Asian Americans Have The Highest Exposure To Forever Chemicals: Study
August 29, 2023
Morning Briefing
A new study found different racial and socioeconomic groups are exposed to varying amounts of PFAS across the U.S., but Asian Americans are the most at risk. Health impacts from wildfire smoke are also in the news, with a report showing exposure in California may be reducing life expectancy.
Viewpoints: Jails Don’t Provide Any Addiction Assistance; Emotional Abuse Is Also Domestic Violence
August 29, 2023
Morning Briefing
Editorial writers discuss drug withdrawal in jail, emotional abuse, AI in healthcare and more.
Morning Briefing for Tuesday, August 29, 2023
August 29, 2023
Morning Briefing
Medicare’s selects 10 drugs to negotiate, Medicaid unwinding, abortion, gun violence, and more are in the news. Plus, a new Bill of the Month.
Diabetes Drugs, Blood Thinner On Medicare’s List Of 10 Meds To Negotiate Prices
August 29, 2023
Morning Briefing
HHS released its list of 10 drugs that will be on the table for the first-ever price negotiations between Medicare and drugmakers. Included in the mix are medications that treat diabetes, autoimmune disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and heart failure. The process is facing multiple court challenges.
Pressure Rises On Biden As Millions, Including Kids, Lose Medicaid
August 29, 2023
Morning Briefing
Congressional Democrats and health advocates are urging the Biden administration to do more to ensure people are protected as nearly 5.5 million are purged from Medicaid rolls, including about 1.1 million kids who have lost health coverage.
Ohio Abortion-Rights Group Sues Over ‘Blatant Inaccuracies’ In Ballot Text
August 29, 2023
Morning Briefing
The lawsuit asks the Ohio Supreme Court either to order the state ballot board to use the full text of a proposed abortion-rights amendment or to fix what they say is intentionally misleading text used in a summary. Other abortion news is from Michigan, Texas, Kentucky, and elsewhere.
More Details Released On Florida Gunman’s Mental Health Past
August 29, 2023
Morning Briefing
Black residents in Jacksonville demanded accountability from Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, who they say has stoked a “war on our community” by pushing for major changes in how African American history is taught and declaring that Florida “is where woke goes to die.”
Vaccine Skepticism Grows As More People Question Rabies Shots For Pets
August 29, 2023
Morning Briefing
Also, CNN reports on changing immunity to covid, and CIDRAP reports that a few more BA.2.86 subvariant detections have been detected and that omicron may be less likely to lead to long covid.
Pfizer’s Tornado-Damaged Plant Likely To Reopen In A Few Months
August 29, 2023
Morning Briefing
The pharmaceutical giant said it has started releasing products from the Rocky Mount, North Carolina, facility that weren’t affected by the July 19 storm. Some of the products Pfizer makes at the plant include anesthesia, painkillers, and anti-infective medicines for use in hospitals.
To Cut Costs, Hospital Systems Are Selling Non-Core Businesses
August 29, 2023
Morning Briefing
Modern Healthcare reports on shrinking hospital systems’ portfolios, contrasting an acquisitive trend over the past two decades. Meanwhile, Oregon’s third-largest city is set to lose its only hospital demonstrating the “fallout of pressured health-care systems across the country,” as Bloomberg says.
Michigan’s Governor Presses To Protect Key ACA Provisions In Law
August 29, 2023
Morning Briefing
Michigan’s Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is set to call on state lawmakers to protect the Affordable Care Act, including provisions for no-cost preventive services. In California, the attorney general filed a lawsuit against a Southern California school district over its parental notification policy for gender issues.
First Edition: Aug. 29, 2023
August 29, 2023
Morning Briefing
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Epidemic: Speedboat Epidemiology
August 29, 2023
Podcast
In Bangladesh, smallpox eradication workers went to great lengths to vaccinate even one person, sometimes traveling by speedboat, crossing rickety bamboo bridges or leech-infested paddy fields. Episode 4 of the “Eradicating Smallpox” podcast is about what it takes to bring care directly to people where they are.
She Paid Her Husband’s Hospital Bill. A Year After His Death, They Wanted More Money.
By Samantha Liss
August 29, 2023
KFF Health News Original
A widow encountered a perplexing reality in medical billing: Providers can come after patients to collect well after a bill has been paid.
Californians Headed to HBCUs in the South Prepare for College Under Abortion Bans
By April Dembosky, KQED
August 29, 2023
KFF Health News Original
As high school graduates prepare to leave states like California that protect abortion rights for historically Black colleges in states where abortion is banned, they’re getting ready to safeguard their reproductive health during college.
Viewpoints: Psychiatrists Are Overwhelmed And Burned Out; Music Has A Powerful Effect On Stress
August 28, 2023
Morning Briefing
Editorial writers discuss psychiatrist overwhelm, music therapy, public health issues and more.
Morning Briefing for Monday, August 28, 2023
August 28, 2023
Morning Briefing
Mental health, gun violence, Medicare drug price negotiations, covid, health worker shortages, opioids, extreme heat, and more are in the news.
Florida Gunman Who Killed 3 Was Once Detained For Mental Health Crisis
August 28, 2023
Morning Briefing
But because Ryan Christopher Palmeter, 21, was not arrested during the previous domestic incident, the Jacksonville sheriff said there was “nothing we could have done to stop him from owning a rifle or a handgun.” Authorities say Palmeter tried and failed to enter a historically Black college before going to a Dollar General store, where he killed three Black people using an AR-15-style rifle.
FAA Investigates 5,000 Pilots Who May Have Concealed Health Conditions
August 28, 2023
Morning Briefing
The Washington Post reports that many pilots are suspected of falsifying records to hide health issues or mental health disorders that could disqualify them from flying.
CMS Readies List Of 10 Drugs That Will Be First In Medicare Price Negotiations
August 28, 2023
Morning Briefing
The agency must identify by Friday the drugs that will be included in the first-ever round of price negotiations with Medicare, though CMS officials have signaled that the list could be published earlier this week. Meanwhile, drugmakers continue to push back.