KHN Weekly Edition: Nov. 11, 2022

South Dakota Voters Approved Medicaid Expansion, but Implementation May Not Be Easy
By Arielle Zionts South Dakotans voted to expand the state’s Medicaid program to cover thousands of additional low-income residents. But as other conservative states have shown, voter approval doesn’t always mean politicians and administrators will rush to implement the change.

Homelessness Among Older People Is on the Rise, Driven by Inflation and the Housing Crunch
By Aaron Bolton, MTPR In Montana and across the nation, homeless shelters are reporting that people older than 60 are a growing proportion of their populations.

Fentanyl in High School: A Texas Community Grapples With the Reach of the Deadly Opioid
By Colleen DeGuzman The first fentanyl-related deaths of students in an area south of Austin, Texas, were reported over the summer. The school district, parents, and students are trying to deal with the aftermath.

Stopping the Churn: Why Some States Want to Guarantee Medicaid Coverage From Birth to Age 6
By Phil Galewitz Oregon has become the first state to allow kids to stay in the government health care program from birth to age 6, no matter if their household income changes. California, Washington, and New Mexico are pursuing similar policies.

Abortion Issue Helps Limit Democrats’ Losses in Midterms
By Julie Rovner Although control of Congress was still undecided Wednesday, Republicans seemed poised to take power in the House, while the fate of the Senate remained too close to call. Economic issues were at the top of voters’ minds, but abortion access also played a large role in their decisions.

People With Long Covid Face Barriers to Government Disability Benefits
By Betsy Ladyzhets Some people with long covid have fallen through the cracks of the government’s disability system, which was time-consuming and difficult to navigate even before the pandemic.

Supreme Court to Hear Nursing Home Case That Could Affect Millions
By Farah Yousry, Side Effects Public Media An Indiana man's family sued a state-owned nursing home for alleged mistreatment. A U.S. Supreme Court decision in the case could determine the right of many Americans to sue government agencies.

Journalists Cut Through the Noise, From Open Enrollment to Magic Mushrooms
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.

Post-‘Roe,’ Contraceptive Failures Carry Bigger Stakes
By Sarah Varney Science Friday and KHN ran the numbers on birth control failure. Depending on the contraception method, typical-use error rates can add up to hundreds of thousands of unplanned pregnancies each year.

Election Canvassers Want Latinos to Know Voting Is Good for Their Health
By Bernard J. Wolfson One of the nation’s largest community clinic chains is running a get-out-the-vote campaign in Los Angeles and Orange counties this election, targeting primarily Latino communities, where turnout tends to be low.

Defense Department Health Plan Cuts Its Pharmacy Network by Nearly 15,000 Outlets
By Patricia Kime Many of the pharmacies were small, independent operations that had decided not to participate next year because of the lowered reimbursement being offered. But they were surprised by an early dismissal, and some patients with specialized drug needs could face difficulties in the transition.

Ad Goes Too Far With Claim That Joe Biden Promotes Surgery for Trans Teens
By Blake Farmer, Nashville Public Radio Even some medical experts who are skeptical of gender-affirming care say the White House is not promoting breast removal and genital surgery for teens. But that’s not what an ad, funded by a group led by a former adviser to President Donald Trump, would have you believe.

Pfizer’s Covid Cash Powers a ‘Marketing Machine’ on the Hunt for New Supernovas
By Arthur Allen While sales of its covid vaccines are falling, Pfizer plans to triple the price of the shots and use its bonanza from government contracts to buy and develop new blockbusters.

Listen: With Abortion Rights on the Ballot in Michigan, Women Tell Their Stories
By Kate Wells, Michigan Public Women who need abortion care come to Michigan from surrounding states that already have banned the procedure. A clinic in suburban Detroit allowed a reporter to interview patients, doctors, and nurses to understand what is at stake as voters decide whether to guarantee abortion access in the Michigan Constitution.