Longer Looks: Interesting Reads You Might Have Missed
June 16, 2023
Morning Briefing
Each week, KFF Health News finds longer stories for you to enjoy. This week’s selections include stories on the medical profession, wheelchairs, cancer, grief, and more.
Biden Admin Emphasizes Youth Mental Health Services In Letter To Governors
June 16, 2023
Morning Briefing
With Congress unlikely to pass new gun safety legislation, the Biden administration is making an effort to bolster access to mental health services for young people, particularly those affected by gun violence, Bloomberg reports. Meanwhile, Texas bans trans athletes from college sports.
More Americans With HIV Hit By Rare Meningococcal Infections Last Year
June 16, 2023
Morning Briefing
New data from the CDC show nearly 10% of all meningococcal disease cases in 2022 were among people with HIV. Other news covers links between alcohol consumption and 61 different diseases, a marijuana product recall over salmonella contamination, and more.
Upper-Midwest Air Quality Alerts Triggered By Canadian Smoke Plumes
June 16, 2023
Morning Briefing
Worsened air quality is expected across parts of the U.S. as potentially unhealthy smoke from the ongoing wildfires in Canada again swirls. Also in environmental health news: fluoride in Boston drinking water, West Nile virus in Nevada mosquitoes, and more.
Using BMI Is Pervasive in Health Care. Moving Away Will Take Time, Experts Warn.
June 16, 2023
Morning Briefing
While the American Medical Association has now moved to displace body mass index as a metric for obesity, BMI is enmeshed throughout medicine — including insurance matters. In other news, more teens with severe obesity are turning to surgery and weight loss drugs.
Morning Briefing for Friday, June 16, 2023
June 16, 2023
Morning Briefing
Updating the covid booster, naloxone pricing, hospital profits, abortion trends, BMI, mental health, and more. Plus, weekend reads.
Controversial Covid Lab Leak Theory Reenergized By Claims Of ‘Patients Zero’
June 16, 2023
Morning Briefing
A report in Forbes shines a new light on the controversial theory that covid leaked from a research facility in Wuhan, China: This time it’s alleged via info from multiple “anonymous sources inside the U.S. government” that scientists at the facility were the first to be infected. Other news outlets also discuss the topic.
Elective Surgeries And Hospital Profits Rise, But Supply Chain Still A Problem
June 16, 2023
Morning Briefing
Revenues appear to be up as more patients receive care, and many patients are scheduling non-urgent surgeries such as knee replacements that had been postponed during the pandemic. However, the supply chain shortages that have forced many health systems to cancel procedures will likely continue into 2024.
Supreme Court Rejects Challenge To Native American Adoption Rights Law
June 16, 2023
Morning Briefing
News outlets report on a Supreme Court ruling rejecting a challenge to the Indian Child Welfare, which ABC News says has long been hailed by tribes for giving priority to Native American families for adopting Native children. Black maternal mortality, and breastfeeding are also in the news.
Long Waits, Far Travel: Survey Shows State-By-State Abortion Trends
June 16, 2023
Morning Briefing
A national research project collecting statistics from every U.S. abortion clinic finds that nationwide legal abortion dropped by nearly 25,000 in the first 9 months after the Dobbs decision, while increasing in states where the procedure remains legal, FiveThirtyEight reports. From the states, a decision is expected soon from the Iowa Supreme Court on that state’s 6-week ban.
Groups Battling High Naloxone Pricing Not Invited To White House Summit
June 16, 2023
Morning Briefing
Two prominent organizations advocating for more affordable pricing for overdose-reversal medications are conspicuously missing from the White House guest list for its Tuesday “naloxone summit,” Stat reports. Also, find out how much cities and counties are expected to receive from opioid settlements with some pharmaceutical companies.
FDA Panel: Fall’s Covid Boosters Should Be Modified To Target XBB Variant
June 16, 2023
Morning Briefing
The FDA’s panel of vaccine experts unanimously recommended that the next round of covid boosters be updated to target the XBB strain. As the FDA next determines which strain to include, Pfizer says it can more rapidly modify its shot for XBB.1.5, but that others would take longer.
First Edition: June 16, 2023
June 16, 2023
Morning Briefing
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations. Note to readers: KFF Health News’ First Edition will not be published on Monday, June 19, in observance of Juneteenth. Look for it again in your inbox on June 20.
What One Hospital’s Slow Recovery From a Cyberattack Means for Patients
By Farah Yousry, Side Effects Public Media
June 16, 2023
KFF Health News Original
U.S. hospitals have seen a record number of cyberattacks over the past few years. Getting hacked can cost a hospital millions of dollars, expose patient data, and even jeopardize patient care.
Find Out How Much Opioid Settlement Cash Your Locality Received
By Aneri Pattani
June 16, 2023
KFF Health News Original
You can use documents obtained by KFF Health News to see the exact dollar amounts that local governments in your state have been allocated in 2022 and 2023.
California Schools Start Hatching Heat Plans as the Planet Warms
By Calli McMurray
June 16, 2023
KFF Health News Original
State researchers offer recommendations on how schools can become more heat-resilient in the face of global warming. Proposed changes to state law could make it easier to build shade structures.
Opioid Settlement Payouts to Localities Made Public for First Time
By Aneri Pattani
June 16, 2023
KFF Health News Original
KFF Health News obtained documents showing the exact dollar amounts — down to the cent — that local governments have been allocated in 2022 and 2023 to battle the ongoing opioid crisis.
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Slow Your Disenroll
June 15, 2023
Podcast
More than a million Americans have lost Medicaid coverage since pandemic protections ended. The Biden administration is asking states to slow disenrollment, but that does not mean states must listen. Meanwhile, a Supreme Court decision gives Medicaid beneficiaries the right to sue over their care, and a new deal preserves coverage of preventive services nationwide as a Texas court case continues. Rachel Cohrs of Stat, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, and Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call join KFF Health News’ Mary Agnes Carey to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner interviews Dan Mendelson, CEO of Morgan Health, a new unit of JPMorgan Chase, about employers’ role in insurance coverage.
Montana 6-15
June 15, 2023
Morning Briefing