Latest KFF Health News Stories
Editorial writers discuss these public health issues.
EPA Report: Formaldehyde Presents Unreasonable Human Health Risk
Yet ProPublica reports that the EPA “downplayed the threat the chemical poses to people living near industrial plants.” Separately, the post-holiday sick season is in full swing, as CDC data show that 40 states are reporting high or very high levels of illness. Also: early physical therapy for concussions; hydration; and more.
Trump Might Consider ‘Most Favored Nation’ Status To Lower Drug Prices
Forbes explains how the strategy would work. Meanwhile, Aetna has accused several drugmakers of conspiring to overcharge the company, consumers, and the federal government for generic drugs.
Biden Signs Into Law A Social Security Payment Boost For Public Employees
The AP reports the law affects nearly 3 million people, including those receiving pensions after time spent as teachers, firefighters, and police officers. Also in the news: the “crisis” of potential Medicaid cuts, alcohol labels, digital mental health, and more.
Trump’s FDA Transition Team Staffs Up As Commissioner Pick Awaits Approval
Meanwhile, newly installed Senate Majority Leader John Thune signals the president-elect’s Cabinet nominees might not cruise to confirmation when hearings begin. Also, U.S. ethics director David Huitema has begun the standard practice of looking into conflicts of interest for incoming officials.
Storm Quiets DC, But Vote Certification Will Go On; J6 Victims Feel ‘Betrayed’
Vice President Kamala Harris will preside over today’s election certification process, which was changed in 2022 to prevent attempts to overturn the results. Even so, those who were severely injured during the attack on the Capitol four years ago say they feel forgotten.
First Edition: Monday, Jan. 6, 2024
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Habitat Health’s PACE Center Is Ready To Receive Participants In Sacramento
The Medicare-Medicaid program provides health care services, meals, and social interaction for older adults. Habitat Health also plans to open a facility in Los Angeles in 2026. More news comes from New Hampshire, Florida, North Carolina, and elsewhere.
Opinion writers tackle these public health issues.
Certificate-Of-Need Law Hampers Health Care Start-Ups
The law is supposed to prevent market saturation by requiring proof of need for the services in a community, but it also allows competitors to challenge newcomers and prevent them from entering the market. A lawsuit in Nebraska is challenging that law.
‘Speckles’ Within Cancerous Tumors Can Determine Best Treatments
Meanwhile, increased rates of cancer in the under 50 crowd may be caused by gut issues; certain foods, including licorice, may help covid patients; Neumora Therapeutics depression treatment fails trials; and more.
DNA Or Diet? Maybe Both. Number Of Kids With Kidney Stones Is Up
Medical experts have seen a significant increase in the number of children suffering from kidney stones. Some doctors think a diet full of over-processed and sodium-rich foods might be to blame.
Surgeon General Wants Alcohol To Carry Cancer Warning Labels
Surgeon General Vivek Murthy issued an advisory Friday that warns that alcohol consumption is the third leading preventable cause of cancer and cancer deaths in the U.S., after tobacco and obesity.
States Enact Laws To Protect Reproductive Health Data
Many laws have been put in place to protect individuals’ reproductive health data and to keep it from being used to incriminate patients or target providers. Reuters explores the concern about the use of data obtained through “geofencing.”
Safety Measures Added For Farmers Seeking Bird Flu Reimbursement
Farmers will now have to prove that they did everything possible to prevent outbreaks before they can receive governmental indemnity payments. Also in the news: President Joe Biden nearly doubles funds to fend off H5N1; Norovirus cases surge; and more.
Eli Lilly Wants to Join Lawsuit Over Compounded Weight-Loss Drugs
The lawsuit was brought against the FDA after the agency declared an end to the shortage that allowed pharmacies to sell compound versions of the popular weight loss drugs, but Eli Lilly said it cannot rely on the FDA to protect its interests. Other news is on the surge of GLP-1 use; insurance coverage of obesity medicine; and more.
First Edition: Friday, Jan. 3, 2025
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Research Roundup: The Latest Science, Discoveries, And Breakthroughs
Each week, KFF Health News compiles a selection of the latest health research and news.
Maryland Extends Medicaid Enrollment Freeze On Behavioral Health Providers
Also in the news: Experts in Texas make a case for mental health funds; New Yorkers will receive paid leave for prenatal care; Colorado explores psychedelic therapy; and more.
UnitedHealth Doctors Got Diagnoses Checklists To Boost Medicare Payouts
The Wall Street Journal reports how UnitedHealth provided lists of potential, often obscure diagnoses to its doctors and forced them to weigh in on them for each Medicare Advantage patient, in order to capitalize on the government system that pays private insurers based on how sick doctors say a patient is.
