Latest KFF Health News Stories
Media outlets report on news from California, Massachusetts, Missouri, Georgia, Wisconsin, Florida, Texas, Ohio, Michigan, Utah, Oklahoma and Louisiana.
Teens In Texas’ Foster Care System Five Times More Likely To Get Pregnant Than Other Girls
The report recommends educating foster youth on healthy relationships and giving them access to health services to both prevent pregnancy and ensure the health of mothers and babies.
Law Regulating Noise Level Outside Health Facilities Upheld After Supreme Court Rejects Case
The case focused on an anti-abortion activist who was told to lower his voice while protesting outside a Planned Parenthood clinic in Maine. Meanwhile, a ban to block protesters within an 8-foot radius of health clinics was defeated, and Pennsylvania’s House sends a Down syndrome abortion ban to the state Senate.
Advocacy Group Raises Enough Signatures To Get Medicaid Expansion On Ballot In Utah
If approved, the initiative would require the state to expand Medicaid to people making up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level, and would prohibit enrollment caps. Medicaid news comes out of Arizona and Alaska, as well.
Maryland To Move Forward With Reinsurance Plan In Attempt To Prevent Collapse Of State’s Marketplace
Reinsurance sets aside money to help cover the most expensive medical claims. News on how to stabilize the industry comes from Florida, also.
There’s been a nationwide push to increase accountability in sexual harassment and assault cases, but that doesn’t seem to have sparked change in the medical field, an investigation finds. In other public health news: miniature brains, alcohol consumption, and fathers’ health.
What Goes Right In The Brains Of ‘Super-Agers’ Who Don’t Suffer Memory Loss?
Scientists hope that by looking into the brains of older adults who don’t have Alzheimer’s they’ll be able to unlock the key to maximizing people’s memories.
Barbara Bush Is Receiving Comfort Care — Here’s What That Entails
It was announced that former first lady Barbara Bush will not seek further medical treatment beyond comfort care for her failing health. People who opt for comfort care receive treatment only for their symptoms, such as shortness of breath or pain, rather than trying to prolong life.
Legal experts say that nursing facilities rejecting patients on addiction medication violates the Americans with Disabilities Act, yet an investigation finds that it’s a common practice. In more news on the crisis: medical groups are advocating for a new reimbursement model of physicians who treat opioid patients; researchers find that organ transplants from overdose victims fare as well as from traditional donors; West Virginia reaches a settlement with a pharmacy over its distributing practices; and more.
‘You Can’t Hate Up Close’: How Personal Connections To Opioid Crisis Change How Lawmakers Address It
No one is being spared from the opioid epidemic — including the families and loved ones of members of Congress.
News That Amazon Is Shelving Plans To Sell Drugs To Hospitals Sends Distributors’ Stock Soaring
“This is not necessarily an all-clear event for the supply chain,” said Eric Coldwell, an analyst at Robert W. Baird & Co. “Still, it’s a good reminder that Amazon’s supply chain ambitions might not be as big as feared or valuations indicate.”
Immunotherapy Drug Significantly Boosts Odds Of Survival For Lung Cancer Patients
The study is a huge victory, and could lead to doctors changing the standard way they treat the common form of lung cancer, experts say.
Trump To Give Speech On Drug Prices, But No New Policies Are Expected To Be Unveiled
President Donald Trump’s remarks are expected to coincide with a formal request for information from HHS on various ideas to lower prescription drug costs.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Editorial pages focus on these and other health topics.
Perspectives: Flint Residents Are Being Asked To Trust A Government That Betrayed Them
Editorials focus on the crisis of trust among Flint residents as the state cuts off its bottled water program.
Media outlets report on news from Michigan, New York, Maryland, Florida, Illinois, Minnesota, Texas and Missouri.
Company Recalls More Than 200 Million Eggs Following Salmonella Outbreak
Rose Acre Farms is recalling the products after federal officials tied illnesses to the company’s facility in North Carolina.
Older Americans Without Adult Children Need To Be Proactive In Creating Aging Plans, Experts Say
There’s a growing population of older adults without children having to navigate getting older and the pitfalls that come with it. But it can be done successfully, experts say. In other aging news: the financial toll of dementia, older patients who have been living with HIV, positive perceptions about aging, and more.
Experts caution that extending use of the tests to the broader population may lead some people of average risk to forgo recommended screenings or, on the flip side, lead to unnecessary and extreme medical procedures. In other public health news: a smart gun, drug-resistant typhoid, viruses, hypertension, the dangers of sitting, bright lights for hospital patients, and more.
