Weekly Edition: September 7, 2018

A Texas Lawsuit Being Heard This Week Could Mean Life Or Death For The ACA
By Julie Rovner On Wednesday, a federal judge in Fort Worth, Texas, is set to hear arguments from Republican attorneys general who want him to strike down the federal health law and from Democratic counterparts who say the law is constitutional and should remain.

Listen: The GOP Case Against ACA’s Preexisting Condition Protections Begins
Oral arguments got underway in federal court in Fort Worth, Texas, on Wednesday in the lawsuit brought by 20 Republican states seeking to declare the Affordable Care Act unconstitutional.

Podcast: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’ Health Policy Goes To Court
In this episode of KHN’s “What the Health?” Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Mary Agnes Carey of Kaiser Health News, Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times and Alice Ollstein of Politico talk about the latest court challenge to the Affordable Care Act, nomination hearings for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and news from the reproductive health front. Plus, Rovner interviews Chad Terhune about the latest KHN/NPR “Bill of the Month” installment.

Lawmakers Push To Protect Patients And Counter Trump
By Samantha Young California legislators approved some significant health care proposals in their rush to meet the Friday end-of-session deadline. They tackled controversial topics, such as making abortion pills available on college campuses, and adopted measures countering Trump administration attacks on the Affordable Care Act.

Avoidable Sepsis Infections Send Thousands Of Seniors To Gruesome Deaths
By Fred Schulte and Elizabeth Lucas and Joe Mahr, Chicago Tribune No one tracks sepsis cases closely enough to know how often these severe infections turn fatal. But the toll — both human and financial — is enormous, finds an investigation by KHN and the Chicago Tribune.

Look-Up: Infection Risk Factors At Nursing Homes Near You
Sepsis is a potentially life-threatening illness caused by the body’s response to an infection. Explore infection risk factors at nursing homes in your state. This tool tracks infection-related deficiencies and staffing levels for nursing homes that take Medicare and/or Medicaid.

Watch: What Is Sepsis?
What exactly is sepsis, and why is it so dangerous? Who is most vulnerable? And what are the signs? KHN explains in this video.

The High Cost Of Hope: When The Parallel Interests Of Pharma And Families Collide
By Emily Kopp and Jay Hancock Desperate for help in finding a lifesaving drug for a fatal genetic disease, families banded together to fund early research and then worked with drug companies on clinical trials and marketing. Yet, this small patient advocacy group is stunned by pharma’s pricing.

Insulin’s Steep Price Leads To Deadly Rationing
By Bram Sable-Smith, Side Effects Public Media Alec Raeshawn Smith was 23 when diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, and 26 when he died. He couldn't afford $1,300 per month for his insulin and other diabetes supplies. So he tried to stretch the doses.

States Looking To Tax Opioids Pin Hopes On November Elections
By Jay Hancock and Shefali Luthra At least 11 states are going to try to tax opioids despite pushback from pharmaceutical companies.

Giuliani’s Consulting Firm Helped Halt Purdue Opioid Investigation In Florida
By Fred Schulte Post-9/11, Giuliani Partners helped craft a plan that put a halt to a probe into Purdue’s marketing of OxyContin.

Creating Rituals To Honor The Dead At Long-Term Care Facilities
By Judith Graham Death and its companion, grief, are often ignored at nursing homes and assisted living centers. Yet ignoring the loss can lead to depression, staff burnout and other problems.

Assisted Living Kicks Out The Frail ’Cause ‘We Can’t Take Care Of You Any Longer’
By Judith Graham Is there anything families can do to fight these evictions?

Surprise Medical Bills Are What Americans Fear Most In Paying For Health Care
By Jordan Rau Two-thirds of Americans worry about unexpectedly large bills from doctors, hospitals or other medical providers, a poll shows. Four in 10 have received one in the past year.

Crear rituales para honrar a los muertos en los centros de vida asistida
By Judith Graham Nuevos programas de ayuda abordan un problema pocas veces tratado: el dolor de amigos de residencia y personal cuando muere un adulto mayor en un centro de vida asistida.

Low-Income Californians Feel Twice The Burn From Wildfires
By Ana B. Ibarra People living near highways and agricultural and industrial zones get hit with a “double whammy” when smoke blows into their neighborhoods, where the air is often polluted already.