KFF Health News’ Weekly Edition: June 23, 2023
Malpractice Lawsuits Over Denied Abortion Care May Be on the Horizon
Harris Meyer
Physicians and attorneys say it’s a question of when — not if — a pregnant person dies from lack of care in a state with an abortion ban, potentially setting the stage for a malpractice lawsuit that could pressure providers to reconsider delaying or denying care.
Advocates Call for 911 Changes. Police Have Mixed Feelings.
Molly Castle Work
Though most California counties are experimenting with dispatching health professionals rather than law enforcement to respond to people experiencing mental health crises, powerful police unions fear defunding.
What’s It Really Like to Be HHS Secretary? Three Who’ve Done It Spill the Beans
Julie Rovner and Emmarie Huetteman
Three secretaries of Health and Human Services, who served under Presidents Joe Biden, Donald Trump, and Barack Obama, gathered this week for a rare, candid conversation hosted by the Aspen Ideas Festival and KFF Health News’ “What the Health?” about the experience of being the nation’s top health official.
Live From Aspen: Three HHS Secretaries on What the Job Is Really Like
What does a day in the life of the nation’s top health official really look like? And how much of their agenda is set by the White House? In this special episode of KFF Health News’ “What the Health?” — taped before a live audience at Aspen Ideas: Health, part of the Aspen Ideas Festival, in Aspen, Colorado — host and chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner leads a rare conversation with the current and two former U.S. secretaries of Health and Human Services. Secretary Xavier Becerra and former secretaries Kathleen Sebelius and Alex Azar talk candidly about what it takes to run a department with more than 80,000 employees and a budget larger than those of many countries.
Black, Rural Southern Women at Gravest Risk From Pregnancy Miss Out on Maternal Health Aid
Sarah Jane Tribble
A federal program meant to reduce maternal and infant mortality in rural areas isn’t reaching Black women who are most likely to die from pregnancy-related causes.
What You Need to Know About the Opioid Settlement Funds
Aneri Pattani and Hannah Norman and Oona Zenda
States and localities are receiving more than $54 billion over nearly two decades.
Drugmakers Are Abandoning Cheap Generics, and Now US Cancer Patients Can’t Get Meds
Arthur Allen
A quality-control crisis at an Indian pharmaceutical factory has left doctors and their patients with impossible choices as cheap, effective, generic cancer drugs go out of stock.
California’s Homelessness Crisis Is Homegrown, Study Finds
Angela Hart
University of California researchers found at least 90% of adults experiencing homelessness became homeless while living in the state, and many suffer depression and anxiety living without stable housing.
Medical Exiles: Families Flee States Amid Crackdown on Transgender Care
Bram Sable-Smith and Daniel Chang and Jazmin Orozco Rodriguez and Sandy West
As more states restrict gender-affirming care for transgender people, some are relocating to more welcoming destinations, such as California, Illinois, Maryland, and Nevada, where they don't have to worry about being locked out of medical care.
Dementia Can Take a Toll on Financial Health, as Some Families Learn the Hard Way
Sarah Boden, WESA
People with dementia and their families often find themselves with few legal rights when dealing with financial scams or the mismanagement of their assets. Research reveals financial troubles can be both an early sign and a painful symptom of cognitive decline.
Journalists Cover Air Quality, Tick Risks, and … Brazilian Butt Lifts?
KFF Health News and California Healthline staff made the rounds on national and local media this week to discuss their stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.
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