Latest KFF Health News Stories
CMS Aims To Kickstart Rural ACOs With Medicare Payment Changes
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services finalized updates Tuesday to the Medicare Shared Savings Program that include upfront payments to health providers in rural or underserved areas that join. Participation in the program has stalled since 2018.
With Any Luck, This Could Be The Last Year RSV Ravages Children, Families
Pfizer’s announcement Tuesday that an RSV vaccine in moms-to-be was nearly 82% effective at preventing severe cases in their babies’ first months of life was welcome news after decades of setbacks and delays. The findings won’t help this year’s surge, but it’s possible a vaccine could be available before next fall’s RSV season.
State Bans Forcing Patients To Travel More Than Twice As Long For An Abortion
JAMA published more than a dozen studies on the immediate impact on reproductive care in a post-Roe U.S. Researchers find that patients are traveling an average of 100 minutes to receive abortion services — up from an average of 30 minutes.
Perspectives: Lessons From Covid Collaboration Should Be Used For Other Illnesses
Read recent commentaries about drug-cost issues.
Viewpoints: Pfizer’s RSV Vaccine Looks Promising; The Pandemic Sparked An Unexpected Baby Boom
Editorial writers tackle these public health topics.
As Texas Stalls Maternal Death Data, Sneak Peek Shows High Risk For Blacks
As the Houston Chronicle noted, the rate of life-threatening hemorrhaging among Black women during childbirth in Texas increased through 2020 while the rate for all other groups dropped. The data were obtained by a Democratic state lawmaker; the report was supposed to be released Sept. 1. Critics say every day wasted is a missed chance to help women.
Study: Many Adult Americans Dying Of Excessive Alcohol Use
Research published Tuesday in JAMA said that from 2015 to 2019, an estimated 1 in 5 deaths of people ages 20 to 49 were attributable to excessive alcohol use; for those ages 20 to 64, it was 1 in 8. Those rates have most likely climbed since then because of the pandemic, The New York Times reports.
Another Medical Supply Shortage: Tracheostomy Tubes
The shortage is most likely to affect pediatric patients because there are few alternatives, the FDA warns. Other pharmaceutical news is on anesthesia, nonaddictive painkillers, drones that carry defibrillators, a $12 billion opioid settlement, and more.
Long Before Mehmet Oz’s Senate Run, His Surgical Research Was Banned
The Washington Post reported that in 2003, Mehmet Oz faced a controversy over his research on heart bypass surgery and was banned from presenting research to the American Association for Thoracic Surgery conference for the next two years. Oz is now the Pennsylvania’s Republican nominee for U.S. Senate.
Unreliable Pulse Oximeter Readings Due To Skin Color Reviewed By FDA Panel
The FDA’s Medical Devices Advisory Committee examined clinical data Tuesday and discussed interim steps — like box labels to warn of potentially inaccurate readings for patients with darker skin tones — to provide more time for the agency to investigate. The devices have been widely used by consumers during the covid pandemic.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Equitable Access To Covid Drugs Is Improving
Read about the biggest pharmaceutical developments and pricing stories from the past week in KHN’s Prescription Drug Watch roundup.
Dementia Now Affecting 10% Of Americans Over 65
A new study into cognitive issues in older Americans has updated a 20-year-old estimate of the scope of the situation, the Washington Post reports. It also notes that 1 in 5 adults over 65 has cognitive difficulties. Separately, more data on functionality of transplanted pig hearts is in the news.
Atlanta Medical Center Shuts; Closed Houston Hospital To Be Reborn
Monday night saw the end of operations for the Atlanta Medical Center, where care was offered to city residents for over a century. Meanwhile shuttered Riverside General Hospital in Houston is set to be reborn as a safety-net health services hub.
Viewpoints: Long Covid Patients Feel Ignored; Overturning Roe Has Far Reaching Consequences
Editorial writers delve into long covid, reproductive rights, veteran health care, and gender dysphoria.
Study Shines Light On Drug, Devicemaker Payments To Health Providers
A slightly greater proportion of advanced practice clinicians accept payments from drug and device makers compared with physicians, a “first of its kind” study finds. Modern Healthcare, meanwhile, reports on how specialty pharmacies boost health systems’ efficiency.
Medicare To Increase Payments For Home Health Care
Federal officials backed off of a plan to reduce reimbursements. They also announced a boost for dialysis treatments. KHN also reports on the penalties leveled against hospitals for having high rates of readmissions.
Suffering Severe Covid Linked To Higher Long Covid Risk: Study
CIDRAP reports the results of a large study that links experiencing worse covid symptoms to risk of subsequent long covid problems. Meanwhile, a CNBC piece covers data showing long covid is affecting more women than men. Also, the CDC director has again tested positive for covid.
Medicare, Pot, Transgender Care Among Issues Shaping Midterms
In the final campaign days, abortion is not the only health care issue that candidates are focusing on to sway voters. The future of Medicare, transgender health care, and marijuana are among others that could determine congressional balance of power.
Investigation Started After Missouri Hospital Blocked Emergency Abortion
A Missouri hospital that refused a woman a medical abortion because of the state’s ban on the procedure is under investigation by the state’s health agency to determine if federal law was broken. In other abortion news, the FDA has concerns over mifepristone prescriptions.
