Weekly Edition April 19, 2019
Must-Reads Of The Week From Brianna Labuskes
By Brianna Labuskes
Newsletter editor Brianna Labuskes wades through hundreds of health articles from the week so you don’t have to.
As Syphilis Invades Rural America, A Fraying Health Safety Net Is Failing To Stop It
By Lauren Weber
Syphilis is spreading from big cities into rural counties across the Midwest and West. One Missouri clinic has seen more than six times as many cases in the first few months of 2019 compared with the same period last year. Communities grappling with budget cuts and crumbling public health infrastructure also lack experience in fighting the disease.
Liver Illness Strikes Latino Children Like A ‘Silent Tsunami’
By Rob Waters
Potentially deadly fatty liver disease, linked to overconsumption of sugar in drinks and food, often starts in childhood. The goal: Get children to change their habits.
Planned Parenthood’s ‘Risky Strategy’ To Update Its Image
By Shefali Luthra and Anna Maria Barry-Jester
The nation’s largest reproductive health services provider is in the midst of a high-stakes effort to showcase what it considers its vital role in providing community health care.
‘Heartbeat Bills’ Give State Lawmakers Pause On Anti-Abortion Tactics
By Blake Farmer, Nashville Public Radio and Jackie Fortiér, StateImpact Oklahoma
Ohio is the latest Republican-led state to pass a ban on abortion once a fetal heartbeat can be detected. But Tennessee last week backed off on a similar bill, fearing costly legal battles. What now?
Mulvaney: Trump Brought Down Drug Prices For The First Time In 50 Years
By Shefali Luthra
It’s "within spitting distance of something that’s true," said one health economist. But our fact check found it wasn't quite there.
Hickenlooper Expanded Medicaid, Created State-Run Marketplace To Insure Nearly All Coloradans
By Julianna Rennie, PolitiFact
We wondered how Colorado’s uninsured rate changed during John Hickenlooper’s time in the governor’s mansion and how it compares with the rest of the country.
Watchdogs Cite Lax Medical And Mental Health Treatment Of ICE Detainees
By Sarah Varney
The Adelanto ICE Processing Center houses nearly 2,000 people in California. Federal, state and watchdog reviews say the Florida-based firm that runs the facility fails to provide adequate health care.
Workplace Wellness Programs Barely Move The Needle, Study Finds
By Julie Appleby
New research published in JAMA detected some changes in healthy behavior like weight and stress, but little overall impact in workers’ health status or employer health care spending.
Podcast: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’ You Have Questions, We Have Answers
Jennifer Haberkorn of the Los Angeles Times, Joanne Kenen of Politico and Kimberly Leonard of the Washington Examiner join KHN’s Julie Rovner to answer listener questions about the fate of the Affordable Care Act, “Medicare-for-all“ and how to talk about health care costs. Also, for extra credit, the panelists offer their favorite “extra credit” stories of the week.
Watch: ACA’s Future And ‘Medicare-For-All’ Front And Center As Candidates Line Up For 2020
Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News talks about the court case challenging the Affordable Care Act and Democratic proposals to expand Medicare on C-SPAN and NPR.
Watch: Price Of A Brace Brings Soccer Player To His Knees
KHN ethnic media editor Paula Andalo appeared on Telemundo, where she offered advice about how to avoid overpaying for medical equipment you may not need.