Latest KFF Health News Stories
Votes Cast Today Will Shape Future Federal And State Abortion Laws
Democrats and the White House are already second-guessing their messaging on the controversial subject in the lead-up to midterm elections that could shift the balance of power in the U.S. Congress.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
IVF Embryo Disposal Isn’t Subject To Abortion Ban, Tennessee AG Says
The strict abortion ban in the state does not apply to disposal of fertilized embryos that haven’t been transferred to a uterus, Tennessee’s attorney general has stated in an opinion. Separately, Wisconsin doctors want to join a lawsuit challenging an 1849-era abortion ban.
Editorial writers tackle these public health topics.
Highly Processed Foods May Kill You Sooner: Study
NBC News covers a study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine that linked 57,000 deaths in 2019 in Brazil with the consumption of ultra-processed food — 10% of premature deaths in that age group.
Florida Medical Board Blocks Doctors From Giving Gender Care To Minors
The state board voted 6-3 Friday to adopt a standard of care forbidding doctors from giving puberty blockers and hormones or performing surgery until transgender patients are 18. The New York Times says board members received calls from Florida’s surgeon general Dr. Joseph Ladapo urging the ban.
Man In First Muscular Dystrophy CRISPR Treatment Trial Dies
The Boston Globe, reporting on the news, said 27-year-old Terry Horgan was due to be the first person to get a custom CRISPR therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy, but it’s unclear when or if he got the treatment. AP notes he was the lone volunteer in the study.
Kaiser Permanente’s Third Quarter Finances Show $1.5B Loss
Meanwhile, a financially-troubled Mississippi hospital failed to reach a deal with a medical campus that was planning to take over the facility, AP reports. In other news, Microsoft has an AI tool that transcribes doctor-patient discussions, at the expense of sharing sensitive info with tech giants.
Stressed-Out ERs Get Even More Crowded As Flu, RSV Slam Hospitals
In one instance last month in Washington state, a nurse in one emergency department was forced to call 911 because of a lack of staffers available to help. The unusually fast starts to the flu and RSV seasons have complicated matters at many hospitals.
Studies: Paxlovid Cuts Long Covid Risk; Zinc Appears To Help Treat Covid
Researchers found that taking Paxlovid within five days of testing positive was linked to a 26% lower risk of long covid, Bloomberg reported. And taking oral zinc twice a day dramatically cut the risk of an ICU stay or death from covid, a study found. “Zinc should be considered for the treatment of patients with covid-19,” the authors wrote.
Misleading Ads Driving People To Sign Up For Medicare Advantage Plans
Medicare beneficiaries are being warned to look out for deceptive Medicare Advantage marketing — some of which provides misleading information on savings or doctor networks and may not fit patients’ needs.
What’s At Electoral Stake: Health Care Access, Abortion, Drug Pricing
Tuesday’s midterm elections will carry far-reaching health care implications for all Americans with issues like abortion access, public health investments, Medicaid, fentanyl, vaping, pot, and much more at stake.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Viewpoints: Steps For Teaching Teens To Manage Their Health; US Pediatric Emergency Care Is Failing
Editorial writers tackle these public health issues.
Opinion writers examine RSV, covid, and health insurance.
Pennsylvania Decriminalizes Fentanyl Test Strips
Previously the test strips were defined as drug paraphernalia, and the goal of the new law is to try to reduce opioid overdoses. In Texas, doctors threaten legal action over a delayed report on pregnancy-related deaths. And in Santa Clara County, California, a resident died from West Nile virus.
Alcohol Use Caused More Deaths During Pandemic
Between 2019 and 2020, the alcohol-caused death rate spiked 26%, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show. The increase was even bigger for women ages 35 to 44, rising 42%. Separately a study linked alcohol to stroke risk in young people.
‘Definitely A Big Deal’: New Antibiotic Effective Against UTIs
CNN says gepotidacin is the first new type of antibiotic targeting urinary tract infections in 20 years and notes its maker will soon submit data to the FDA for approval. Meanwhile, the amoxycillin shortage is hitting “hundreds” of pharmacies across the country, according to Bloomberg.
Report Highlights Health Services’ Vulnerability To Cyberattacks
The chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee released a report into cybersecurity issues in the health care industry, suggesting government steps to take to improve the risks. Meanwhile, Healthcare Dive reports on eight ways hospitals can prevent cyberattacks.
Sales Of Mail-Order Abortion Pills From India Surge
According to the FDA website, “in most circumstances, it is illegal for individuals to import drugs into the United States for personal use,” though there are loopholes, such as when the drug isn’t considered risky and the buyer isn’t selling it to others, Bloomberg reported. Furthermore, the Biden administration has pledged to protect access to mail-order abortion pills.
