Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Missouri May Join States That Ensure Medicaid Support After Pregnancy
Side Effects Public Media: Most States Ensure Women Don’t Lose Medicaid Shortly After Pregnancy. Missouri May Join Them
Nkenge Miller was in her early twenties when she had her first child. At the time, she was one of the only women among her circle of friends with a new baby. "Feeling alone and having baby blues and things of that matter, was different for me, because that's not something that any of my peers went through,” Miller said. (Spidel, 5/4)
New Hampshire Public Radio: NH AG Joins Coalition Pushing To Expand Medicare Coverage For Alzheimer's Treatment
New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella is part of a bipartisan coalition of attorneys general across the country asking for Medicare to cover the costs of treatments for Alzheimer's disease, including newer options. In their letter to the Biden administration, the attorneys general note that federal rules changed in April 2022, limiting Medicare coverage for certain FDA-approved treatments except for clinical trials or other studies. (Richardson, 5/4)
The Boston Globe: ‘We Still Can’t Breathe’: Advocates Call For Relief From Air Pollution
For decades, Roxbury native Mela Bush-Miles has advocated for clean air and adequate public transportation in a city where the two are inextricably linked. Her campaign is a personal one, she said, as she fights to protect the now fifth-generation of her family affected by air pollution. (Mohammed, 5/4)
Minnesota Public Radio: Anti-Overdose Drug Naloxone Could Soon Be Standard In Minnesota Schools
Colleen Ronnei didn’t know what naloxone was when her 20-year-old son fatally overdosed on opioids in 2016. Since then she’s formed a nonprofit called Change the Outcome. And one of its major missions is to make the overdose antidote nasal spray readily available in as many places as possible, especially schools. (Bakst, 5/4)
Also —
NBC News: Is Kratom Safe? FDA Continues To Warn Of Dangers Of The Supplement
Last week, U.S. marshals seized an estimated $3 million worth of kratom that was being sold as a supplement by an Oklahoma-based company. It’s not the first time that authorities have seized kratom, which is considered a “drug of concern” by the Food and Drug Administration. The incident, however, highlights the ongoing demand for the drug, even as the FDA continues to warn about its potential dangers. (Sullivan, 5/4)
