Health Institute reports that the state has cleared the waiting list for Medicaid physical disability services.
Homeless Health Care Led To Innovations Like EHRs, Integrated Practices And Mobile Medicine
In other public health news, researchers study the impact of the 24-hour news cycle on mass shootings. And other news stories cover a development in Alzheimer’s research, a link between asthma and fracking and a controversial study on flossing benefits.
When A State Has No Insanity Plea, Those With Serious Mental Illness Face Harsh Sentences
NPR’s Shots continues its report on the use of the “not guilty by reason of insanity” plea.
Lung Cancer Patients Travel To Cuba For Novel Drug Not Approved In U.S.
The risk comes with high costs, but a small number of Americans have seen results. In other news, The Boston Globe reports on what happens to cancer research when a lab shuts down. And, news outlets cover other developments including hormone therapy risks for prostate cancer patients, a breast cancer research connection to dogs, cellphone radiation exposure, immunotherapy and a mother’s hard decision to stop treatment.
Hazelden’s Shift Toward Addiction Medication May Be ‘Game Changer’
Minnesota’s Hazelden Foundation, a treatment center for those with addiction, prized counseling over medication, but in the past few years it has started offering medication to patients as well. And for an industry that often follows the foundation’s lead over scientists’ recommendations, it could be monumental shift.
Zika Highlights Reproductive Health Disparities: ‘This Is Not A Battle-Ready Infrastructure’
Family planning and reproductive health services have been cut across the country — just as the nation braces for a virus that hits pregnant women the hardest. Meanwhile, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio says Zika is not a valid reason to allow abortions and doctors are offering women in Puerto Rico free contraception.
Following High Court Loss, Anti-Abortion Groups Focus On Hard Data
Advocates are calling for a national database for abortion statistics and increased state reporting. “The court asked for more evidence of the harms of abortion and pro-life advocates will answer the challenge,” says Denise M. Burke, of Americans United for Life.
Why And How Legislation To Fix VA Health System Has Faltered
The New York Times breaks down the law and examines if it was successful. For the most part, it hasn’t been.
CDC Smoking Report Reveals Deep Health Care Disparities
Even as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finds that smoking rates continue to decline, problems remain. “In general, smoking is getting more and more concentrated among disadvantaged groups. And it’s poor people, ethnic minorities, people with mental illness,” says researcher Stanton Glantz.
Cyberthieves Wooed By Huge Payoffs From Stolen Medical Records
Cyber criminals are shifting away from retail and into the health industry, where personal medical information can score them a much bigger payday than credit cards.
