KHN Weekly Edition: Feb. 24, 2023

One Texas Judge Will Decide Fate of Abortion Pill Used by Millions of American Women

Sarah Varney

“What happens in Texas doesn't stay in Texas,” warns an abortion rights advocate bracing for a district judge’s ruling on whether the abortion pill mifepristone was properly authorized by the FDA. His decision could force the medication off the U.S. market.

A Bitter Battle Over the ‘Orphan Drug’ Program Leaves Patients’ Pocketbooks at Risk

Sarah Jane Tribble

Patients who depend upon special drugs to treat rare diseases are caught in the crossfire as drugmakers and the FDA battle over regulations that reward companies for developing treatments for relatively small pools of patients.

Why Do Politicians Weaponize Medicare? Because It Works

Julie Rovner

Politicians are again pointing fingers over who wants to cut Medicare. As past Washington brawls show, the party accused of threatening popular entitlements tends to lose elections — although it’s the beneficiaries relying on lawmakers to fund it who stand to lose the most.

Proposed Medicare Advantage Changes Cannot Accurately Be Called ‘Cuts,’ Experts Say

Madison Czopek, PolitiFact and Yacob Reyes, PolitiFact

CMS advanced two proposed changes that could affect Medicare Advantage plans. One would allow the government to recover past overpayments. As a result, it could reduce those insurers’ profits, leading them to increase enrollees' out-of-pocket costs or reduce benefits. But it's inaccurate to characterize the changes as "cuts."

Senators Have Mental Health Crises, Too

When U.S. Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania checked himself into the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for treatment of depression this month, he got an unusual reaction from his colleagues in Congress: compassion. It’s a far cry from how politicians once kept their mental health issues under wraps at all costs. Meanwhile, GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley is stirring up controversy by proposing that all politicians over age 75 be required to pass a mental competency test to hold office. Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico, Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet, and Rachel Roubein of The Washington Post join KHN chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Plus, for “extra credit,” the panelists suggest health policy stories they read this week that they think you should read, too.

Looming Cuts to Emergency SNAP Benefits Threaten Food Security in Rural America

Jazmin Orozco Rodriguez

In a few weeks, pandemic-era emergency boosts to SNAP benefits, formerly known as food stamps, will be rolled back across 32 states, putting more pressure on food pantries to fill the gaps and exacerbating challenges for rural areas, where a greater share of people are enrolled in the program compared with metro areas.

California Says It Can No Longer Afford Aid for Covid Testing, Vaccinations for Migrants

Don Thompson

Gov. Gavin Newsom is winding down state assistance for health care services to migrants seeking asylum. He’s lobbying the Biden administration to increase aid along the state’s southern border.

In Tennessee, a Medicaid Mix-Up Might Land You on a ‘Most Wanted’ List

Blake Farmer, Nashville Public Radio

Tennessee posts the names and photos of people arrested for alleged Medicaid fraud on a government website and social media. Some people even wind up on a "most wanted" list.

California Dangles Bonuses for Nursing Homes That Add Staff

Samantha Young

Rather than simply reward top-performing facilities, the state’s Medicaid program will hand bonuses to nursing homes — even low-rated ones — for hiring more workers and reducing staff turnover.

Montana Seeks to Insulate Nursing Homes From Future Financial Crises

Keely Larson

Lawmakers are considering creating standards to set Medicaid reimbursement rates. But industry observers wonder whether the move would be too little, too late to bolster a beleaguered industry.

A Law Was Meant to Free Sick or Aging Inmates. Instead, Some Are Left to Die in Prison.

Fred Clasen-Kelly

The First Step Act was supposed to help free terminally ill and aging federal inmates who pose little or no threat to public safety. But while petitions for compassionate release skyrocketed during the pandemic, judges denied most requests.

States Seek Crackdown on Toxic Ingredients in Cosmetics to Close Gaps in Federal Oversight

Michael Scaturro

Washington state regulators found formaldehyde, lead, and arsenic in lipstick, powder foundations, skin lotions, and hair products marketed to and popular with women of color. Now legislators there are seeking to ban the products and, like at least a dozen other states, make up for lax federal rules.

Cleanup Workers Got Sick After Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. They Want BP to Pay.

Christopher O’Donnell, Tampa Bay Times and Max Chesnes, Tampa Bay Times

After the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2020, Rodney Boblitt's job was to patrol a 14-mile stretch of coastline in the Florida Panhandle looking for signs of oil washing ashore. Today, the 54-year-old is among thousands of other cleanup workers who are experiencing health issues and suing BP. But proving their health conditions were caused by the oil has been challenging.

Listen to the Latest ‘KFF Health News Minute’

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

Journalist Angela Hart Furnishes Framework on Homelessness in California

KHN 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.

California dice que ya no puede costear las pruebas de covid ni las vacunas para los migrantes

Don Thompson

El estado mantiene tres centros de recursos sanitarios —dos en el condado de San Diego y uno en el condado de Imperial— que realizan pruebas y vacunaciones contra covid y otros exámenes de salud, y han atendido a más de 300,000 migrantes desde abril de 2021.

Fin de beneficios extra de SNAP por la pandemia amenazan la seguridad alimentaria en zonas rurales

Jazmin Orozco Rodriguez

Un mayor porcentaje de personas depende de SNAP en áreas rurales en comparación con las áreas metropolitanas. Y esas zonas ya tienen tasas más altas de inseguridad alimentaria y de pobreza.

Ante vacío federal, estados promueven leyes duras contra el uso de sustancias tóxicas en cosméticos

Michael Scaturro

Las hispanas y asiáticas han informado que usan más cosméticos en general que las mujeres negras y blancas no hispanas.