Latest KFF Health News Stories
Anxiety, Depression, Poor Sleep Are Lasting Impacts For Women Of Sexual Assault, Study Shows
“These are experiences that [a woman] could have had long ago … and it can have this long arm of influence throughout a woman’s life,” says Rebecca Thurston, lead author of the study. Other public health news includes stories on breast cancer, psychedelic mushrooms, elephant skin, fast food, food labeling and elder orphans.
Almost no one outside the company has any idea whether it works, and most of the company’s key promises or claims aren’t yet backed up by published, peer-reviewed data. In other health and technology related news: Facebook’s kid-centric app draws criticism; brain scans may be able to detect skill levels; and a Fitbit helps solve a crime.
Only One Abortion Clinic Is Open In Missouri After Federal Judge’s Ruling On New Requirements
In addition to not meeting new requirements about admitting privileges at hospitals, the Columbia clinic’s license had expired. The judge said once it regains its license, the clinic can appeal his decision. News about women’s reproductive health comes out of Virginia, also.
Shadowy Advocacy Group Goes Against The Grain, Vocally Defends Sky-High Drug Prices
It’s not clear who funds the new group or who is running its day-to-day operations. But the Alliance to Protect Medical Innovation does have a target for its finger-pointing: insurers and pharmacy benefits managers. Meanwhile, drug pricing advocates are criticizing President Donald Trump’s new trade deal.
The winners — Frances Arnold of the California Institute of Technology, George Smith of the University of Missouri and Gregory Winter of the MRC molecular biology lab in England — “have taken control of evolution and used it for purposes that bring the greatest benefit to humankind,” the Nobel committee said.
The Trump administration’s new policy to expand the parameters of what constitutes a public charge when considering green card applications is causing some immigrants to just forgo government aid altogether.
Leon Lederman, who had started experiencing memory loss problems that became more severe, died at a nursing home in Idaho. He sold his Nobel Prize for $765,000 at auction in 2015 to help cover the cost of care.
Not only has the number of workers who face an annual deductible grown, but the average deductible has creeped higher and higher for more than a decade, a new survey from the Kaiser Family Foundation finds.
Although it will take years to resolve the hundreds of lawsuits that are facing Purdue Pharma, the expectation of legal and industry experts is that the painkiller-maker will end up having to pay out a much lower settlement than Big Tobacco did in the 1990s. Meanwhile, a look at how people who use drugs are utilizing test strips to detect fentanyl in their heroin. News from the crisis comes from Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Oregon and Georgia as well.
It was a rare bipartisan feat that brought the massive opioids package together that also gives both sides a win right before the contentious midterm elections. Included in the bills is a crackdown on the flow of synthetic opioids from other countries, expanded treatment options, and provisions promoting research to finding alternative pain treatments.
But party leaders insist that, if they do gain control of the House, they want to be careful to make sure their inquiries into the Trump administration’s moves on health care will be focused on real policy rather than point-scoring.
Focus On ACA Or Go All In For ‘Medicare For All’? Democrats Divided Over Path To Take On Health Care
For the first election in years, Democrats see health care as a winning issue — one to go on the offense over instead of defending their votes. But they party’s candidates lack coherency in their approach. Some push a “Medicare for All” plan while others think shoring up the health law should take priority. Meanwhile The Washington Post Fact Checker looks at ads targeting Democrats over “Medicare for All.”
Preexisting conditions protections are among the most popular provisions in the Affordable Care Act, even among GOP voters. After years of chipping away at the law, Republicans are scrambling to convince voters they’ll keep that part while getting rid of the unpopular regulations. “How are you going to tell me you’re going to fix it when you’re on a lawsuit to invalidate the Affordable Care Act?” Missouri voter Denny Enloe said.
First Edition: October 4, 2018
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Opinion writers focus on these public health issues and other health topics.
Media outlets report on news from Tennessee, Georgia, California, Kansas, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Minnesota, Ohio and Florida.
Australia’s On Track To Be The First Country To Eliminate Cervical Cancer. Here’s How They Did It.
Australia’s national health care system first introduced its HPV vaccination program in 2007 as a cost-free three-dose course for teenage girls. In 2013, the program was expanded to school-age boys, who can carry and transmit the virus, and develop other forms of cancer. Now, the country has one of the lowest cervical cancer incidence and mortality rates in the world. In other news: radiation, antibiotics, fast food, heart health, urinary tract infections and more.
Preparing Schools For Mass Shootings Was An Industry That Had Stalled. Then Parkland Happened.
An Associated Press investigation shows that security companies have been pushing lawmakers toward elevating the solution of “hardening schools” with high-tech hardware and gadgets over other safety measures.
With Retirement Of NEJM’s Editor, Doctors See A Chance For Prestigious Journal To Adjust Course
As Dr. Jeffrey Drazen steps down from the post he held for 18 years, doctors weigh in on changes they’d like to see rather than having it be a place to publish the “most important” studies. “The main job of journals will not be to disseminate science but to ‘speak truth to power,’ encourage debate, campaign, investigate and agenda-set — the same job as the mass media,” Dr. Richard Smith told Stat.
The prize is shared by three scientists, one of whom is a woman. Canada’s Donna Strickland is the first woman to win in 55 years. Also, the oldest winner ever, Arthur Ashkin, is 96.
