Weekly Edition July 3, 2019
Have Cancer, Must Travel: Patients Left In Lurch After Hospital Closes
Sarah Jane Tribble and Christopher Smith
As the rural town of Fort Scott, Kan., grapples with the closure of its hospital, cancer patients face new challenges as they try to continue their treatments in different locations.
Dealing With Hospital Closure, Pioneer Kansas Town Asks: What Comes Next?
Sarah Jane Tribble and Christopher Smith
After depending on the local hospital for more than a century, Fort Scott residents now are trying to cope with life without it.
AMA Abortion Lawsuit Puts Doctors In The Thick Of Debate
Julie Rovner
The doctors’ group, which had not been very vocal in recent years on the issue, is taking an assertive stance. The AMA said North Dakota’s laws interfere with doctor-patient relationships.
Democratic Debate Brings ‘Medicare For All’ Divide Into Focus
Florida Is The Latest Republican-Led State To Adopt Clean Needle Exchanges
Sammy Mack, WLRN
Florida has struggled for years with opioid overdoses — and the highest rate of HIV infection in the U.S. Lawmakers now hope needle exchanges and a "harm reduction" approach could help save lives.
Newly Blue Maine Expands Access To Abortion
Patty Wight, Maine Public Radio
After a wave of Democratic women were elected in 2018, Maine joins the handful of states that are shoring up the right to an abortion ahead of expected Supreme Court challenges.
American Medical Students Less Likely To Choose To Become Primary Care Doctors
Victoria Knight
Only 41.5% of internal medicine positions were filled by U.S.-trained fourth-year students getting traditional medical degrees, the lowest share on record. Similar trends were seen this year in family medicine and pediatrics.
State Broadens Investigation Of Doctors For Issuing Questionable Vaccination Exemptions
Barbara Feder Ostrov
The Medical Board of California is investigating at least four doctors for issuing questionable vaccine exemptions for numerous children. The investigations come amid the nation’s worst measles outbreak in more than a quarter-century.
State Lawmakers Eye Federal Dollars To Boost Mental Health Counseling By Peers
Rob Waters
Medicaid pays for mentoring of mental health patients by “peer supporters,” but only if they are state-certified. California is one of two states with no certification program. Legislation pending in Sacramento would change that — if the governor backs it.
Want Ammo? Be Prepared For A Background Check
Ana B. Ibarra
A new law took effect Monday that requires anyone buying ammunition in California to undergo a background check at the time of each purchase. Public health leaders hope this, and other provisions of Proposition 63, will help reduce the rate of gun violence.
KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: All About ‘Medicare for All’
Need to know more about “Medicare for All?” It’s a top issue in the Democratic presidential primary campaign. This holiday week, we are rerunning our explainer on the subject. But first, KHN’s “What the Health?” host Julie Rovner talks to KHN’s Shefali Luthra about how health played out in the first Democratic candidate debates last week.