Latest KFF Health News Stories
Missouri Senate OKs Abortion Bill Amidst Dueling Rallies By Supporters And Opponents
The state legislation would nullify a city ordinance in St. Louis that prohibits housing and employment discrimination based on “reproductive health decisions,” such as abortion or pregnancy. The bill now goes to the Missouri House. Elsewhere, a Iowa council considers a controversial measure to bar abortion providers from state-financed family planning efforts.
Public Health Roundup: Conjoined Twins; A Shot For Incontinence; And Home Health Care For Seniors
Also in the news: a tool to detect Parkinson’s, transgender talk and salt caves as the new health trend.
Watchdog Agency Asked To Investigate ‘Serious Ethical Lapses’ In Preemie Study
Researchers who tested oxygen levels delivered to premature infants have long faced questions over whether the work was ethically and accurately performed.
State AGs To Investigate Drugmakers’ Marketing Of Prescription Painkillers
The probe is the latest effort in a growing trend to address the epidemic through the courts. In other news, the crisis is undermining the battle against HIV, women are being prescribed too many opioids after c-sections and Massachusetts’ high court rules on a needle-exchange case.
Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Director Nick Lyon and four other state officials face involuntary manslaughter charges stemming from the government’s failure to alert the majority-black population about Legionnaires’ disease in the Flint area. That outbreak is linked to the city’s lead-contaminated water and caused the death of an 85-year-old man.
Veterans’ Choice Program Facing Surprise $1B Shortfall
“If there is no action at all by Congress, then the Choice program will dry up by mid-August,” VA Secretary David Shulkin said while asking the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee for help.
Proposal Requiring Manufacturers To Include Retail Prices In Drug Ads Approved By AMA
The group hopes the measure will push federal regulatory agencies to enact such pricing disclosures, but critics say it’s unlikely under a Republican administration. In other news, the pharmaceutical industry eyes genetic analysis as a method for improving drug treatments.
Advocates Hope Effects Of Kansas’ Austere Cuts Serve As ‘Canary In Coal Mine’ For Rest Of Country
In what Republican Gov. Sam Brownback deemed a “real-live experiment,” Kansas championed a plan of deep tax cuts and severe spending cuts, and at the same time rejected Medicaid expansion. The Washington Post looks at those results.
ACA Rate Hikes In Michigan Could Reach Record Levels Depending On Future Of Insurer Subsidies
If Republicans opt to defund the subsidies, Michigan residents buying coverage through the exchanges could face a 31 percent increase. Media outlets report on news in the marketplaces of Connecticut and Ohio as well.
Senate GOP Walking Tightrope With Abortion, Planned Parenthood Language In Health Plan
The Senate parliamentarian, Elizabeth MacDonough, won’t make an official ruling until she is given specific language on the provisions, but they could threaten the future of the entire bill. However, dropping the language could result in loss of support among conservative lawmakers.
Divided And Shunted To The Sidelines, Insurance Industry Loses Voice In Health Care Debate
Some insurers have decided a low-key role is best, but others are frustrated that their concerns aren’t being heard. In other news, outlets look at what consumers could expect to pay under the Republicans’ health care plan, the effect it would have on jobs and the amount of support the legislation has in Missouri and Kansas.
Lawmakers That Trump Pushed Into Signing ‘Mean’ Bill Peeved At The President’s Candid Comments
Although President Donald Trump personally helped champion the legislation through the House and called it a “great plan” when it passed, he is now saying it’s “mean” and that the Senate should be more “generous” in its version. The about-face has left lawmakers scratching their heads. Meanwhile, in the upper chamber, each senator is fighting for their own state’s best interest, but not everyone is going to win, and Democrats hit pause on the health fight after Wednesday’s shooting.
SEND IN YOUR QUESTIONS!: KHN is launching our new Facebook group on navigating aging with a live online chat, “Getting Smarter About Getting Older.” You can send in questions ahead of time here. But make sure to mark your calendars for 12 p.m. on June 20 to join in the conversation on Facebook Live with Judith Graham, our Navigating Aging columnist, and her guest Dr. Lee Ann Lindquist.
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
Perspectives: Letting The Government Negotiate Prices Won’t Actually Create Any Savings
Read recent commentaries about drug-cost issues.
PBMs, The Middlemen Of Pharma, Aren’t Completely To Blame For High Drug Prices
News outlets report on stories related to pharmaceutical pricing.
Media outlets report on health-related news from Colorado, California, Missouri, Washington, Ohio, Georgia, Kansas, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Connecticut.
Postpartum Ads Featuring Women With Pacifiers Strikes Discordant Chord For Some
Critics say the ad campaign not only infantilizes women, but also puts the onus on them to speak up rather than prodding providers to be more proactive in helping them. In other public health news: brain cell transplants, the new tobacco crisis, insulin, noise and blood pressure, and more.
The Latest Tool To Fight The Opioid Epidemic: Lawsuits
It’s a strategy that harkens back to the 1990s when Big Tobacco was in a similar situation. Meanwhile, the epidemic is bringing up medical privacy issues, the Food and Drug Administration is trying to figure out if anti-abuse deterrents work and a drugmaker is working with the agency on its request to pull a powerful opioid from the market.
In Not Too Distant Future, Drones Could Be Used To Save Heart Attack Victims
When it comes to administering an electric shock to those in cardiac arrest, minutes can make the difference between life and death.
