Weekly Edition April 5, 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.
Exemptions Surge As Parents And Doctors Do ‘Hail Mary’ Around Vaccine Laws
By Barbara Feder Ostrov
In California, medical exemptions to skip childhood vaccinations are on the rise. The trend underlines how hard it is to get parents to comply with vaccination laws meant to protect public safety when a small but adamant population of families and physicians seems determined to resist.
How Easy Are Vaccine Exemptions? Take A Look At The Oregon Model
By JoNel Aleccia
About 95% of parents in Oregon who skip vaccines opt to use the state’s online education tool to print their own exemption certificates.
Popular Weed Killer’s Alleged Link To Cancer Spreads Concern
By Marla Cone
The main ingredient in numerous popular herbicides has been implicated by two juries in the cancers of frequent users, but major public health agencies disagree over whether it is a carcinogen. Can you use it safely in your garden? Here are some answers to questions you may have about the weed killer glyphosate.
On The Border, Volunteer Doctors Struggle To Provide Stopgap Care To Immigrants
By Anna Maria Barry-Jester
As recent arrivals are released from detention with severe medical problems ranging from diarrhea to gaping wounds, a makeshift health system of volunteers is overwhelmed. The work is taking a financial and emotional toll.
Suicide Risk Grew After Missouri Medicaid Kids Shifted To Managed Care, Hospitals Say
By Phil Galewitz
Psychiatric treatment for children in Medicaid managed-care plans in Missouri has declined and suicide risks are up, reveals a study sponsored by the state hospital association.
Elite Hospitals Plunge Into Unproven Stem Cell Treatments
By Liz Szabo
Critics are concerned about the explosion in controversial stem cell procedures offered by clinics — and, increasingly, respected hospitals.
Fixing Surprise Medical Bill Problem Shouldn’t Fall To Consumers, Panel Told
By Rachel Bluth
Though a range of policy solutions have been discussed by Congress, the White House and other experts, a theme of a House subcommittee hearing Tuesday was that providers and insurers are key to correcting the issue.
Finding Homeless Patients A Place To Heal
By Ana B. Ibarra
California hospitals must comply with a new state law that requires them to try to find a safe place for homeless patients upon discharge. But hospitals say doing so isn’t as easy as calling a shelter and securing a cot.
California Hospitals See Massive Surge In Homeless Patients
By Phillip Reese
Homeless patients accounted for about 100,000 visits to California hospitals in 2017, marking a 28% increase from just two years earlier. Health officials attribute the surge to the overall rise in California’s homeless numbers and the large proportion of people living on the streets with mental illness.
Podcast: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’ The GOP’s Health Reform Whiplash
Rebecca Adams of CQ Roll Call, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News and Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss the latest “will they or won’t they?” when it comes to Republicans and comprehensive health reform. Also, a wrap-up of the latest abortion fights in the states and on Capitol Hill. And, another court setback for the Trump administration’s efforts to undermine the Affordable Care Act. Plus, Rovner interviews KHN’s Paula Andalo about the latest “Bill of the Month” feature.
Listen: What’s Up With Trump’s Sudden Turnaround On Health Care?
President Donald Trump promises that Republicans will be the “party of health care” and seeks to have a court overturn the Affordable Care Act. But that leaves some Republican lawmakers nervous about bringing the contentious issue up before the 2020 elections. KHN’s Julie Rovner talks to “Detroit Today” host Stephen Henderson about the implications of the president’s moves.
Readers And Tweeters Chime In On Investigation Of Electronic Health Records
Kaiser Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.