Weekly Edition: September 6, 2019
Starving Seniors: How America Fails To Feed Its Aging
Laura Ungar and Trudy Lieberman
One out of every 13 older Americans struggles to find enough food to eat while the federal program intended to help hasn’t kept pace with the graying population.
Watch: Five Things To Know About Hunger Among America’s Aging
One out of every 13 seniors in America struggles to get enough food to eat while the federal program intended to help hasn’t kept pace with the graying population. KHN Midwest editor/correspondent Laura Ungar explains what you need to know about this largely hidden problem.
Firing Doctor, Christian Hospital Sets Off National Challenge To Aid-In-Dying Laws
JoNel Aleccia and Heidi de Marco
In Colorado case, the right to aid a cancer patient’s death runs up against faith-based hospital policies. As more states have passed laws, about 1 in 6 acute care beds nationally is in a hospital that is Catholic-owned or -affiliated.
A Young Woman, A Wheelchair And The Fight To Take Her Place At Stanford
Jenny Gold and Heidi de Marco
Throughout her young life, Sylvia Colt-Lacayo has been told her disability didn’t need to hold her back. She graduated near the top of her high school class. She was co-captain of the mock trial team. In April, she learned she had been admitted to Stanford University with a full scholarship. Now, the struggle to fund the caregivers she needs to leave home is proving her toughest battle yet.
California Tries Again To Make Medication Abortions Available At Its Colleges
April Dembosky, KQED
A proposed state law would require on-campus health centers to provide students with the medicines that allow them to end an unwanted pregnancy. Former Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed a similar bill last year, but Gov. Gavin Newsom has said he would sign it.
Back To School 2019: Backpack, Lunchbox And A Drug Test
Laura Ungar
As schools begin a new year, more districts will test students as young as 11 for illicit drug use even as other drug prevention efforts are scaled back. More than 1 in 3 school districts nationwide give students drug tests.
As Measles Outbreak Fades, N.Y. Sets In Motion New Rules On School Vaccinations
Michelle Andrews
New York, where nearly 900 people contracted measles this year, has enacted contentious requirements for immunizations.
California Lawmakers Send Contested Vaccine Bill To Governor. Will He Sign It?
Ana B. Ibarra
The state Senate on Wednesday sent a measure to Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom that would tighten the rules for children’s medical exemptions from vaccines. Newsom, who said in June that he would sign the measure after amendments had been made at his request, now wants more changes.
How To Get Bargain Dentistry And A Vacation To Boot
Mike Salmon
Dentistry in the U.S. can get expensive, even with good insurance. So more people are taking a trip to beautiful Costa Rica to cut the dentistry bill — and perhaps get a tan.
Groupons For Medical Treatment? Welcome To Today’s U.S. Health Care
Lauren Weber
Groupon and other deal sites are the latest marketing tactic in medicine, offering bargain prices but potentially unnecessary, duplicative services.
Analysis: How Your Beloved Hospital Helps To Drive Up Health Care Costs
Elisabeth Rosenthal
It’s easy to criticize pharmaceutical and insurance companies. But we spend much more on hospitals.
Trump Promises ‘Phenomenal’ Health Plan. What Might That Mean?
Julie Appleby
In the background, advisers weigh the risks of rolling out a comprehensive health care proposal. Peering into the crystal ball, here’s a glimpse of what could be included in the GOP plan.
How Political Maneuvering Derailed A Red State’s Path To Medicaid Expansion
Lauren Weber
When Kansas elected Laura Kelly as governor, Medicaid expansion looked like a shoo-in, with seemingly broad support across state government. It didn’t happen. A look at conservatives’ new health care playbook and the politics of obstruction. Health care for 130,000 Kansans hangs in the balance.
Americans More Likely Than Swedes To Fill Prescriptions For Opioids After Surgery
Julie Appleby
New research published in JAMA Network Open quantified for the first time international differences in doctors’ prescribing habits and patients’ use of these highly addictive painkillers.
Listen: India Gives Opioid Makers A Huge And Growing New Market
KHN's Sarah Varney discussed opioid painkillers in India with NPR's Rachel Martin on "Morning Edition" Thursday.
KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: Waiting For The Trump Health Plan
President Donald Trump keeps promising a new health plan, but so far it’s nowhere to be seen. Meanwhile, Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is proposing a plan to cancel billions of dollars in medical debt owed by patients. This week, Stephanie Armour of The Wall Street Journal, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico and Kimberly Leonard of the Washington Examiner join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Rovner also interviews KHN’s Rachel Bluth about the latest “Bill of the Month” feature. Plus, for “extra credit,” the panelists recommend their favorite health stories of the week.