Latest Morning Briefing Stories
What We Know And Don’t Know About Memory Loss After Surgery
Memory problems and trouble multitasking are among the symptoms of POCD, a little-known condition that affects a substantial number of older adults after surgery.
FDA Launches Criminal Investigation Into Unauthorized Herpes Vaccine Research
The Food and Drug Administration rarely prosecutes research violations, but its criminal division is looking into the experimental herpes vaccine research by Southern Illinois University professor William Halford.
Medical Marijuana’s ‘Catch-22’: Federal Limits On Research Hinder Patients’ Relief
Suffering Americans seek medical marijuana as an alternative to opioids and other powerful pharmaceuticals. Though legal in 29 states, some doctors say the lack of strong data makes it hard to recommend.
Make Room For Baby: After Giving Birth, Duckworth Presses Senate To Bend Rules
The Illinois Democrat is the first sitting senator to give birth. She’s using the opportunity to call for adjusting Senate rules to accommodate new parents.
Is There Such A Thing As Normal Aging?
Our experts track the signs of normal aging from ages 50 to 100 — and there are some surprises.
KHN On C-SPAN: Current Capitol Hill Thinking On Combating The Opioid Crisis
KHN’s Shefali Luthra offers insight into what federal and state officials are eyeing to help reduce addiction problems.
How A Drugmaker Turned The Abortion Pill Into A Rare-Disease Profit Machine
An abortion drug invented decades ago is being used to treat Cushing’s syndrome — and it’s bringing in tens of millions of dollars a year.
C-SPAN: FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb Talks To KHN
Kaiser Health News reporter Sarah Jane Tribble sat down with Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb on C-SPAN’s “Newsmakers” program. The conversation ranged from how the nation should combat the opioid epidemic to reining in drug prices.
Former California State Contractor Sued Over Breach Of HIV Patient Privacy
A lawsuit claims that a private company hired by the state public health department to manage enrollment in an AIDS drug assistance program for low-income patients inadvertently allowed unauthorized access to their medical status.
A Tale Of Two CT Scanners — One Richer, One Poorer
Why is the price of a CT scan 33 times higher in an hospital emergency room than in an outpatient imaging center just down the street?
Must-Reads Of The Week From Brianna Labuskes
Happy Friday! Welcome to the inaugural edition of KHN’s Friday Breeze. As the newsletter editor at Kaiser Health News, I read hundreds of health stories a week, and I’m here each Friday to sum up the more important ones — interesting reads, news that will have lasting impact, unique takes on the big problems in the […]
Dialysis Patients Sign Up For November Ballot Fight
Frustrated by dialysis centers they call dirty and understaffed, patients and health care workers rallied across California Thursday before delivering more than 600,000 signatures to election offices in support of a ballot initiative intended to improve patient care.
Patient Advocacy Groups Take In Millions From Drugmakers. Is There A Payback?
Kaiser Health News launches “Pre$cription for Power,” a groundbreaking database to expose Big Pharma’s ties to patient groups.
To Treat Pain, PTSD And Other Ills, Tennessee Vets Try Tai Chi
In hopes of reducing an over-reliance on pills for anxiety and pain, the Department of Veterans Affairs has taken a turn toward alternative medicine.
Timeline: Despite GOP’s Failure To Repeal Obamacare, The ACA Has Changed
A look at the most consequential events that have reshaped the federal health law since President Donald Trump was inaugurated.
Atlanta Struggles To Meet MLK’s Legacy On Health Care
Fifty years after the death of Martin Luther King Jr., his hometown still has major disparities in mortality and other measures of health.
Older Americans Are Hooked On Vitamins Despite Scarce Evidence They Work
Sixty-eight percent of those 65 and older take vitamin supplements. Much of what we once believed about the benefits is wrong.
Medicare Advantage Plans Cleared To Go Beyond Medical Coverage — Even Groceries
Under new federal rules unveiled this week, these privately run alternatives to traditional Medicare might provide air conditioners, rides to medical appointments and home-delivered meals.
‘Nightmare Bacteria’ Stalk U.S. Hospitals
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found antibiotic-resistant bacteria whose spread has “outpaced” efforts to contain them.
Psychiatrist Stays Close To Home And True To Her Childhood Promise
Yamanda Edwards is the only psychiatrist at Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Hospital, caring for residents in South Los Angeles, a community with a shortage of mental health care.