Latest KFF Health News Stories
Hurricane Maria’s Death Toll In Puerto Rico 70 Times Higher Than Official Government Estimate: Study
The devastating storm claimed 4,645 lives, according to a new study published in The New England Journal Of Medicine. The government’s estimate of 64 deaths was a dramatic undercount, said the researchers, who based their figures on a significantly higher death rate during the three months after the hurricane than in the previous year.
LAPD Asks For Patients To Come Forward As It Launches Sweeping Investigation Of USC Gynecologist
The Los Angeles police are already working with more than 50 women so far, but whether Dr. George Tyndall faces sexual abuse charges depends on if complaints about creepy comments, improper photos in the exam room and uncomfortable probing went beyond dubious doctoring and into the criminal realm. Tyndall, as a gynecologist, could argue his treatments were within the scope of his medical expertise.
Allergan Birth Control Packs Recalled Because Placebo Pills Were Placed Out Of Order
The mistake places users at a higher risk for unintended pregnancies.
WellCare Joins In Health Industry Merger Trend With $2.5B Deal To Acquire Meridian
The move is just the latest in an industry seeking to survive through consolidation and deals with other insurers, ambulatory care providers and pharmacy benefit managers.
States Need To Set Up Reinsurance Programs To Help Stabilize Marketplace, AHIP Urges
America’s Health Insurance Plans, a group that represents insurers, cited an Avalere analysis that found reinsurance could lower premiums by 4 percent to 12 percent depending on the design of the program and available funding. The trade association also advocated for Congress killing a much-hated health insurance tax.
Virginia Senate Appears To Have Secured Enough Votes To End Stalemate, Pass Medicaid Expansion
Lawmakers are expected to meet Wednesday to take up the state budget plan, which includes expansion. The state has been entrenched in the debate over what to do with the program for years, with the topic most recently derailing negotiations over the budget.
Judge John Coughenour in Washington state, a Reagan appointee, was the fourth federal judge to rule against the Trump administration move to prematurely cut off funding for programs aimed at reducing teen pregnancy.
Supreme Court Refuses Case On Arkansas Law Restricting Medication Abortions
The legislation requires providers of medication abortions to have contracts with doctors who have admitting privileges at a hospital in the state. The case will continue being litigated in the lower courts, but for now Arkansas is now the first state to essentially ban medication abortions.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Perspectives: Trump’s Anti-Abortion Policies Aside, He’s Not Really A Pro-Lifer
Opinion writers express views on President Donald Trump’s recent announcements about withholding funds for organizations that perform abortions or make referrals.
Media outlets report on news from California, Illinois, Minnesota, Connecticut, South Carolina, Florida, Ohio and Texas.
“This will not cover all of the uncompensated care costs that hospitals incur in taking care of those patients, but it will certainly help to offset the loss they will incur providing those important services,” said Steve Ahnen, president of the New Hampshire Hospital Association.
But the problem is that value-based purchasing hasn’t caught on in the behavioral health sector at nearly the same level as other medical specialties. Media outlets report on other cost and quality issues, such as paying for emergency room visits and a fight over dialysis.
New Technology Is Helping Make Operating Rooms Smarter, More Effective And Less Risky For Patients
From surgeon-controlled robot cameras to GPS-like maps projected onto a patients’ bodies, technology is bringing surgery into the new era. In other health-tech news: dementia, school nurses, blindness, and more.
Debate Over Bullying’s Link With School Shootings Re-Emerges After Santa Fe Incident
In many mass school-shooting cases in which the accused is a student, allegations have surfaced that the shooter was bullied. But whether there is a clear link between the two issues is the subject of contention.
Legally, standards for determining brain death are largely left up to the medical community. But families have begun to challenge doctors’ determinations, leading to more questions around the murky topic. In other public health news: medical professionals and hand washing; Ebola; brain stimulation and diabetes; DNA testing; crowdfunding for scientific research; and much more.
Transfusions, Bone Marrow Transplant Push Limits Of Already Daring Fetal Therapy Field
Elianna Constantino and her mother Nichelle Obar were the first patients in an experiment to treat a normally fatal disorder while Elianna was still in the womb.
Virginia’s Final Budget Likely To Hold Promise For Medicaid Expansion As Lawmakers Reconvene
Advocates expect the stalemate over whether to expand the program to end this week. Medicaid news comes out of Iowa and Illinois, as well.
When It Comes To Abortion, Both Sides Think They Have Upper Hand For The Midterms
Both anti-abortion and abortion rights groups are pouring money into campaigns for the 2018 midterms, which could prove to be a turning point for the divisive issue. In other women’s health news: hospital closures leave expectant mothers scrambling to find care; midwives mean healthier babies, so why aren’t they more common in the U.S.?; schizophrenia and unhealthy pregnancies; and untested rape kits.
The decision followed a call from students, faculty and alumni for C. L. Max Nikias’ resignation after reports emerged that the university knew of allegations against campus gynecologist George Tyndall for years and failed to act on them.
