KFF Health News Weekly Edition: March 8, 2024

Biden Said State of the Union Is Strong and Made Clear His Campaign Is Off and Running
By KFF Health News and PolitiFact staffs President Joe Biden used his roughly 68-minute address to Congress to counter lackluster public approval ratings and draw clear contrasts between his administration’s policies and those of Donald Trump and some congressional Republicans. Abortion and health care were in the spotlight.

KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': The State of the Union Is … Busy
At last, Congress is getting half of its annual spending bills across the finish line, albeit five months after the start of the fiscal year. Meanwhile, President Joe Biden delivers his annual State of the Union address, an over-the-counter birth control pill is (finally) available, and controversy erupts over new public health guidelines for covid-19 isolation. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet, and Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Neera Tanden, the White House domestic policy adviser, about Biden’s health agenda. Plus, for “extra credit,” the panelists suggest health policy stories they read this week that they think you should read, too.

Biden’s Got a Taker for One of His Gun Safety Proposals: California
By Samantha Young California could give President Biden a political win this year on gun violence. State senators passed sweeping legislation in January that would toughen gun storage requirements, embracing a White House priority that has languished in Congress. Many states, including California, have laws in place requiring gun owners to securely store their firearms when children are […]

Biden Team, UnitedHealth Struggle to Restore Paralyzed Billing Systems After Cyberattack
By Darius Tahir and Bernard J. Wolfson and Daniel Chang The cyberattack on a unit of UnitedHealth Group’s Optum division is the worst on the health care industry in U.S. history, hospitals say. Providers struggling to get paid for care say the response by the insurer and the Biden administration has been inadequate.

VIP Health System for Top US Officials Risked Jeopardizing Care for Soldiers
By David Hilzenrath The historically troubled White House Medical Unit is just one part of a government health system that gives VIP care to top officials, military officers, military retirees, and families. Pentagon investigators say some were prioritized over rank-and-file soldiers.

California May Face More Than $40M in Fines for Lapses in Prison Suicide Prevention
By Don Thompson A court expert reported that California prisons continue to lag on 14 of 15 suicide prevention measures, and even regressed in some areas. The state could face more than $40 million in fines after a federal judge warned more than a year ago that she would impose penalties for each violation.

When It Comes to Ketamine, Meta’s Posting Policy Is No Party to Decipher
By Darius Tahir Despite growing awareness that the party drug is dangerous, the social media company is open to promotion of the drug in treating mental health.

Operating in the Red: Half of Rural Hospitals Lose Money, as Many Cut Services
By Jazmin Orozco Rodriguez A recent report finds half of America’s rural hospitals are losing money, and many are struggling to stay open. Researchers and advocates worry the hospitals’ financial spiral will have immediate and long-term health effects on their communities.

Biden Is Right. The US Generally Pays Double That of Other Countries for Rx Drugs.
By Samantha Putterman, PolitiFact Research has consistently found that, overall, U.S. prescription drug prices are significantly higher, sometimes two to four times as high, compared with prices in other high-income industrialized countries. However, some market factors can obscure actual prices, making comparisons harder.

Why Even Public Health Experts Have Limited Insight Into Stopping Gun Violence in America
By Christine Spolar Illustration by Oona Zenda After the 1996 Dickey Amendment halted federal spending on research into firearms risks, a small group of academics pressed on, with little money or political support, to document the nation’s growing gun violence problem and start to understand what can be done to curb the public health crisis.

Why Hospitals in Many States With Legal Abortion May Refuse To Perform Them
By Rachana Pradhan Many states that tout themselves as protectors of reproductive health care, including California, Michigan and Pennsylvania, have little-noticed laws on the books protecting hospitals that refuse to provide it. The laws shield at least some hospitals from liability for not providing care they object to on religious grounds, leaving little recourse for patients. The providers — many of them […]

Whistleblower Accuses Aledade, Largest US Independent Primary Care Network, of Medicare Fraud
By Fred Schulte A recently unsealed lawsuit alleges Aledade Inc. developed billing software that boosted revenues by making patients appear sicker than they were.

Statistical Models vs. Front-Line Workers: Who Knows Best How to Spend Opioid Settlement Cash?
By Aneri Pattani A mathematical model designed to direct spending of opioid settlement funds is at the center of a debate over whether to invest in technology to guide long-term decisions or focus on the immediate needs of people in addiction.

California Pushes to Expand the Universe of Abortion Care Providers
By Laurie Udesky A new California law allows trained physician assistants, also called physician associates, to perform first-trimester abortions without the presence of a supervising doctor. The legislation is part of a broader effort by the state to expand access to abortion care, especially in rural areas. Some doctor groups are wary.

America Worries About Health Costs — And Voters Want to Hear From Biden and Republicans
By Julie Appleby and Phil Galewitz The presidential election is likely to turn on the simple question of whether Americans want Donald Trump back in the White House. But health care tops the list of household financial worries for adults from both parties.

Journalists Examine Medicaid Unwinding, Farmworkers’ Mental Health, and the Big Opioid Payback
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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