Latest KFF Health News Stories
Prescribing Take-Home Antidote Along With Opioids Reduces ER Visits, Study Finds
Patients who legally use opioids to manage chronic pain may not realize they’re in danger of an overdose. “We’re prescribing naloxone for risky drugs, not risky patients,” said lead researcher Dr. Phillip Coffin of the San Francisco Department of Public Health. In other news, medical schools are rethinking their training on opioids, a once-a-month injection shows promise as effective treatment, USDA’s head speaks about hard-hit rural areas, and other news about the opioid epidemic.
Mining Prescription Data Helps Pharmacy Benefit Managers Identify Costs Savings
Companies like OptumRx, CVS Health and Express Scripts are using troves of data to help their clients control drug expenses. In other pharmaceutical news, AstraZeneca uses a rare children’s condition to argue that its best-selling anti-cholesterol medicine Crestor should be protected from generic competition.
Hospital Bills Spike 37% For Patients With Private Insurance: Study
Average out-of-pocket costs rise to over $1,000 per hospital stay, according to a study published in JAMA Internal Medicine.
Home Health Care Agencies May See $180M In Medicare Cuts In 2017
CMS has proposed a 1 percent cut in reimbursements on the same day the Supreme Court passed on hearing a case challenging a federal labor rule that home health providers say is harming their businesses.
Louisiana Medicaid Expansion Offers Released Inmates A Lifeline
Without access to health care, many inmates often end up back in prison. While the Medicaid expansion offers this vulnerable population hope, many questions remain as the the July 1 expansion nears.
Poison Pills In Zika Bill Likely Too Bitter For Democratic Senators To Swallow
The Senate is expected to take a procedural vote this week on a broad veterans and military spending bill that includes $1.1 billion to combat the Zika virus. But Democrats are balking at the deal due to provisions such as a cut to Planned Parenthood grants.
Biotech Industry Left Floundering, Dismayed After High Court Passes On Patent Eligibility Case
Experts say that the Supreme Court’s refusal to take up the case about patents and a prenatal test based on a natural biological process could make investors and life sciences companies hesitant to be innovative in the field for fear their inventions won’t be worth anything.
Decision May Galvanize Presidential Race, As Significance Of Open Justice Seat Sinks In
As both Democrats and Republicans head into their national conventions, the ruling could become a rallying cry on both sides to make sure the open seat on the Supreme Court — still vacant following conservative Antonin Scalia’s death — is filled by their party.
Ruling Could Set Back Abortion Opponents’ State-Based Strategy
Anti-abortion activists have been focusing on moving regulations through state legislatures to limit abortion access. But Monday’s ruling could be a major blow to that strategy.
Providers On Reopening Texas Clinics: It Will Take Time To Recoup Lost Ground
In the years the provision have been in effect, the law took a toll on Texas’ abortion landscape. Providers and others warn that it won’t be like flipping a switch now that the Supreme Court has ruled. Some might not even be able to reopen at all.
‘The Fight Is Not Over’: Texas Lawmakers Not Giving Up On Abortion Restrictions
“I would expect an absolute onslaught of pro-life legislation in the next session,” said state Rep. Jonathan Stickland, R-Bedford, after the Supreme Court ruling striking down the Texas law.
Supreme Court Overturns Texas Abortion Clinic Restrictions
The justices rule, 5-3, that provisions requiring doctors to have admitting privileges to a hospital and for abortion clinics to meet hospital-like standards create an “undue burden” for women trying to obtain the procedure.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Supreme Court Justices Overturn Texas Abortion Clinic Restrictions
The justices rule, 5-3, that the provisions requiring doctors to have admitting privileges to a hospital and for abortion clinics to meet hospital-like standards create an “undue burden” for women who are trying to obtain the procedure.
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
Perspectives On Addiction, Opioids And Managing Pain
Editorial and opinion writers offer their thoughts on these timely topics.
Outlets report on health news from Colorado, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Missouri, Florida, California, Texas, Tennessee and Ohio.
After Water Switch, Flint Children 50% More Likely To Have High Blood-Lead Levels: CDC
The study underscores the need for a “big, public health discussion” about lead, said Patrick Breysse, director of CDC’s National Center for Environmental Health.
In Worst-Case Scenarios, Nurses Strikes Can Lead To More Deaths
Despite hospitals’ common reassurances to patients that care is not being affected by strikes, research shows that there’s an almost 20 percent higher chance of death during those times. Meanwhile, Allina Health nurses return to work after a seven-day walkout and a late-night compromise avoids what would have been the largest nurses’ strike in Massachusetts history.
Synthetic Opioid In Development Could Offer Pain Relief With Less Addiction Risk
Though years away from human testing, the University of Maryland is working on a drug, UMB425, that researchers hope could reduce the side effects of painkiller tolerance and addiction. Meanwhile, Bloomberg reports on how chili peppers could help people with chronic pain. And New Hampshire’s new prescribing guidelines raise concerns.
