KFFHN Weekly: Oct. 11, 2024
Even Political Rivals Agree That Medical Debt Is an Urgent Issue
Noam N. Levey
In red and blue states, state lawmakers from both parties are expanding protections for patients burdened by medical debt.
Is There a Cure for Racism?
Cara Anthony
In the finale of “Silence in Sikeston,” Black residents organize a Juneteenth barbecue. The Department of Public Safety chief encourages officers to attend to build trust. But improving relations between Sikeston’s Black community and the police won’t be easy. Host Cara Anthony discusses the possibility of institutional change in Sikeston.
Watch: ‘Breaking the Silence Is a Step’ — Beyond the Lens of ‘Silence in Sikeston’
Cara Anthony
KFF Health News Midwest correspondent Cara Anthony discusses her reporting for the “Silence in Sikeston” multimedia project, which explores the impact of a 1942 lynching and a 2020 police killing on a rural Missouri community — and what it led her to learn about her own family’s past.
A Boy’s Bicycling Death Haunts a Black Neighborhood. 35 Years Later, There’s Still No Sidewalk.
Renuka Rayasam and Fred Clasen-Kelly
John Parker was in first grade when he was struck by a pickup truck driving on Durham’s Cheek Road, which lacks sidewalks to this day. Neighborhoods with no sidewalks, damaged walkways, and roads with high speed limits are concentrated in Black neighborhoods, research finds.
Asian Health Center Tries Unconventional Approach to Counseling
Sarah Kwon
Facing a dire shortage of bilingual and culturally attuned therapists, an Oakland, California, community clinic serving Asian immigrants has trained staffers in a victim support unit to provide lay counseling.
FDA’s Promised Guidance on Pulse Oximeters Unlikely To End Decades of Racial Bias
Arthur Allen
For decades, the pulse oximeters used in hospitals, ambulances, and homes have underestimated the oxygen needs of darker-skinned patients. The FDA is preparing guidelines to fix that. But will the new rules go far enough?
Extended-Stay Hotels, a Growing Option for Poor Families, Can Lead to Health Problems for Kids
Andy Miller and Renuka Rayasam
Extended-stay hotels are often a last resort for low-income families trying to avoid homelessness. But hotel living can lead to — or exacerbate — various physical and mental health issues for children, say advocates for families and researchers who study homelessness.
Colorado’s Naloxone Fund Is Drying Up, Even as Opioid Settlement Money Rolls In
Claire Cleveland
Since Colorado created a pool of money to pay for naloxone in 2019, it has distributed more than half a million doses of the opioid reversal drug to hundreds of organizations throughout the state. Now, its main funding stream is drying up.
Poppy Seed Brew Triggers Morphine Overdose, Drawing Attention of Lawmakers
David Hilzenrath and Lydia Zuraw
Poppy seeds contaminated with opioids can be used to make a deadly brew, a watchdog says.
Watch: Biggest Dangers and Health Concerns From Hurricane Milton
Céline Gounder
KFF Health News' Céline Gounder shares advice on how to prepare before a hurricane.
Older Men’s Connections Often Wither When They’re on Their Own
Judith Graham
Older men who find themselves living alone tend to have fewer close personal relationships than older women. They’re vulnerable, physically and emotionally, but often reluctant to ask for help.
Catholic Hospital Offered Bucket, Towels to Woman It Denied an Abortion, California AG Said
Molly Castle Work
In California, where abortion rights are guaranteed, there’s a loophole. The growth of Catholic hospital systems, which restrict reproductive health care, has left patients with no other option for care. That will be the case for pregnant women in Northern California, with a hospital set to close its birth center.
Happening in Springfield: New Immigrants Offer Economic Promise, Health System Challenges
Stephanie Armour
Donald Trump put Springfield, Ohio, in a harsh spotlight by spreading misinformation about its legal Haitian population. But what is really happening in this small city is a microcosm of the health care challenges immigration hot spots throughout the country are facing.
Employers Haven’t a Clue How Their Drug Benefits Are Managed
Arthur Allen
The Big Three pharmacy benefit managers say they return nearly all the rebates they get from drugmakers to the employers and insurers who hire them. But most employers seem to doubt that.
What’s New and What To Watch For in the Upcoming ACA Open Enrollment Period
Julie Appleby
This year’s start date in most states is Nov. 1, and consumers may encounter new scams as well as important rule changes.
Montana Looks To Fast-Track Medicaid Access for Older Applicants
Katheryn Houghton
As Montana’s population ages, providers serving low-income seniors say more people aren’t getting the care they need as they wait to get on Medicaid. Montana lawmakers are considering creating a shortcut to that care.
Abortion Emerges as Most Important Election Issue for Young Women, Poll Finds
Alex Wayne and Rebecca Adams
A KFF survey found significant shifts among women voters since late spring — all in favor of Vice President Kamala Harris.
Yet Another Promise for Long-Term Care Coverage
As part of her presidential campaign, Vice President Kamala Harris has rolled out a plan for Medicare to provide in-home long-term care services. The proposal would fill a longtime need for families trying to simultaneously care for young children and older parents, but its enormous price tag makes it a promise unlikely to be fulfilled. Meanwhile, a growing number of Republican candidates up and down the ballot facing voter backlash over their support for abortion restrictions are trying to reinvent their positions. Shefali Luthra of The 19th, Jessie Hellmann of CQ Roll Call, and Joanne Kenen of Johns Hopkins University and Politico join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, excerpts from a KFF lunch with “Shark Tank” panelist and generic drug discounter Mark Cuban, who has been consulting with the Harris campaign about health care issues.
The Health of the Campaign
The 2024 presidential race is taking on a familiar tone — with Democrats accusing Republicans of wanting to ban abortion and repeal the Affordable Care Act and Republicans insisting they have no such plans. Voters will determine whom they believe. Meanwhile, for the second time in a month, a state judge overturned an abortion ban, but few expect the decision to settle the matter. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call, and Anna Edney of Bloomberg News join KFF Health News chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KFF Health News’ Lauren Sausser, who reported and wrote the latest KFF Health News-Washington Post “Bill of the Month,” about a teenage athlete whose needed surgery lacked a billing code.
‘Baby Steps’ in the Fight Against Facility Fees
Dan Weissmann
An extra $99 fee on top of a copay for a checkup didn’t sit right with a listener. Turns out, state legislators across the country aren’t buying it either.
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