Weekly Edition: November 15, 2019
Sit, Heal: Dog Teaches Military Med Students The Merits Of Service Animals
By Julie Rovner
Although service dogs are commonly seen at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, a retriever mix is a clinical instructor in the Department of Medical and Clinical Psychology.
More Adolescents Seek Medical Care For Mental Health Issues
By Phillip Reese
Hospital emergency rooms throughout California are reporting a sharp increase in adolescents and young adults seeking care for a mental health crisis.
More Vapers Are Making Their Own Juice, But Not Without Risks
By Heidi de Marco and Jenny Gold
It’s easy to buy all the supplies online, and thousands of e-liquid recipes on the internet walk people through all the steps. But experts warn about safety.
A Regulatory Haze: Vape Marketers Are Online, Creating New Headaches For Feds
By Shefali Luthra and Chaseedaw Giles
The subculture around vaping has been fueled by social media, and traditional regulations don’t easily address potential pitfalls.
Surgeon General’s Marijuana Warning Omits Crucial Context
By Shefali Luthra
Surgeon General Jerome Adams said the drug has a “unique impact” on the developing brain — technically true, but neglecting a vital comparison to other drugs, as well as shortcomings in the existing research.
Some Academics Quietly Take Side Jobs Helping Tobacco Companies In Court
By Blake Farmer, Nashville Public Radio
Faced with lawsuits from sick smokers, tobacco firms argue the health risks were "common knowledge" for decades, and they often pay professors to help make that point as expert witnesses.
Warren Says Out-Of-Pocket Health Spending Will Total $11 Trillion In The Next Decade. We Checked Her Math.
By Shefali Luthra
Big picture remains hazy, but these numbers add up.
Voters Say Congress Needs To Curb Drug Prices, But Are Lawmakers Listening?
By Emmarie Huetteman
Nearly 8 in 10 Americans say the cost of prescription drugs is unreasonable, but the odds look grim for Congress to pass significant pricing legislation this year.
Dialysis Patients Panic As Financial ‘Life Raft’ Becomes Unmoored
By Ana B. Ibarra
An organization that helps nearly 4,000 California dialysis patients pay for their insurance is threatening to cut off aid in January because of a new law that is expected to reduce dialysis industry profits. Patients fear they won’t be able to afford their life-saving treatment.
‘An Arm And A Leg’: Mom Vs. Texas In A Fight To Get Kids’ Hearing Aids Covered
By Dan Weissmann
Health insurance in Texas didn't cover hearing aids for kids — which can cost $6,000 and need to be replaced about every three years. So Stephanie Wittels Wachs teamed up with other moms to lobby the Texas legislature for change, and they won.
Medicaid Tweak Might Offer Means To Improve U.S. Maternal Health
By Rachel Bluth
Many pregnant women lose health coverage shortly after delivery. Democratic presidential candidates are eyeing the issue, and some experts say making Medicaid more accessible to new moms could be an answer.
Verma Attacks Critics Of Medicaid Work Requirement, Pushes For Tighter Eligibility
By Phil Galewitz
The Trump administration’s top Medicaid official says the effort to thwart these work mandates “stifles innovation.”
How Germany Averted An Opioid Crisis
By Shefali Luthra
Doctors are less likely to prescribe opioids in Germany and quicker to notice if a patient is at risk of abuse. And, for those who do experience addiction, treatment is easier to come by.
Nursing Home Safety Violations Put Residents At Risk, Report Finds
By Barbara Feder Ostrov
A federal audit of 19 California nursing homes released today found hundreds of violations of safety and emergency standards, putting vulnerable nursing home residents at increased risk of injury or death during a wildfire or other disaster.
KHN’s ‘What The Health’: Spending Bill Slowdown
It’s November, do you know where your HHS spending bill is? Still stuck in Congress. Meanwhile, lawmakers move ahead on restricting tobacco products for youth while the administration’s proposal is MIA. Rebecca Adams of CQ Roll Call and Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss this and more health news from the week. Also, Rovner interviews Dan Weissmann, host of the podcast “An Arm and a Leg.”
Listen: Focusing On Health Care Politics
KHN’s Julie Rovner appears on two radio programs to talk about the Democratic presidential candidates’ debate on the future of health care and the current enrollment period for Obamacare policies.