Weekly Edition March 8, 2019
Hidden FDA Reports Detail Harm Caused By Scores Of Medical Devices
By Christina Jewett and Heidi de Marco
The Food and Drug Administration has let medical device companies file reports of injuries and malfunctions outside a widely scrutinized public database, leaving doctors and medical sleuths in the dark.
Patients Question How FDA Approves Medical Devices
By Blake Farmer, Nashville Public Radio
High-profile failures of implantable medical devices — such as certain hip joints and pelvic mesh — have prompted the Food and Drug Administration to revise its assessment process.
Cities And Counties Unlikely To Heed FDA Warning On Importing Foreign Drugs
By Phil Galewitz
The Food and Drug Administration claims CanaRX, a company used by more than 500 cities, counties and school districts to help their employees get cheaper drugs from overseas, has sent “unapproved” and “misbranded” drugs to U.S. consumers, jeopardizing their safety.
Lawmakers United Against High Drug Prices Bare Partisan Teeth
By Rachel Bluth
Clear differences of opinion emerged between Democrats and Republicans during a House Ways and Means subcommittee hearing about how to make prescription drugs more affordable in the Medicare program.
Big Pharma Gave Money To Patient Advocacy Groups Opposing Medicare Changes
By Sydney Lupkin and Elizabeth Lucas and Victoria Knight
A KHN database shows that $58 million flowed from drugmakers to patient groups running national ads.
As Hospitals Post Price Lists, Consumers Are Asked To Check Up On Them
By Steven Findlay
Most hospitals appear to be complying with the federal rule to post their prices online. Yet there is little follow-up by the government or industry and debate continues about whether the price lists are creating more confusion than clarity among consumers.
This Time When My Water Breaks, Take Me To A Hospital Without Surprise Bills
By Rachel Bluth
New research shows how an experience with surprise medical bills can guide patients’ future decision-making.
A Mumps Quarantine In La. May Encroach On Rights Of Detained Immigrants
By Shefali Luthra and Julie Appleby
A recent outbreak at a Louisiana center triggered public health protections, but some immigration lawyers are crying foul.
California Looks To Lead Nation In Unraveling Childhood Trauma
By Anna Maria Barry-Jester
The Golden State, in a movement spearheaded by its first-ever surgeon general, stands to become a vanguard for the nation in tracing adverse childhood experiences, or ACEs, to the onset of physical and mental illness. But what can a pediatrician, with her 15-minute time slots and extensive to-do list, do about the ills of an absent parent or a neighborhood riddled with gun violence?
Patients Experiment With Prescription Drugs To Fight Aging
By Marisa Taylor
Doctors and patients say they’re compelled to use off-label meds as research goes unfunded.
Always Connected With Thousands Of ‘Friends’ — Yet Feeling All Alone
By Sharon Jayson
Millennials and Gen Zers say they often feel isolated even when surrounded by friends — both real and virtual.
Podcast: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’ What’s Next For The FDA?
Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Joanne Kenen of Politico and Kimberly Leonard of the Washington Examiner join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss the resignation of Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, the latest on federal and state efforts to shore up the Affordable Care Act; and how public health officials plan to persuade parents who are reluctant to vaccinate their kids. Plus, for extra credit, the panelists recommend their favorite health policy stories of the week.