KHN Weekly: Sept. 23, 2022
Shattered Dreams and Bills in the Millions: Losing a Baby in America
Lauren Weber
On top of fearing for their children’s lives, new parents of very fragile, very sick infants can face exorbitant hospital bills — even if they have insurance. Medical bills don’t go away if a child dies.
Shift in Child Hospice Care Is a Lifeline for Parents Seeking a Measure of Comfort and Hope
Bernard J. Wolfson and Heidi de Marco
Terminally ill children, unlike adults, can get hospice services while continuing to receive life-extending or curative care. More than a decade after the inception of the federal policy, it is widely credited with improving the quality of life for ailing children and their families, even as some parents find themselves in a painful stasis.
Formula May Be Right for Infants, but Experts Warn That Toddlers Don’t Need It
Christina Szalinski
Sales of formulas designed for toddlers increased in recent years, but health experts warn parents that, generally, once children reach their 1st birthday, they are fine with cow or plant milk and don’t need the expensive, high-calorie products. And doctors say toddler formula should not be given to infants.
Death Is Anything but a Dying Business as Private Equity Cashes In
Markian Hawryluk
Investors are banking on increased demand in death care services as 73 million baby boomers near the end of their lives.
Private Equity Sees the Billions in Eye Care as Firms Target High-Profit Procedures
Lauren Weber
As private equity groups are swarming into aging America’s eye care, the consolidation is costing the U.S. health care system and patients more money.
Clearing Pollution Helps Clear the Fog of Aging — And May Cut the Risk of Dementia
Judith Graham
Two studies published this year provide evidence that older adults’ cognitive health may benefit if air quality is improved.
Buy and Bust: After Platinum Health Took Control of Noble Sites, All Hospital Workers Were Fired
Sarah Jane Tribble
Two Missouri towns are without operating hospitals after private equity-backed Noble Health left both facilities mired in debt, lawsuits, and federal investigations. The hospitals’ new operator, Platinum Health, agreed to buy them in April for $2 and laid off the last employees in early September.
Texas, Battling Teen Pregnancy, Recasts Sex Education Standards
Emmarie Huetteman
As Texas adjusts to a near-total abortion ban, Texas schools are redoubling efforts to end teen pregnancies by enacting new standards for sexual health education. Beyond focusing on abstinence, they are teaching middle schoolers about contraceptives and preventing sexually transmitted infections. But parents must opt in for their children to get the lessons.
Many Refugees Dealing With Trauma Face Obstacles to Mental Health Care
Erica Zurek and Alander Rocha
Refugees are arriving in the U.S. in greater numbers after a 40-year low, prompting some health professionals to rethink ways to provide culturally competent care amid a shortage of mental health services.
Covid Still Kills, but the Demographics of Its Victims Are Shifting
Phillip Reese
Californians were far less likely to die from covid in the first seven months of 2022 than during the first two years of the pandemic. Still, the virus remained among the state’s leading causes of death in July, outpacing diabetes, accidental death, and a host of debilitating diseases. We break down who’s at risk.
Genetic Tests Create Treatment Opportunities and Confusion for Breast Cancer Patients
Michelle Andrews
Doctors are divided on whether blanket testing of breast cancer patients is warranted, since scientists and physicians are sometimes unsure about how to interpret the results.
Centene to Pay $166 Million to Texas in Medicaid Drug Pricing Settlement
Andy Miller and Samantha Young
Texas is at least the 12th state to settle with St. Louis-based Centene Corp. over allegations that it overcharged Medicaid prescription drug programs.
Doctors Rush to Use Supreme Court Ruling to Escape Opioid Charges
Brett Kelman
After a unanimous ruling from the high court, doctors who are accused of writing irresponsible prescriptions can go to trial with a new defense: It wasn’t on purpose.
In Jackson, the Water Is Back, but the Crisis Remains
Renuka Rayasam
Unsafe water and all that comes with it — constant vigilance, extra expenses, and hassle — complicate every aspect of daily life for residents of Jackson, Mississippi. Health advocates say stress exacerbates underlying health problems. That is why a free clinic in one of Jackson’s poorest neighborhoods has been organizing water giveaways for the past year and a half.
Hemp-Derived Delta-8 Skirts Marijuana Laws and Raises Health Concerns
Eric Berger
A cannabis product called delta-8 was made legal when the 2018 Farm Bill legalized hemp. But unlike its cousin CBD, delta-8 has psychoactive properties. And the FDA warns it has “serious health risks.” The agency has received more than 100 reports of bad reactions among people who consumed it.
Opponents of California’s Abortion Rights Measure Mislead on Expense to Taxpayers
Rachel Bluth
California Together, which opposes Proposition 1, warns that taxpayers will pay millions more if the abortion rights constitutional amendment passes because it would attract women from out of state. We take a closer look.
KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Biden Declares the Pandemic ‘Over’
President Joe Biden, in an interview with CBS’ “60 Minutes,” declared the covid-19 pandemic “over,” stoking confusion for members of his administration trying to persuade Congress to provide more funding to fight the virus and the public to get the latest boosters. Meanwhile, concerns about a return of medical inflation is helping boost insurance premiums even as private companies race to get their piece of the health pie. Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico, and Lauren Weber of KHN join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also, for extra credit, the panelists suggest their favorite health policy stories they think you should read, too.
Journalists Look Into Wildfire Trauma and the South’s Monkeypox Response
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.