KFF Health News Weekly Edition: Friday, Sept. 27, 2024
A Few Rural Towns Are Bucking the Trend and Building New Hospitals
Sarah Jane Tribble
A remote Wyoming community hoped for years to have more access to health care. Now, after receiving federal funding, it is bucking dismal closure trends throughout the rural U.S. and building its own hospital. And it’s not the only one.
Democratic Hopefuls Fault GOP Incumbents for Anti-Abortion Records in Congress
Molly Castle Work
Democratic congressional hopefuls in California are highlighting the anti-abortion records of vulnerable Republican incumbents, many of whom have moderated their stances ahead of the election. With control of the U.S. House at stake, Democrats hope to convince voters that their candidates will do more to protect women’s health.
Congress Punts to a Looming Lame-Duck Session
Congress left Washington for the campaign trail this week, but not before approving a spending bill that expires shortly before Christmas. Lawmakers will be busy after the election working on not just the legislation needed to keep the government running, but also several health programs set to expire. Meanwhile, Republicans continue to downplay abortion as Democrats press it as a campaign issue. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Lauren Weber of The Washington Post, and Joanne Kenen of Johns Hopkins University and Politico join KFF Health News chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more.
Keep the Conversation Going: Share Your ‘Silence in Sikeston’ Feedback With Us
Do you have feedback about the “Silence in Sikeston” project that you’d like to share with KFF Health News? Tell us here.
In Montana Senate Race, Democrat Jon Tester Misleads on Republican Tim Sheehy’s Abortion Stance
Louis Jacobson, PolitiFact
Republican Senate candidate Tim Sheehy has said he supports letting states decide the abortion parameters within their borders and supports including exceptions for rape, incest, and the life of the pregnant woman in legislation to restrict abortion.
Nursing Aides Plagued by PTSD After ‘Nightmare’ Covid Conditions, With Little Help
Amy Maxmen
A KFF Health News investigation reveals that employers and the government have offered nursing aides little assistance for PTSD and other ongoing maladies triggered by hazardous work during the pandemic.
In Chronic Pain, This Teenager ‘Could Barely Do Anything.’ Insurer Wouldn’t Cover Surgery.
Lauren Sausser
An Alabama teen was told he needed surgery for debilitating hip pain. But his family’s insurer denied coverage for the procedure, which lacked a medical billing code. Expected to pay more than $7,000, his father charged it to credit cards.
Deadly High Blood Pressure During Pregnancy Is on the Rise
Katheryn Houghton
More pregnant women are being diagnosed with dangerously high blood pressure, which risks the life of the parent and child. Montana is one of the states improving screening and treatment as health facilities work to match care with best practices.
California Governor Signs Law Banning Medical Debt From Credit Reports
Molly Castle Work
New California legislation will bar unpaid medical bills from showing up on consumer credit reports starting in January. However, the banking industry muscled in eleventh-hour amendments that weakened the protections for patients, the bill’s lead sponsor says.
Vance Rewrites History About Trump and Obamacare
Julie Appleby
During the Trump administration, enrollment in Affordable Care Act health plans fell by more than 2 million people and the number of uninsured Americans rose.
She Was Accused of Murder After Losing Her Pregnancy. SC Woman Now Tells Her Story.
Lauren Sausser
Amari Marsh, now 23, was a student at South Carolina State University when she lost her pregnancy in 2023. She was charged with murder and faced at least 20 years in prison. A grand jury cleared her in August. Now she’s sharing her story.
Across North Carolina, Medical Debt Exacts a Heavy Toll
Ames Alexander, Charlotte Observer and Noam N. Levey
The state has among the highest levels of medical debt in the country, data shows.
How North Carolina Made Its Hospitals Do Something About Medical Debt
Noam N. Levey and Ames Alexander, Charlotte Observer and Oona Zenda
State officials threatened to withhold public money from hospitals, pioneering a strategy that could become a national model.
Florida’s New Covid Booster Guidance Is Straight-Up Misinformation
Arthur Allen and Daniel Chang and Sam Whitehead
State Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo spread more anti-vaccine misinformation by telling Floridians to avoid mRNA vaccines. Vaccine experts and historians can’t remember another state health leader urging residents to avoid an FDA-approved vaccine.
Journalists Give Insights Into Opioid Settlements and Picking a Nursing Home
KFF Health News and California Healthline staff took to the airwaves recently to discuss topical stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.
Watch: What You Reveal, You Heal — Meeting the Makers of ‘Silence in Sikeston’
Cara Anthony
KFF Health News Midwest correspondent Cara Anthony sat down with WORLD executive producer Chris Hastings to discuss the origins of the “Silence in Sikeston” project, which explores the impact of a 1942 lynching and a 2020 police killing in the same rural Missouri community.
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