Weekly Edition: June 15, 2018
How America Got Hooked On A Deadly Drug
Fred Schulte
An inside look at how Purdue Pharma pushed OxyContin despite risks of addiction and fatalities.
Purdue And The OxyContin Files
Purdue Pharma planned an extensive marketing campaign for the launch and promotion of the painkiller OxyContin. Here are Purdue’s internal budget documents from 1996 to 2002 — files released by the Florida attorney general’s office — that detail the company’s early strategy to sell and expand use of the drug.
Medicare Takes Aim At Boomerang Hospitalizations Of Nursing Home Patients
Jordan Rau and Heidi de Marco
One in 5 Medicare patients who leave the hospital for a nursing home end up back in the hospital. To discourage this, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will soon give bonuses and penalties to facilities based on their rehospitalization rates.
Look-Up: Compare Nursing Homes’ Track Records On Boomerang Hospitalizations
Use this tool to see how skilled nursing homes in the U.S. performed on two metrics of quality.
As Medicaid Costs Soar, States Try A New Approach
Phil Galewitz
New programs, known as ACOs, reward hospitals and physician groups that hold down costs by keeping enrollees healthy. The health care providers are asked to address social issues — such as homelessness, lack of transportation and poor nutrition — that can cause and exacerbate health problems.
5 Things To Know About Medicaid Work Requirements
Phil Galewitz
The key issues in play when a U.S. District Court takes up a legal challenge to Kentucky’s Medicaid work requirement on Friday.
Most Texans Want State To Expand Medicaid And Help Poor Get Health Care
Ashley Lopez, KUT
Texans think the Legislature should expand Medicaid to more low-income people and make health care more affordable, according to a survey released today from the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Episcopal Health Foundation.
Podcast: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’ California Here We Come
In this episode of KHN’s “What the Health?” Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Carrie Feibel of KQED San Francisco, Anna Maria Barry-Jester of FiveThirtyEight.com and Joanne Kenen of Politico report from San Francisco on the complicated health politics of the Golden State and the latest news on a lawsuit challenging parts of the Affordable Care Act. Plus, for extra credit, the panelists offer their favorite health stories of the week.
California’s Attorney General Vows National Fight To Defend The ACA
Pauline Bartolone
Xavier Becerra, who is leading an effort by at least 15 states to protect the law, said the Trump Administration's efforts to dismantle it endangers coverage for millions of Americans.
Puerto Rico’s Water System Stutters Back To Normal
Carmen Heredia Rodriguez
Efforts to restore tap water service has been delayed in many rural areas of Puerto Rico, but even in the cities running water can be interrupted by electrical power outages at pumping stations.
That ‘Living Will’ You Signed? At The ER, It Could Be Open To Interpretation.
Judith Graham
End-of-life documents express your preferences for care but may not be binding medical orders. Here’s how to better prepare for the unexpected — that your last wishes won’t be carried out.
The ‘Perfect Storm’: Redirecting Family Planning Funds Could Undercut STD Fight
Michelle Andrews
Some public health officials fear that the Trump administration’s proposals to change how Title X funding is handled may impede the effort to cut the record number of sexually transmitted diseases.
In New Hampshire, Even Mothers In Treatment For Opioids Struggle To Keep Children
Rachel Gotbaum
New Hampshire parents who are trying to overcome opioid abuse face a ticking clock and limited state resources to try to keep their parental rights.
‘Where The Need Is:’ Tackling Teen Pregnancy With A Midwife At School
Selena Simmons-Duffin, NPR
While U.S. teen pregnancy rates overall have trended steadily downward in the past decade, they remain high in some communities, particularly for black and Latina teens. In one part of Washington, D.C., a high school midwife program is a novel approach that's showing promise in tackling the problem.
Poison Ivy, A ‘Familiar Stranger’ That Could Ruin Your Summer
Blake Farmer, Nashville Public Radio
Spotting poison ivy is tricky because it can come in several forms. And bad rashes may need to be treated by a doctor. Warning: This story might make you itch.
When Erratic Teenage Behavior Means Something More
Emily Bazar
Teenagers can be volatile and moody, but there are some specific signs that separate typical adolescent behavior from potentially serious mental health problems.