Texas Medical Board Has Yet To Clarify Abortion Rules After Cox Legal Case
December 21, 2023
Morning Briefing
The Texas Tribune notes that even after the complex legal spat over a bid by Kate Cox to end her nonviable pregnancy, which included calls from the state Supreme Court for the Texas Medical Board to offer guidance, the board has yet to do so. Meanwhile, FactCheck.org calls out misleading online info about the high-profile case.
First Edition: December 21, 2023
December 21, 2023
Morning Briefing
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
The Year in Opioid Settlements: 5 Things You Need to Know
By Aneri Pattani
December 21, 2023
KFF Health News Original
In the past year, opioid settlement money has gone from an emerging funding stream for which people had lofty but uncertain aspirations to a coveted pot of billions being invested in remediation efforts. Here are some important and evolving factors to watch going forward.
Inside the Pentagon’s Painfully Slow Effort to Clean Up Decades of PFAS Contamination
By Hannah Norman and Patricia Kime
December 21, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Cost estimates balloon and complications mount as the Defense Department grapples with PFAS pollution at hundreds of its bases and surrounding communities.
Deep Flaws in FDA Oversight of Medical Devices, and Patient Harm, Exposed in Lawsuits and Records
By Fred Schulte and Holly K. Hacker
Illustration by Oona Zenda
December 21, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Thousands of medical devices are sold, and even implanted, with no safety tests.
What a Bison Goring Can Teach Us About Rural Emergency Care
By Arielle Zionts
December 20, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Millions of Americans live in “ambulance deserts” — areas that are more than a 25-minute drive to the nearest emergency medical services (EMS) station. The most rural areas can be more than an hour away from help. These sparsely populated communities can have trouble sustaining ambulance services, if small patient volumes and low reimbursements […]
Though More Need It, Housing Aid Levels Fall To Worrying Lows
December 20, 2023
Morning Briefing
The New York Times reports on safety net loopholes concerning housing aid: Though the number of eligible households for public housing, Section 8, and Housing Choice Vouchers are up by a quarter since 2004, those three federal programs serve 6% fewer households than they did then.
Federal Judge Dismisses Claim Autism And ADHD Are Linked To Tylenol
December 20, 2023
Morning Briefing
The plaintiffs didn’t have evidence to support their claims that Tylenol and generic acetaminophen use during pregnancy raises a child’s risks of the conditions, U.S. District Judge Denise Cote in Manhattan said. Also in the news: a possible longevity breakthrough in new menopause drugs.
Paxlovid Cuts Death Rates In Half When Taken On Day Zero Or 1
December 20, 2023
Morning Briefing
Read recent pharmaceutical developments in KFF Health News’ Prescription Drug Watch roundup.
Perspectives: Ketamine Can Be Both Safe And Dangerous
December 20, 2023
Morning Briefing
Read recent commentaries about pharmaceutical issues.
Viewpoints: Medicaid Unwinding Is Having Grave Effects; FDA Should Be Trusted As Medical Experts
December 20, 2023
Morning Briefing
Editorial writers tackle Medicaid unwinding, Mifepristone, alcohol use, and more.
Morning Briefing for Wednesday, December 20, 2023
December 20, 2023
Morning Briefing
Medicare, covid vaccines, reproductive rights, mental health, rheumatoid arthritis, autism, homelessness, and more are in the news.
Medicare To Bolster Mental Health Services With New Types Of Providers
December 20, 2023
Morning Briefing
Starting Jan. 1, as many as 400,000 marriage and family therapists as well as mental health counselors will be qualified to get Medicare payment for their services. Medicare wants enough to sign up in order to increase mental health care access among aging Americans. Other Medicare news is on hospital prices and hospice payments.
Global Vaccine Program COVAX Will End Dec. 31; Gave Out Nearly 2B Doses
December 20, 2023
Morning Briefing
The program is estimated to have averted at least 2.7 million deaths, the World Health Organization said Tuesday. In other covid news, subvariant JN.1 is on the move, and fast.
California Will Allow Cities To Turn Wastewater Into Drinking Water
December 20, 2023
Morning Briefing
Nothing will change overnight because most projects are years away from completion, the San Francisco Chronicle noted. But the “toilet to tap” process faces hurdles in getting the public to accept it. Water officials noted that the water, which will be given extra treatment, will likely be “better quality water than (many other) drinking water systems are pulling in now.”
Ohio Woman Who Miscarried Charged With Felony, Her Lawyer Says
December 20, 2023
Morning Briefing
Brittany Watts has been charged with felony abuse of a corpse, according to court records filed in Ohio’s Trumbull County. Watts miscarried, passing a nonviable fetus in her home toilet, in a case that’s getting national attention. Other state abortion news comes from Texas, Florida, and elsewhere.
Florida Nursing Student Numbers Rise, But Qualified Applicants Drop: Report
December 20, 2023
Morning Briefing
A health care education crisis in the making is showing up in a report into students enrolling in nursing programs in Florida. Though more are enrolling, colleges and universities are noting a drop in qualified applicants. Also in the news: layoffs at Kaiser Permanente; artificial intelligence in health care; and more.
LA County Pauses Its Plan To Expand Criteria For Forced Medical Detention
December 20, 2023
Morning Briefing
The push to allow more people to be detained against their will by police, crisis teams, and mental health providers is being paused for a confounding reason: The size of the ongoing public crises means that if Senate Bill 43 is implemented, the influx of patients could swamp providers.
First Edition: Dec. 20, 2023
December 20, 2023
Morning Briefing
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
‘I Am Just Waiting to Die’: Social Security Clawbacks Drive Some Into Homelessness
By Fred Clasen-Kelly
December 20, 2023
KFF Health News Original
The Social Security Administration is reclaiming billions of dollars in alleged overpayments from some of the nation’s poorest and most vulnerable, leaving some people homeless or struggling to stay in housing, beneficiaries and advocates say.