KFF Health News Weekly Edition: June 16, 2023

What One Hospital’s Slow Recovery From a Cyberattack Means for Patients
By Farah Yousry, Side Effects Public Media U.S. hospitals have seen a record number of cyberattacks over the past few years. Getting hacked can cost a hospital millions of dollars, expose patient data, and even jeopardize patient care.

California Schools Start Hatching Heat Plans as the Planet Warms
By Calli McMurray State researchers offer recommendations on how schools can become more heat-resilient in the face of global warming. Proposed changes to state law could make it easier to build shade structures.

Find Out How Much Opioid Settlement Cash Your Locality Received
By Aneri Pattani You can use documents obtained by KFF Health News to see the exact dollar amounts that local governments in your state have been allocated in 2022 and 2023.

Opioid Settlement Payouts to Localities Made Public for First Time
By Aneri Pattani KFF Health News obtained documents showing the exact dollar amounts — down to the cent — that local governments have been allocated in 2022 and 2023 to battle the ongoing opioid crisis.

KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Slow Your Disenroll
More than a million Americans have lost Medicaid coverage since pandemic protections ended. The Biden administration is asking states to slow disenrollment, but that does not mean states must listen. Meanwhile, a Supreme Court decision gives Medicaid beneficiaries the right to sue over their care, and a new deal preserves coverage of preventive services nationwide as a Texas court case continues. Rachel Cohrs of Stat, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, and Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call join KFF Health News’ Mary Agnes Carey to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner interviews Dan Mendelson, CEO of Morgan Health, a new unit of JPMorgan Chase, about employers’ role in insurance coverage.

Biden Admin Implores States to Slow Medicaid Cuts After More Than 1M Enrollees Dropped
By Hannah Recht Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra is asking states to make more of an effort to keep eligible Medicaid recipients enrolled. He particularly fears children losing health insurance coverage.

International Rights Group Calls Out US for Allowing Hospitals to Push Millions Into Debt
By Noam N. Levey In a new report, Human Rights Watch urges stronger federal and state action to hold hospitals to account for a medical debt crisis that now burdens more than 100 million Americans.

Tech Luminaries Give RFK Jr.’s Anti-Vaccine Message a Boost
By Darius Tahir The views of the leader of a broad anti-vaccine movement who is now running for president are unchallenged in public forums run by several prominent Silicon Valley figures.

Montana Clinics Chip Away at Refugees’ Obstacles to Dental Care
By Erica Zurek As the number of refugees entering the U.S. grows, those arriving in Montana and other rural areas find limited dental care options.

Foster Kids in Casino Hotels? It Happened in Rural Nevada Amid Widespread Foster Home Shortages
By Jazmin Orozco Rodriguez A nationwide decline in foster home spots has led to dire situations in some rural areas, including northeastern Nevada, where a state social worker has been pleading with community leaders to help address a shortage that left officials housing children in casino hotels.

At Least 1.7M Americans Use Health Sharing Arrangements, Despite Lack of Protections
By Markian Hawryluk A new report boosts the estimated number of people enrolled in plans whose members — usually brought together by shared religious beliefs — pay one another’s health costs.

Fraudsters Are Duping Homeless People Into Signing Up for ACA Plans They Can’t Afford
By Daniel Chang Homeless people are being fraudulently enrolled in health plans on the Affordable Care Act’s marketplace, induced with cash payments from insurance agents and brokers. Those who sign up for an ACA plan are disqualified from other forms of free and low-cost care and risk disruption in treatment.

On the Brink of Homelessness, San Diego Woman Wins the Medi-Cal Lottery
By Angela Hart Annie Malloy, of San Diego, is among the first to receive a new housing move-in benefit from Medi-Cal, California’s Medicaid program. It’s an effort to help homeless and near-homeless people who might otherwise rack up huge medical bills.

What Does a Chatbot Know About Eating Disorders? Users of a Help Line Are About to Find Out
By Kate Wells, Michigan Public The National Eating Disorders Association’s help line has seen demand climb to unsustainable levels since the beginning of the covid pandemic, with more people reporting severe mental health problems, the nonprofit says. But staffers worry this chatbot may make things worse.

Chronic Lifeguard Shortage Serves as Springboard to Address Racial Inequities
By Michelle Andrews Cities and towns are again in deep waters this summer trying to hire enough lifeguards to open their public pools. Many are proceeding with sensitivity to issues of race and ethnicity.

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