Latest KFF Health News Stories
But African Americans still have the highest death rate and the lowest survival rate of any racial or ethnic group for most cancers. “The message is progress has been made, but we still have a long way to go,” said Len Lichtenfeld, interim chief medical officer for the cancer society.
The antivaccination claims–that childhood illnesses help boost immunity–touted by Darla Shine, the wife of White House communications director Bill Shine, have been debunked by health experts. Meanwhile, Facebook says it is looking for options to remove the antivaccine information that flourishes on its site.
Number Of Flu Deaths Relatively High For A Season That Is Considered To Be Low Severity
But the flu vaccine is still doing a pretty good job. Interim estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate the vaccine offers about 47 percent protection against all influenza infections.
Chinese scientist He Jiankui shocked the world when he announced that he’d used gene-editing technology on human embroyos–crossing a line that many had looked at as uncrossable in terms of ethics. In response, the World Health Organization will be forming a committee to offer guidance on the technology.
With The ‘Internet Of Things’ Comes Wealth Of Opportunity For Innovation In Health Sector
From apps to help track insulin, to digital pills, to implants that help paralyzed people walk, the technological boom is opening up a world of possibilities that would have at one point been called science fiction.
Insys Founder To Former CEO: ‘You’re Going To Be The Fall Guy’
Insys Therapeutics, which profited wildly from the sale of a powerful fentanyl spray known as Subsys, was under investigation by federal prosecutors for its marketing practices in 2015. At that time the company’s founder John Kapoor told then-CEO Michael Babich that Babich would be the one who was going to shoulder the blame — according to Babich, who has pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud and one count of conspiracy. He is now a key witness in the racketeering prosecution of Kapoor and four other former executives and sales directors.
Mounting debt and other financial worries have been weighing heavily on rural hospitals across the country forcing them to close their doors. But what do the towns do when their hospitals shut down? USA Today investigates. Hospital closure news comes out of Kansas, as well.
A group of men at the facility launched a hunger strike. Officials were force feeding them through tubes in their noses. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights Spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani said last week the office views force-feeding as potential “ill treatment” that would go against the U.N. Convention Against Torture. In other news, a look at the controversial influx shelter that’s often migrant kids’ first stop in the country.
“A payment system that only pays first responders to take people to the hospital creates the wrong incentive,” said Adam Boehler, director of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation. For now, the change is just part of a pilot program, but if it’s expanded nationwide it could save Medicare hundreds of millions of dollars a year.
The White House released details of President Donald Trump’s annual physical with Dr. Sean Conley. According to the report, Trump has gained weight from last year’s exam and upped his dosage of cholesterol medication. But doctors looking at the results said he’s in relatively good health, deeming him “lucky.”
FDA Gets Its Biggest Boost In At Least Five Year From Draft Spending Deal
The budget includes an extra $5 million for the FDA’s Oncology Center of Excellence, an added $10 million for rare disease drug development, and $47 million to combat the opioid epidemic. Although, it’s less than what was requested, officials are still pleased.
Agency officials vowed by year’s end to begin the lengthy process of setting drinking water limits for two of the most widely detected compounds, known as PFOS and PFOA. But critics say the plan is short on the aggressive action that’s actually needed to rein in the toxins. “EPA continues to punt and has failed to even lift a finger to regulate these dangerous contaminants that are in millions of people’s drinking water,” said Erik Olson, health program director for the Natural Resources Defense Council. “If they can’t regulate something like these highly toxic chemicals that are all over the country, what can they regulate?”
Late-Term Abortion Will Play Heavily In Trump’s Reelection Strategy, Activists Report
President Donald Trump and White House officials met with advocates, including Susan B. Anthony List President Marjorie Dannenfelser, who reported back on the news from the discussions. “The national conversation about late-term abortion … has the power to start to peel away Democrats, especially in battle grounds,” she said. Trump has made a point in recent weeks to refocus his attention on the contentious debate that helped secure him his presidential victory. Abortion news comes out of Kansas and Ohio, as well.
Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper said he is concerned that “Medicare for All” calls for dismantling the current system when less disruptive measures may achieve universal health care. Meanwhile, two Democrats on Capitol Hill are looking for sponsors for their version of “Medicare for All.” And KHN’s weekly podcast takes a deep dive into the history, prospects and terminology surrounding the debate.
House Democrats Allowed To Help Defend Health Law In Court, But Judge Won’t Fast Track Appeal
Once Democrats took control of the House, they petitioned the judge overseeing the health law case to join with Democratic state attorneys general in defending the ACA. Because the Trump administration joined the 20 GOP-led states in attacking the law, the House under Democratic control said it had a right to intervene.
First Edition: February 15, 2019
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Editorial pages focus on these health topics and others.
Opinion writers weigh in on gun violence on the anniversary of the Parkland Mass Shooting.
Research Roundup: Spending On Elderly Patients; Suicide; And Race And Health Coverage
Each week, KHN compiles a selection of recently released health policy studies and briefs.
The Science Of Science: Smaller Is Better When It Comes To Building Innovative Teams
A study published in Nature mines large databases and reports that while big teams help drive progress, they are best suited for confirming novel findings, rather than generating them. Public health news also looks at beneficial insects; a failed uterus transplant; chronic inflammation’s toll on memory; income predictors at age 6; and aging-in-place pitfalls.
