Morning Breakouts

Latest KFF Health News Stories

Schools Should ‘Seriously Consider’ Arming Staff Members, Administration Safety Commission Recommends

Morning Briefing

The report was issued by the Trump administration’s federal school safety commission, which was formed in response to the Parkland, Fla. school shooting and is led by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. The panel also recommends that schools and communities examine ways to temporarily seize firearms from people who appear mentally disturbed, though it emphasized that such efforts should be carried out without affecting “Second Amendment liberties.”

Pfizer, GlaxoSmithKline To Team Up To Form World’s Largest Seller Of Over-The-Counter Staples Like Advil

Morning Briefing

GSK will hold a 68 percent stake and Pfizer the remaining 32 percent of the new joint venture, which will be the world’s largest over-the-counter medicines business. The move will represent a breakup of GSK, which currently generates around a quarter of its revenue from such consumer products, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Millions Of Americans Have Been Benefiting From The Health Law For Years–They Just Might Not Know It

Morning Briefing

Consumer protections were put in place through the Affordable Care Act even for people who don’t buy coverage on the exchanges. Now a federal judge’s ruling invalidating the law might jeopardize those popular provisions that Americans might not even realize are part of the ACA. Meanwhile, less than a week after that decision, the case is back in court, this time in front of a judge appointed by former President Barack Obama. And, the legal uncertainty is complicating Medicaid expansion politics.

Judge Stops Short Of Trying To Block CVS-Aetna Merger, But Considers Court-Appointed Monitor To Oversee Deal

Morning Briefing

Judge Richard Leon had previously voiced frustration over views that his role in approving the merger is simply a rubber stamp. Leon has written that he was “less convinced” than the government that asset sales made by Aetna would resolve antitrust concerns raised by the deal.

Researchers Turn To Components In Breast Milk As Potential Therapy To Ward Off Super Bugs, Prevent Diseases

Morning Briefing

“I think there’s great potential to develop therapeutics out of human milks, simply because they’ve been battle-tested for quite some time,” said Lars Bode, director of the Mother-Milk-Infant Center of Research Excellence at the University of California, San Diego. Other public health news focuses on diet trends, gene-edited steaks, and a new “black-lung” epidemic.

There’s A Nearly Fourfold Increase In Child Abuse On Saturdays When Report Cards Are Released On Fridays

Morning Briefing

Melissa A. Bright, the lead author of the study, said the idea for the research arose from the personal accounts of pediatricians and teachers who saw a pattern of abuse shortly after report cards were released. In other children’s health news: e-cigarettes, helicopter parenting, day care, vaccines and social media.

Care At Veterans Hospitals Is Just As Good Or Better As Local Private Hospitals, New Study Reports

Morning Briefing

“Our findings suggest that, despite some recent negative reports, the VA generally provides truly excellent care,” said William Weeks, co-author of the study. In other news on veterans health, caregivers are losing government stipends without warnings.

UN Overwhelmingly Blocks U.S. Attempt To Strip Resolution Of References To ‘Sexual And Reproductive Health’

Morning Briefing

The resolutions were geared toward protecting women and girls from violence, sexual harassment and early or forced marriage. But the Trump administration argued that the phrase “sexual and reproductive health” has come to be associated with abortion. Other international news focuses on TB tests, vaccines and Ebola.

Lawmakers To Tour Border Patrol Station Where 7-Year-Old Girl Died In U.S. Custody, But Won’t Be Able To Talk To Agents

Morning Briefing

Members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus on Tuesday plan to visit the New Mexico patrol station where Jakelin Caal and her father were taken into custody on Dec. 7 to learn more about why the little girl died the next day. But the Department of Homeland Security says the majority of agents involved in the girl’s detention were union members and, as such, their duties do not include speaking to members of Congress.

Tactical Decision To Link Medicaid Expansion To Cigarette Tax May Have Tanked Montana Ballot Initiative

Morning Briefing

Supporters thought that strategy would boost their effort with voters, but it attracted Big Tobacco into the fight. As more people look to the success of the three states who were successful in expanding Medicaid through ballot initiatives, the strategy may offer lessons for 2020. Meanwhile, since work requirements were added to Arkansas’ Medicaid program earlier this year, more than 17,000 beneficiaries have lost coverage.

What If You Could Buy Some Of Your Insurance On Demand, Like Renting A Movie Instead Of Paying Monthly For Cable Packages?

Morning Briefing

That approach, being explored by startup Bind Benefits, is drawing attention in a health care industry hungry for innovative ideas on how to cut costs. Meanwhile, a new poll finds that three out of 10 Americans are forgoing care because it’s so expensive.