Latest KFF Health News Stories
Pharma Industry’s Response Monitored To Drug Pricing Measures
Roll Call reports on mixed forecasts on whether drugmakers will shift costs to private markets to offset losses from Medicare negotiations. News outlets explore other ways the bill — which is expected to get a House vote Friday — will impact consumers.
Biden Signs Bill Expanding Health Care For Vets Exposed To Burn Pits
“This is the most significant law our nation has ever passed to help millions of veterans who were exposed to toxic substances during their military service,” President Joe Biden said at the White House signing ceremony Wednesday.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Opinion writers examine the insulin copay cap, myeloma diagnoses in Black people, ‘death panels,’ and more.
Opinion writers examine monkeypox, covid and mental health.
Atlantic City Casino Dealers Want Smoking Ban, Reject Outdoor Area Idea
A proposal from state legislators to create designated outdoor smoking areas has been rejected by Atlantic City casino dealers, who are pushing for a smoking ban. Even walking through these areas exposes workers to secondhand smoke risks, they say. Also: child vaccines, recreational pot and more.
Perspectives: SSRIs Don’t Actually Balance Brain Chemicals; Pfizer Making Smart Acquisitions
Read recent commentaries about drug-cost issues.
FDA Rejects Expanded Use Of Pimavanserin For Alzheimer’s Disease
Read about the biggest pharmaceutical developments and pricing stories from the past week in KHN’s Prescription Drug Watch roundup.
Civil Rights Groups Say School Lunch Programs’ Dairy Emphasis Is Racist
A report in The Hill covers efforts by 28 civil rights and child care groups to pressure the U.S. Department of Agriculture over what they say is “dietary racism” in national school lunch programs. Only incentivizing cow’s milk is the problem: children of color are more likely to be lactose intolerant.
Costs Of Cybersecurity Attack Higher For Health Industry Than Any Other
A new IBM report highlights the deep impact that a cybersecurity breach can have on a health care system, with the cost of a breach rising — and it already has a more expensive impact than on any other sector. Also: new Dallas clinics from One Medical, insurers cracking down on unscheduled procedures, and more.
Fewer Than 1 In 3 Insured Patients With Hepatitis C Get Treatment
Media outlets report on a new government study that highlights a failure in the medical insurance system: Though many people infected with hepatitis C can be cured by an expensive treatment, fewer than a third of people whose insurance covers the cure are accessing the drugs.
Amid Echoes Of Covid, Alarms Ring As People Catch Shrew ‘Langya’ Virus
The covid pandemic is ongoing but news outlets report on a new zoonotic virus causing concern in China: 35 people have a newly identified virus, called Langya, which can cause liver and kidney failure. Fortunately human infections seem sporadic, and there’s no evidence of human-to-human spread.
FDA OKs Modified Dosing Method For Monkeypox Vax; US Buys More Tpoxx
The emergency authorization from the Food and Drug Administration will spread limited supplies to reach more people: The method uses a smaller amount of the vaccine administered as an intradermal shot. To combat the virus, the federal government is also buying the IV antiviral drug Tpoxx.
Republicans in Wisconsin, Minnesota Pick Anti-Abortion Candidates For Governor
Republican voters in the two states nominated anti-abortion governor candidates for what Reuters says may be two of the most high-profile races in the upcoming general election. But in Colorado, a proposed measure seeking to ban abortions will not appear on the November ballot.
Nebraska Uses Facebook Info To Charge Woman For Aiding Daughter’s Abortion
The then-17-year-old girl in the case was about 24 weeks pregnant, AP reports, and the Facebook data included messages discussing using medication to abort the pregnancy. Nebraskan law currently forbids abortions after 20 weeks. Nebraska’s governor recently resisted pressure to shorten that limit.
Montana Supreme Court Prevents Abortion Ban From Taking Effect
The justices upheld a lower court ruling that blocked three separate laws, including a ban on abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy. Meanwhile in Idaho, the Justice Department is trying to block the state’s near-total abortion ban. And in Wyoming, a judge will rule today on the state’s temporary ban.
Senate Democrats Angle For Another Vote On $35 Insulin Cost Cap
Despite strong public support, as illustrated in a new poll, a measure to cap private insurance costs on insulin at $35 a month was axed from the Inflation Reduction Act. But Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer says that he will bring the measure up for a separate vote, forcing senators on the record before the midterm elections.
Dems Work To Quickly Push Health, Climate, And Tax Bill Through House
With a vote targeted for Friday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she would ask members to approve the Inflation Reduction Act as it was passed in the Senate. Congressional Republicans who are physicians voiced concerns over the included drug pricing measures, while the Hill debate quickly bleeds onto the campaign trail. News outlets also examine the bill’s potential impact for many Americans.
HHS Targets Rural Health Care Gaps With $60M Investment
The Department of Health and Human Services will direct $60 million to rural communities with an aim toward increasing the depleted workforce and increasing health care access for people who live far from medical facilities.
Hospital Execs Look For Tech Shortage Relief As Biden Signs CHIPS Bill
The CHIPS and Science Act provides billions for the semiconductor sector as well as for the National Science Foundation. The new law aims to solve supply chain shortages that have affected the health industry, as well as boost scientific innovation.
