KHN Weekly Edition: April 28, 2023

Expectant Mom Needed $15,000 Overnight to Save Her Twins
By Renuka Rayasam Doctors rushed a pregnant woman to a surgeon who charged thousands upfront just to see her. The case reveals a gap in medical billing protections for those with rare, specialized conditions.

As US Life Expectancy Falls, Experts Cite the Health Impacts of Incarceration
By Fred Clasen-Kelly In a nation with one of the highest incarceration rates in the world, imprisonment speeds the aging process, research shows. Some experts complain the federal government isn’t collecting or releasing data that could identify disease patterns and prevent deaths.

How One Patient’s Textured Hair Nearly Kept Her From a Needed EEG
By Tarena Lofton Illustration by Oona Zenda An EEG can help diagnose conditions like epilepsy, sleep disorders, and brain tumors. But a design flaw and outdated Eurocentric practices make the test less effective on thicker, denser, and curly hair types, potentially excluding or deterring some people from getting screened.

How a 2019 Florida Law Catalyzed a Hospital-Building Boom
By Phil Galewitz and Lauren Sausser and Daniel Chang In Wesley Chapel, Fla., near Tampa, residents will soon have three general hospitals within a five-minute drive. The new construction is part of a hospital-building boom across Florida unleashed almost four years ago, when the state dropped a requirement that companies obtain government approval to open new hospitals.

As Federal Emergency Declaration Expires, the Picture of the Pandemic Grows Fuzzier
By Sam Whitehead The pandemic gave federal officials expanded power to access crucial data about the spread of covid-19, but that authority will change when the public health emergency sunsets in May. That, along with the end of popular covid trackers, will make it harder for policymakers and the public to keep an eye on covid and other threats.

Disability Rights Groups Sue to Overturn California’s Physician-Assisted Death Law
By Don Thompson Disability rights advocates and two individuals with disabilities sued Tuesday to overturn the state's physician-assisted death law, arguing it is unconstitutional, violates the Americans with Disabilities Act, and makes it too easy for people with terminal diseases whose deaths aren't imminent to kill themselves with a doctor's help.

KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Dancing Under the Debt Ceiling
House Republicans passed their plan to raise the nation’s debt ceiling, along with major cuts to health (and other domestic) programs. Unlikely to become law, it calls for new work requirements for adults on Medicaid. Meanwhile, state efforts targeting trans people bear a striking resemblance to the fight against abortion rights. Jessie Hellmann of CQ Roll Call, Shefali Luthra of The 19th, and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet join KFF Health News chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Renuka Rayasam, who reported the latest KFF Health News-NPR “Bill of the Month” feature, about a specialist’s demand to be paid as much as $15,000 before treating a woman’s serious pregnancy complication.

How to Grow Your Social Network as You Age
By Judith Graham As your circle of close friends shrinks, there are ways to rebuild — but not replace — the social network you had when you were younger.

Some Private Companies Charge Hefty Fees to Help Veterans With Disability Claims
By Michelle Andrews Unaccredited companies promise to help veterans file for disability benefits. But unlike the thousands of service representatives who have been vetted and approved by the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide aid, these “medical consultants” or “coaches” operate with no restrictions on how much they can charge.

Did a Military Lab Spill Anthrax Into Public Waterways? New Book Reveals Details of a US Leak
By Alison Young “Pandora’s Gamble” describes how 2,000 to 3,000 gallons of wastewater potentially containing anthrax, Ebola, and other deadly pathogens spilled from an Army facility in Frederick, Maryland, in 2018.

Depressed? Anxious? Air Pollution May Be a Factor
By Jim Robbins Illustration by Oona Zenda A growing body of research is finding links between air quality and mental health, as therapists report seeing patients with symptoms linked to pollution.

Pain, Hope, and Science Collide as Athletes Turn to Magic Mushrooms
By Markian Hawryluk and Kevin Van Valkenburg, ESPN A group of former professional athletes traveled to Jamaica to try psychedelics as a way to help cope with the aftereffects of concussions and a career of body-pounding injuries. Will this still largely untested treatment work?

US Officials Want to End the HIV Epidemic by 2030. Many Stakeholders Think They Won’t.
By Daniel Chang and Sam Whitehead The federal government’s ambitious plan to end the HIV epidemic, launched in 2019, has generated new ways to reach at-risk populations in targeted communities across the South. But health officials, advocates, and people living with HIV worry significant headwinds will keep the program from reaching its goals.

Montana Considers Requiring Insurance to Cover Fertility Preservation for Cancer Patients
By Keely Larson Young cancer patients must act quickly to preserve their sperm and eggs once they get their diagnosis, and many can’t afford the cost.

Readers and Tweeters Defend the Rights of Adults With Disabilities
KFF Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.

A California Physician Training Program Adds Diversity, but Where Do Graduates End Up?
By Stephanie Stephens Researchers found that, while a University of California medical training program has diversified the system’s pool of medical students, there’s not enough long-term data to know whether graduates return to practice where they’re needed most.

Listen: Mifepristone Remains Available for Now. What Happens Next?
The Supreme Court on April 21 ruled that the abortion pill mifepristone should remain widely available while the lower courts consider the issue, blocking earlier rulings that banned or restricted access to the drug. KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner joined NPR’s “Weekend All Things Considered” to discuss the complicated case.

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