Skip to main content

The independent source for health policy research, polling, and news.

Subscribe Follow Us Donate
  • Trump 2.0

    Trump 2.0

    • Agency Watch
    • State Watch
    • Rural Health Payout
  • Public Health

    Public Health

    • Vaccines
    • CDC & Disease
    • Environmental Health
  • Audio Reports

    Audio Reports

    • What the Health?
    • Health Care Helpline
    • KFF Health News Minute
    • An Arm and a Leg
    • Health Hub
    • HealthQ
    • Silence in Sikeston
    • Epidemic
    • See All Audio
  • Special Reports

    Special Reports

    • Bill Of The Month
    • The Body Shops
    • Broken Rehab
    • Deadly Denials
    • Priced Out
    • Dead Zone
    • Diagnosis: Debt
    • Overpayment Outrage
    • Opioid Settlement Tracking
    • See All Special Reports
  • More Topics

    More Topics

    • Elections
    • Health Care Costs
    • Insurance
    • Prescription Drugs
    • Health Industry
    • Immigration
    • Reproductive Health
    • Technology
    • Rural Health
    • Race and Health
    • Aging
    • Mental Health
    • Affordable Care Act
    • Medicare
    • Medicaid
    • Children’s Health

  • Single-Payer Healthcare
  • Federal Workers’ Medical Records
  • TrumpRx
  • Pharmacy Discount Coupons
  • Hantavirus

WHAT'S NEW

  • Single-Payer Healthcare
  • Federal Workers' Medical Records
  • TrumpRx
  • Pharmacy Discount Coupons
  • Hantavirus

Morning Briefing

Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations

  • Email

Tuesday, Sep 19 2017

Full Issue

Western States Have Disproportionately High Suicide Rates For Veterans

Epidemiologist Rajeev Ramchand, who has a background in studying suicide, said there could be several factors that led to the results, including gun ownership, difficulty accessing proper health care and isolation from communities. Meanwhile, after a series of disappointments from its supercomputer Watson, IBM is counting on Watson's efforts with the VA health system.

The Hill: High Suicide Rate Among Military Vets In Western US, Rural Areas 

The western U.S. and rural areas of the country have seen the highest rates of suicide among veterans, according to a new study.  Veterans in the western states of Montana, Utah, Nevada and New Mexico have the highest suicide rates in the country at 60 per 100,000 individuals, according to new data from a study by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), ABC News reported. This is compared to the national average of 38.4 per 100,000 individuals. (Delk, 9/16)

Politico Pro: IBM Pins Its Hopes For Watson On VA Health System

IBM unveiled its Watson Health system in a blitz of hype in 2013, promoting it with an army of sales reps and even Super Bowl ads. But Watson’s artificial intelligence has failed to blow away doctors, a humbling experience for the company that hoped to “disrupt” health care the way competitors transformed other industries. (Pittman, 9/19)

This is part of the Morning Briefing, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.
Newsletter icon

Sign Up For Our Newsletter

Stay informed by signing up for the Morning Briefing and other emails:

Recent Morning Briefings

  • Friday, May 8
  • Thursday, May 7
  • Wednesday, May 6
  • Tuesday, May 5
  • Monday, May 4
  • Friday, May 1
More Morning Briefings
RSS Feeds
  • Podcasts
  • Special Reports
  • Morning Briefing
  • About Us
  • Donate
  • Staff
  • Republish Our Content
  • Contact Us

Follow Us

  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • X
  • Bluesky
  • TikTok
  • RSS

Sign up for emails

Join our email list for regular updates based on your personal preferences.

Sign up
  • Editorial Policy
  • Privacy Policy

© 2026 KFF