KFF Health News Weekly Edition: July 21, 2023

Epidemic: The Goddess of Smallpox
To defeat smallpox in South Asia, public health workers had to navigate the region’s layered cultural ideas about the virus. They also dreamed big. In Episode 1, host Céline Gounder wonders how the U.S. might tap into similar “moral imagination” to prepare for the next public health crisis.

Timeline: The Final Years of the Campaign to End Smallpox
Many people working in global health thought eradicating smallpox was impossible. They were wrong. Season 2 of the Epidemic podcast, “Eradicating Smallpox,” is a journey to South Asia during the last days of variola major smallpox. Explore the timeline to learn about significant dates in the final push to end the virus.

A Mom Owed Nearly $102,000 for Hospital Care. Her State Attorney General Said to Pay Up.
By Fred Clasen-Kelly As politicians bash privately run hospitals for their aggressive debt collection tactics, consumer advocates say one North Carolina family’s six-figure medical bill is an example of how state attorneys general and state-operated hospitals also can harm patients financially.

Medical Debt Is Making Americans Angry. Doctors and Hospitals Ignore This at Their Peril.
By Noam N. Levey Doctors and hospitals hold an exalted position in American life, retaining public confidence even as other institutions such as government, law enforcement, and the media are losing people’s trust. But with health care debt out of hand, medical providers risk their good standing.

In Older Adults, a Little Excess Weight Isn’t Such a Bad Thing
By Judith Graham Researchers have found that while obesity at any age risks harming health, a few extra pounds in later life isn’t cause for concern.

Doctors Created a Primary Care Clinic as Their Former Hospital Struggled
By Cecilia Nowell With the community’s help, former co-workers came together to fill gaps in care left by the loss of doctors and departments at a Gallup, New Mexico, hospital.

Once the New Over-the-Counter Birth Control Pill Is Available, What About Cost and Coverage?
By Michelle Andrews The Food and Drug Administration’s approval is viewed as groundbreaking, but many details still must be figured out.

Industry Groups in California Vie for New Medicaid Money
By Angela Hart and Samantha Young State officials have promised to boost funding for California’s Medicaid program by $11.1 billion starting next year, with most of that money earmarked for higher payments to doctors, hospitals, and other providers. But the details have yet to be worked out, and powerful health industry groups are jockeying for position.

Congress Considers Easing Regulations on Air Transport of Donated Organs
By Colleen DeGuzman A little-noticed provision of sweeping legislation to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration would make it easier to fly human organs from donor to recipient.

The Painful Legacy of ‘Law and Order’ Treatment of Addiction in Jail
By Renuka Rayasam Efforts to improve addiction care in jails and prisons are underway across the country. But a rural Alabama county with one of the nation’s highest overdose rates shows how change is slow, while law enforcement officials continue to treat addiction as a crime rather than a medical condition.

KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Let’s Talk About the Weather
It’s been the summer of broken weather records around the world — for heat, rain, and wildfire smoke — advertising the risks of climate change in a big way. But, apparently, it’s not enough to break the logjam in Washington over how to address the growing climate crisis. Meanwhile, in Texas, women who were unable to get care for pregnancy complications took their stories to court, and Congress gears up to — maybe — do something about prescription drug prices. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Shefali Luthra of The 19th, and Rachel Cohrs of Stat join Julie Rovner, KFF Health News’ chief Washington correspondent, to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Meena Seshamani, the top administrator for the federal Medicare program.

Listen to the Latest ‘KFF Health News Minute’
“Health Minute” brings original health care and health policy reporting from the KFF Health News newsroom to the airwaves each week.

Readers and Tweeters See Ways to Shore Up Primary Care
KFF Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.