Latest KFF Health News Stories
Dr. Ronny Jackson has been accused of overseeing a hostile work environment where staff had to “walk on eggshells” around him, drinking while on overseas trips and then banging on a female employee’s hotel door, and doling out prescription medications with such frequency as to earn the moniker “the candy man.”
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Allegations Directed Toward VA Nominee Include Practice Of Overprescribing, Drinking On The Job
Members of President Donald Trump’s legislative affairs team huddled Tuesday morning to discuss the nomination. After the meeting, a White House official said there were no current plans to withdraw Jackson’s name.
Editorial pages focus on these and other health topics.
Media outlets report on news from Kansas, Minnesota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Connecticut, Ohio, California and Iowa.
California Must Move Toward Single Payer To Avoid Fiscal Emergency, Gubernatorial Candidate Says
The issue of whether California should move toward a single-payer health system is proving to be a litmus test for candidates in the gubernatorial race. While some support it despite what they say are it’s flaws, others blast it as costly and unrealistic.
Familiar Double Helix DNA Strands Aren’t The Only Ones That Show Up In Human Cells
Scientists have found DNA structures that more resemble a tangled knot — and they seem like they may be fairly common in cells. In other public health news: “helicopter” children; E. coli; dirty scopes; and puberty.
Doctors Need To Make Postpartum Maternal Care An Ongoing Process, New Guidelines Recommend
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists have released guidelines in the midst of the country’s public health crisis over maternal deaths.
What Happens When Voters OK Medicaid Expansion, But Governor Refuses To Listen?
Medicaid supporters took the issue to Maine’s voters, who gave the green light to expansion. But Gov. Paul LePage (R) refuses to budge until lawmakers find a way to fund the program, leaving the state in limbo. Medicaid news comes out of Texas, Iowa and Missouri, as well.
Humana To Scoop Up Curo As Part Of Plan To Create Nation’s Largest Hospice Operator
Humana, TPG Capital and Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe had also previously announced plans to buy Kindred Healthcare’s hospice business.
Indicator Of Hospitals’ Financial Health Hits Low Not Seen In Past Decade
The prior low point of the median hospital operating cash flow margin came in 2008, when it reached 9.1 percent, when the deep recession sharply slowed growth in insurers’ spending on hospital care.
Prince’s Family Sues Hospital, Walgreens Pharmacy Over Performer’s Death From Fentanyl Overdose
The wrongful death lawsuit accuses a doctor and pharmacist at Trinity Medical Center in Rock Island, Ill. of failing to do enough to try to prevent a second overdose. The six heirs also accuse two Walgreens pharmacists of improperly dispensing prescription medication to Prince.
Can Failed Weight Loss Drugs Be Repurposed To Fight Opioid Addiction?
Scientists see a common thread between fighting obesity and the opioid crisis: addiction. In other news on the epidemic: it’s unclear whether a new proposal to empower the DEA will achieve its goal; a look at how a patient advocacy group is being used to promote a drugmaker’s painkiller; despite methadone’s proven effectiveness Medicare doesn’t cover it; and more.
Veteran Injured In Blast Undergoes Complex Penis Transplant Surgery
“While extremity amputations are visible and resultant disability obvious, some war injuries are hidden and their impact not widely appreciated by others,” W.P. Andrew Lee, chairman of the department of plastic and reconstructive surgery at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
Administration’s Teen Pregnancy Prevention Funding Rules Favor Abstinence-Focused Programs
The new rules for the funding do not exclude programs that provide information about contraception and protected sex, but they encourage ones that concentrate on abstinence. Groups that have been receiving federal money had been bracing for a change in the rules since last year
Short-Term Insurance Plans Will Siphon Off Healthier Patients And Split Market Place, Opponents Warn
Insurer lobbying group AHIP spoke out against the Trump administration’s proposal to allow people to buy short-term health insurance for up to 12 months. But supporters of the plans say fears are overblown and argue that the expanded options are needed for people who are uninsured. Meanwhile, is health care really the “No. 1 issue in America?” The Washington Post fact checks that claim.
By private industry standards, Robert Redfield’s annual pay is modest for someone with his resume. But it is high for a government public health position. Redfield is being paid under a salary program called Title 42, which was established to attract health scientists with rare and critical skills to government work. The previous director, Dr. Brenda Fitzgerald, was being paid $197,300 a year.
VA Nominee’s Hearing Postponed As Senators Look Into Unverified Allegations Of Misconduct
Senate Democrats huddled privately Monday to discuss the allegations related to improper conduct in various stages of his career. “There are reasons, as there are with every presidential appointee, for very close scrutiny and vetting. We need to know if allegations raised by others may have some factual basis. That’s the process of vetting that has to occur,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.).
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Editorial pages highlight these and other health topics.
