Weekly Edition: June 12-16, 2017
Descent Into Secrecy: Senate Health Talks Speak To Steady Retreat From Transparency
By Julie Rovner
The Senate’s secret deliberation on the health bill overhaul is part of a long, slow slide away from transparency. And I’m a witness.
People In Recovery Worry GOP Medicaid Cuts Would Put Treatment Out Of Reach
By Ben Allen, WITF
In Pennsylvania alone, 124,000 people received drug or alcohol addiction treatment through Medicaid. Republicans in Congress want to cut Medicaid by as much as $800 billion over the next decade, leaving people in recovery wondering what will happen to their treatment.
Out Of Work And Looking For Insurance: COBRA May Be The Best Bet For Now
By Michelle Andrews
With lots of questions about the 2018 insurance market still in play, someone who is between jobs might want to stick with their job-based insurance at least until the outlines of the health law’s marketplaces are clear in the fall.
Aging
Leaving Hospital, Older Patients Resist Home Help At Their Peril
By Judith Graham
Almost 30 percent of patients leaving the hospital don’t want home health care services, which often leads to readmissions and other health issues.
AARP: States Lag In Keeping Medicaid Enrollees Out Of Nursing Homes
By Phil Galewitz
States are not doing enough to help elderly and disabled Medicaid enrollees receive services in homes and community locations instead of in nursing homes, where care is more expensive, AARP report says.
Public Health
Unable To Arrest Opioid Epidemic, Red States Warm To Needle Exchanges
By Shefali Luthra
The North Carolina Harm Reduction Coalition has advanced a local shift from a tough-on-drugs approach to harm-reduction philosophy. Other red states signal they may follow suit.
Medical Responses To Opioid Addiction Vary By State, Analysis Finds
By Julie Appleby
The study also found that the largest percentage of medical coverage claims related to opioid abuse and dependence nationally come from older patients — those ages 51 to 60.
Seesawing Family Income Threatens Kids’ Medicaid Coverage In Texas
By Shefali Luthra
Critics point to the state’s aggressive eligibility checks as an example of what can go wrong when states have flexibility and add a reason to worry about GOP efforts to overhaul the program.
‘How Long Have I Got, Doc?’ Why Many Cancer Patients Don’t Have Answers
By Liz Szabo
Due to poor doctor-patient communication, most people with advanced cancer don’t know enough about their disease to make vital decisions.
Lead Detected In 20% Of Baby Food Samples, Surprising Even Researchers
By Lydia Zuraw
An analysis by the Environmental Defense Fund found lead more commonly in baby food than in other food. Lead was often present in fruit juice, though the research did not measure the level of contamination.
Long Waits And Long Odds For Those Who Need Social Security Disability
By Alex Smith, KCUR
The U.S. government has been struggling to balance a surge in applicants for disability benefits with shrinking funds. An updated application process could make getting benefits even harder.
Widow Unleashes Court Fight Against Scope Maker Olympus Over Superbug Outbreak
By Chad Terhune and JoNel Aleccia
The Seattle case, the first to reach trial in the U.S., offers possible glimpse into fate of some two dozen lawsuits against manufacturing giant Olympus, accused of failing to address scope contamination linked to numerous deaths. The company faults poor hospital cleaning practices.
Tweet Revenge: Twitter Erupts As Diabetes Forum Tries To Lock Down Photo Sharing
By Emily Kopp
This year’s American Diabetes Association scientific meeting came with a hefty price — a policy of no photography and limits on social media. That did not go over well on Twitter.
Zika In America: One Mother’s Saga
By JoNel Aleccia and Heidi de Marco
So far, 72 affected babies have been born in the continental U.S. One young mother, infected in Mexico last year, and her infant face an uncertain future in rural Washington.
In Texas, Abstinence-Only Programs May Contribute To Teen Pregnancies
By Lauren Silverman, KERA
Across the U.S., the number of teenagers having babies has hit a record low — it’s down to about 1 out of every 45 young women. That trend hasn’t extended to certain parts of Texas, however, where the teen birth rate is still nearly twice the national average.