KHN Weekly Edition: May 13, 2022

Ripple Effects of Abortion Restrictions Confuse Care for Miscarriages
By Charlotte Huff In Texas, where anyone can face a hefty fine of at least $10,000 if they abet an abortion, medical professionals on the front lines face tough quandaries when treating patients who have a miscarriage, a scenario that could soon play out around the country if abortion restrictions tighten.

1931 State Law Makes Abortion a Felony if ‘Roe’ Falls, Warns Michigan Attorney General
By Kate Wells, Michigan Public Dana Nessel, the Democratic attorney general of Michigan, said she would not have the authority to keep county prosecutors from enforcing the old law. Nessel also discussed the “selective reduction” abortion she had when pregnant with triplets.

Journalists Recap News on Reproductive Health, From the Abortion Debate to C-Sections
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.

Few Eligible Families Have Applied for Government Help to Pay for Covid Funerals
By Blake Farmer, Nashville Public Radio The Federal Emergency Management Agency will reimburse many families up to $9,000 in funeral expenses for loved ones who died of covid-19. But fewer than half of eligible families have applied, while others have run into application problems.

Why Won’t More Older Americans Get Their Covid Booster?
By Liz Szabo Approximately 1 in 3 Americans 65 and older who completed their initial vaccination round still have not received a first booster shot. The numbers dismay researchers, who say the lag has cost tens of thousands of lives.

Is Paxlovid, the Covid Pill, Reaching Those Who Most Need It? The Government Won’t Say
By Hannah Recht Many public health workers are unable to see how many doses of Pfizer’s antiviral treatment are shipped to their communities and cannot tell whether vulnerable residents are filling prescriptions as often as their wealthier neighbors.

Travel Nurses See Swift Change of Fortunes as Covid Money Runs Dry
By Hannah Norman Travel nurse contracts that were plentiful and paid the temporary nurses far more than hospital staff nurses are vanishing. Hospitals nationwide are turning their energies to recruiting full-time people.

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: The Invisible Pandemic
Covid cases are again climbing, but you wouldn’t know it from the behavior of public health and elected officials, much less the general public, all of whom seem to want to put the pandemic in the rearview mirror. Meanwhile, the fallout over the leaked Supreme Court draft opinion on abortion continues even as the Senate fails — again — to muster the votes to write abortion rights into law. Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, and Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Plus, for extra credit, the panelists suggest their favorite health policy stories of the week they think you should read, too.

Senate GOP Puts Up Roadblocks to Bipartisan House Bill for Veterans’ Burn Pit Care
By Michael McAuliff The Senate could start work this week on a bipartisan bill to make it much easier for veterans to get health care and benefits if they get sick from exposure to massive, open-air incineration pits in war zones. The legislation has gained minimal support among Senate Republicans, who say they are concerned about the cost and the ability of Veterans Affairs to handle such a large new mission.

National Addiction Treatment Locator Has Outdated Data and Other Critical Flaws
By Aneri Pattani Three years after a government site launched to connect Americans to treatment, finding addiction care is still a struggle.

The Families of Trans Kids in Texas Consider Their Options Amid Crackdown on Care
By Sandy West After Texas limited transgender medical care for young people, patients are trying to figure out what’s next.

Census Undercount Threatens Federal Food and Health Programs on Reservations
By Carly Graf The 2020 census undercounted people living on Native American reservations. The money for many needed federal aid programs is tied to those population numbers.

Rural California Hatches Plan for Engineered Mosquitoes to Battle Stealthy Predator
By Anna Maria Barry-Jester Tulare County officials hope the region will soon be a testing ground for a new generation of technology in a centuries-old war: Human vs. Mosquito.

Should You Worry About Data From Your Period-Tracking App Being Used Against You?
By Hannah Norman and Victoria Knight After a leaked Supreme Court draft opinion was published May 2 suggesting that Roe v. Wade would soon be overturned, social media users started worrying that their use of period-tracking apps could lead to trouble if they sought an abortion and lived in a state with strict limits or bans on the procedure.