Latest KFF Health News Stories
Native Americans Make Push For Dental Therapists
Because many dentists don’t take Medicaid, oral care can be difficult to get for Native Americans. But there might be a solution. In other news, about 1 million South Carolina residents were vulnerable to a cyberattack because of the an old computer system and poor safety measures at the state’s Medicaid agency.
Medicare Costs Rise On Long Hospice Stays
Medicare’s hospice program was started for patients likely to die within 180 days, but thousands with dementia and other conditions have spent far more time. In related news, doctors say outpatient care is also boosting Medicare’s bills and the health industry faces challenges meeting quality requirements.
IBM To Use $2.6B Truven Purchase To Bulk Up Health Data
The deal, part of a recent health-care spending spree by the company, will add the health information of about 300 million patients to the data trove used by IBM’s Watson cognitive supercomputer.
‘Putting Gasoline On Fire’: How Anti-Anxiety Drugs Are Playing A Part In Opioid Crisis
Combining benzodiazepines with opioids can lead to difficulty breathing, a coma or death. Elsewhere, North Carolina police are joining a national movement to give law enforcement the training and equipment needed to save lives in the case of an opioid overdose.
California Health Safety Board Votes Down Regulations On Porn Performers
Many in the industry turned out to ask the Division of Occupational Safety and Health’s Standard Board to reject the safety measure that could require the actors to wear condoms, goggles, face shields and gloves.
House Panel Turns Down $1.8B Zika Request, Saying HHS Should Use Left Over Ebola Funds
The Health and Human Services Department still has about $1.4 billion, but the White House says that money should go toward following through on their efforts to fight Ebola. In other Zika news, the administration is making a push to help Puerto Rico deal with the crisis and the World Bank has calculated the monetary cost of the outbreak.
The pontiff cited a decision by one of his predecessors, Pope Paul VI, to allow nuns in the Belgian Congo in 1960s to use contraception because they were in danger of pregnancy from rape.
Wyoming Governor: State Can’t Afford To Reject Medicaid Expansion Funds
Gov. Matt Mead is again asking state lawmakers to consider expanding Medicaid, saying, “This is good for our economic future and it is the right thing to do as the state faces this current revenue shortfall.” In other health law news, a federal appeals court rejects a challenge to the contraception mandate.
First Edition: February 19, 2016
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Viewpoints: Michelle Obama On Changing The Mental Health Conversation; S.C. Paper Endorses Kasich
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
Longer Looks: Health Care For The Homeless; Research’s Gender Gap; Fighting Zika
Each week, KHN’s Shefali Luthra finds interesting reads from around the Web.
News outlets report on health issues in Massachusetts, Illinois, Indiana, Florida, Utah, Iowa and California.
Lawsuit Challenges Washington State’s Medicaid Policy Limiting Access To Costly Hepatitis C Drugs
And, in Connecticut, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy is seeking to eliminate legislators’ abilities to change Medicaid and other federal assistance programs.
Long-Awaited Study Finds Testosterone Gel Has Modest Results
Some doctors hope the results from the rigorous, government-funded study will curb some of the rampant use of the product. “Frankly,” said Dr. Sundeep Khosla, a dean at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, “there is a lot of abuse.”
In a conference call with reporters, Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick, D-Pa., alleged this harm and other adverse events. He also charged that physicians who performed the procedure received illegal kickbacks.
Flint Resident’s Lead Levels Five Times What Is Considered Toxic
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends intervention for anyone with elevated blood levels above 5 micrograms — Aaron Stinson’s are at 27 micrograms. Meanwhile, Flint’s chief financial officer warns the city’s water fund will run out of cash soon without help from the state.
Pope Remains Silent On Zika During Mexico Visit
The country has confirmed six pregnant women have been infected with the virus, but the pontiff did not mention the outbreak during his trip there. In other Zika news, health officials urge Congress to act quickly on approving funding.
Medical Care For Elderly: When ‘Can We Do Something?’ Becomes ‘Should We Do Something?’
In a culture that overuses high-tech medicine to extend life, medical professionals and elderly patients are starting to look at end-of-life care differently. “Some people think giving up on treatment is tantamount to suicide,” one doctors says, but in many cases it can be the right choice. In other news, working past age 65 can take a toll on an employee’s health.
More VA Troubles: Suicide Hotline Calls Go To Voicemail; Whistleblower Retaliation Charges
Veterans calling an overloaded crisis hotline run by the Department of Veterans Affairs can encounter long wait times or voicemail, according to a watchdog report. And media outlets cover other developments related to U.S. senators’ demands for an end to alleged retaliation against a Phoenix VA whistleblower; the firing of an Albany hospital director; and an investigation into veteran care at the Cincinnati VA hospital.
Industry’s Eyes Turn Toward Utah Health System As It Rolls Out ‘Innovative’ Plan To Cut Costs
Intermountain Healthcare in Salt Lake City is guaranteeing a long-term lock on price increases, a move only a few other systems in the country have tried.
