Latest KFF Health News Stories
Media outlets report on news from Utah, Kentucky, Massachusetts, New York, Georgia, Minnesota, Colorado, New Hampshire, Wisconsin, Ohio and Tennessee.
Help Wanted: Iowa Looking For New Medicaid Director, A Position That Faces Intense Scrutiny
The person that takes current director Mikki Stier’s position will have a lot to do because of Iowa’s controversial shift to private management of Medicaid. Meanwhile in Oregon, lawmakers hold a hearing on a tax that would close a hole in the state’s Medicaid budget.
Medical Exemption Rates Hint Parents May Have Found Workaround To California Vaccination Law
A California law, passed in 2015, eliminated personal-belief exemptions for school vaccinations, but a new report suggests that parents are finding doctors who are willing to sign off on medical exemptions instead.
Supercomputer Watson Was Going To Revolutionize Cancer Treatment. It Has Yet To Live Up To Hype.
Stat looks at the reasons why this lofty project faltered. In other public health news: HIV crime laws, CAR-T therapy, gene editing, pediatric blood-pressure guidelines, and Zika.
Rape And The Opioid Epidemic: How Sexual Assault Is Becoming ‘Normalized’ In A Crisis
Those who are victims of such an attack often don’t report it out of shame, distrust of police or fear they’ll be labeled a “cop caller” and have trouble buying heroin. In other news: the opioid epidemic view through an economic lens; states worry that a federal logjam is hampering efforts to fight the crisis; and more.
Chemical Plant’s Close Brush With Public Health Disaster From Harvey May Serve As Wake-Up Call
Public health fears following the flooding of the plant and the resulting explosion didn’t come to fruition but it was a close call. Media outlets report on other news from the storm as well.
Prestigious Prize — ‘The American Nobels’ — Awarded To Planned Parenthood, Developers Of HPV Vaccine
The Lasker-Bloomberg Public Service Award is known for honoring groundbreaking scientific advances and humanitarian efforts. The citation for the award credits Planned Parenthood “for providing essential health services and reproductive care to millions of women for more than a century” and for helping “men as well.”
For First Time In Years, Democrats Are ‘On The Offense’ Over Health Care And They’re Raring To Go
A group called Protect Our Care says it intends to spend more than $1 million on digital ads accusing Republicans of working to sabotage the Affordable Care Act.
Meet The People With ‘The Worst Job To Have Right Now’: State Insurance Commissioners
These officials are tasked with the unenviable job of keeping the markets stable as uncertainty reigns supreme. Meanwhile, a look at one who’s made national headlines for her candid take on the state of the exchanges.
Industry Groups Urge Congress To Guarantee Insurer Subsidies For Two Years
“Persistent uncertainty” about whether the Trump administration will block the funds “is a significant driver of current market instability,” write the organizations that include America’s Health Insurance Plans, the American Medical Association and the American Hospital Association.
A Tone Shift On Capitol Hill As Lawmakers Try To Come Up With Bipartisan Health Solution
Republicans are now in the position to have to work with Democrats so make sure the marketplace doesn’t collapse. The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee is holding four hearings to kick off those efforts. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump isn’t ready to give up on repeal just yet.
First Edition: September 6, 2017
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Viewpoints: More NIH Funding; Fall, Football And Brain Damage?; America’s Other Addiction Crisis
A selection of opinions on health care issues from around the country.
Perspectives On Health Law: ACA’s Problems Go Beyond Marketing; Sabotaging Outreach
Several opinion sections weigh in on the Trump administration’s decision to cut funding for outreach and marketing during the Affordable Care Act’s upcoming open enrollment season.
Media outlets report on news from Wyoming, Kentucky, New York, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Ohio, California, Washington, Georgia, Colorado and Massachusetts.
Police Altercation Over Nurse’s Refusal To Draw Blood May Prompt Reviews Of Hospital Policies
Police requests to draw blood from patients without an arrest, a warrant or consent are common around the country, and staff often go along because they are busy or don’t know their hospital’s policy. Outlets report on other hospital news from Washington, D.C., Maryland and Florida.
Where Patients Awaiting A Liver Transplant Live Can Be Difference Between Life And Death
But a new plan aims to fix that geographical disparity. In other public health news: flu shots, salt, cancer patients and fertility support, the secret to happiness, vaccines, a medical mystery, the problem with sitting, and tanning salons.
Analysis That Prostate Screenings Significantly Reduce Deaths Draws Skepticism
The debate over prostate screenings is a heated one, and a new report adds fuel to the fire.
Fatal Overdoses Spike 22%, A Rate Even Faster Than Previously Thought
Fentanyl deaths rose 540 percent according to the first government account of nationwide drug deaths in 2016. Meanwhile, new drug czar nominee Rep. Tom Marino (R-Pa.), the opioid over supply, the business of treatment centers and addiction research efforts are also in the news.
Senior And Disabled Harvey Evacuees Face Tougher Health Challenges After The Flood
Those in shelters who need medical care the most can find themselves trapped. Other news on how the monster storm will impact the public health landscape cover health IT success stories, emergency rooms working around the clock, mental health care efforts and the risks of chemical exposure.
