Latest KFF Health News Stories
Poor Student Mental Health Prompts Teachers To Learn Skills To Help
AP and ABC News cover the mental health crisis in schools, which has spurred some teachers to learn mental health first-aid techniques and is driving a discussion over starting school at a later time during the morning. Other mental and public health matters are also reported.
Covid Deaths Of Nursing Home Residents Fall To New Lows
Separately, new laws are allowing some patients to have visitors even during a covid outbreak. Elsewhere, some schools are re-instating mask mandates in response to covid surges, and experts and officials are warning the pandemic is not over thanks to the highly infectious omicron BA.2.
Opioid Deaths Soar, Leaving States Scrambling For Solutions
Media outlets cover a worsening of the opioid epidemic, with AP noting the situation is now “even deadlier.” Fentanyl contamination of illicit drugs is blamed. Separately, The Street and Stat cover news from Vertex Pharmaceuticals on the progress of a new non-opioid pain drug.
CDC Reports Uptick In Norovirus Cases
The outbreaks do not appear linked to covid, but the the lifting of covid restrictions may be helping the stomach flu virus spread. Meanwhile, oysters harvested in British Columbia are tied to outbreaks of norovirus.
ACA Special Enrollment Could Aid Those Who May Soon Lose Medicaid
The pandemic emergency declaration expanded Medicaid qualification for many Americans. That will end when the emergency is lifted. People who fall off the Medicaid rolls could take advantage of a special enrollment period for Affordable Care Act plans.
House Votes For Federal Decriminalization Of Marijuana
Measures in the bill, passed Friday in a House vote, would also expunge pot-related federal convictions, tax cannabis producers and importers and prevent the federal government from denying security clearances over marijuana use. Similar Senate legislation is unlikely to move forward.
Obama To Join Biden At White House Celebration Of ACA
The event Tuesday, part of a Biden administration push to highlight efforts to help Americans with pocketbook issues, will celebrate the law’s impact in lowering health costs and expanding access to care.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Viewpoints: Updates Will Make The ACA Even Better; New ALS Drug Should Not Get FDA Approval, Yet
Editorial writers weigh in on these public health topics.
Longer Looks: Interesting Reads You Might Have Missed
Each week, KHN finds longer stories for you to enjoy. This week’s selections include stories on covid, medical gaslighting, TikTok tics, mental health on Madison Avenue, the “Cave” at Berkeley, and more.
Iowa’s Additional Pandemic SNAP Benefits End Today
The move, part of a public health decision by Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds, could see people losing as much as $230 a month in benefits, according to the Iowa Hunger Coalition. Meanwhile, in Maine, there are worries PFAS contamination could mean more freshwater fish get “do not eat” warnings.
Opinion writers examine these covid issues.
Biden Offers Vocal Support On Transgender Day Of Visibility
President Joe Biden released a supportive message on trans matters, noting transgender people were “deserving of dignity, respect and support.” The State Department announced Thursday that an “X” gender marker would be allowed on U.S. passports. And Florida’s governor was sued by LGBTQ+ students.
Illegal Opioids Increasingly Laced With Animal Sedative Xylazine
Already dangerous illegal drugs in Chicago and elsewhere are reportedly even more dangerous now that the veterinary drug is part of the mix; the sedative is showing up in more autopsies of opioid-related deaths. A peanut butter recall, end-stage kidney disease, and more are also in the news.
Approving Aduhelm Diminished Trust In FDA, Califf Acknowledges
The controversial approval of the Alzheimer’s drug Aduhelm generated much media discussion, but Dr. Robert Califf, the new head of the Food and Drug Administration, says it also hurt trust in the FDA among the expert community. Meanwhile, reports say drug, health supplies shortages are ongoing.
New Hampshire’s Strict Abortion Ban Gets Fetal Anomaly Exception
The post-24-week abortion ban had exceptions only for situations where the pregnancy threatened the mother’s health, but the House then added an exception for fatal fetal anomalies. PBS NewsHour, meanwhile, calls Oklahoma’s anti-abortion law a “tipping point” for the future of abortion access.
EPA Allows Trump Administration Call On Water Contaminant To Stand
The Environmental Protection Agency announced Thursday it will not regulate percholate, a chemical that has been linked to infant brain damage. The agency says it’s following the “best available peer reviewed science,” but the decision to uphold this Trump-era policy — that many environmental scientists denounced at the time — shocked public health advocates.
Hospice Nurse Staffing Also Hit By Pandemic Shortages
Modern Healthcare reports that the hospice care industry has also been suffering the same kind of staffing issues during the pandemic as other medical services. Meanwhile, in Boston, Atrius Health is laying off dozens of nurses as pandemic needs wane.
Longer Postpartum Medicaid Coverage Begins Today In North Carolina
The updated provision extends the coverage from 60 days after birth to one year. Other Medicaid news is from Maryland, Connecticut, Idaho, and elsewhere.
Maternal Mortality Rate Has Increased, And Covid’s Mostly To Blame
From 2019 to 2020, the maternal death rate in the U.S. rose from 20.1 deaths per 100,000 live births to 23.8 deaths — a nearly 37% increase over 2018. Covid in pregnancy can increase the risk of preterm delivery, blood clots, stillbirth, and preeclampsia, said Dr. Jason Melillo, an OhioHealth OB-GYN.