First Year Of Georgia’s Medicaid Work Plan Shows Few Have Coverage
July 15, 2024
Morning Briefing
The only state Medicaid plan with a work requirement is showing cracks after its first year, AP reports: With just 4,300 members, numbers are much lower than officials projected and roughly 100 times fewer than what full Medicaid expansion in Georgia would cover.
Morning Briefing for Monday, July 15, 2024
July 15, 2024
Morning Briefing
Heat health dangers, gun violence and mental health, abortion access, ACOs, doctor pay, immunizations, covid, and more are in the news.
Heat-Related Pavement Burns Rising As Western States Sizzle
July 15, 2024
Morning Briefing
Desert Southwest records more surface burns, but extreme heat can be problematic anywhere.
FBI: ‘No Indication Of Any Mental Health Issues’ For Trump Rally Shooter
July 15, 2024
Morning Briefing
The federal investigation into Thomas Matthew Crooks, who authorities say tried to assassinate former President Donald Trump on Saturday, has not yielded any signs of mental health issues.
Democrats Trying To Woo Latino Men With Once-Taboo Abortion-Rights Talk
July 15, 2024
Morning Briefing
Signs show Latinos’ views have shifted since Roe v. Wade was overturned. “It is about trusting the people that we love to make those decisions for themselves,” one lawmaker said. Meanwhile, Black men remain reluctant to talk about abortion, indicating it’s not the most important issue for them.
Battle Over Medicare’s Physician Pay Rates Might Heat Back Up
July 15, 2024
Morning Briefing
With doctor lobbyists pessimistic that Congress will increase physician pay rates overall, it’s expected that primary care doctors and specialists will be left to duel over the available funds. Other news reports on payments for digital mental health therapies.
Largest Dialysis Providers Under FTC Antitrust Investigation
July 15, 2024
Morning Briefing
The Federal Trade Commission is investigating alleged measures that DaVita and Fresenius Medical Care, the two largest providers in the dialysis industry, have taken to discourage any competition from smaller providers.
ACOs May Get Payment Boost In 2024 Under CMS Proposal
July 15, 2024
Morning Briefing
Though physicians are facing a pay cut under CMS’ 2024 proposals, there is an upside in the plan for providers that participate in Medicare Shared Savings Program accountable care organizations: CMS wants to allow high-performing ACO providers to claim a share of the savings they generate early.
Tennesseans Have No Right To Amend Sex On Birth Certificate, Court Rules
July 15, 2024
Morning Briefing
Long-established policy “predates medical diagnoses of gender dysphoria,” the court says, reasoning it therefore could not have targeted transgender people. Separately, neuroscientists delve into the brain differences between sex and gender.
World Is Still Behind After ‘Historic Backslide’ In Childhood Immunizations
July 15, 2024
Morning Briefing
New data from the World Health Organization and the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund shows that globally, we’ve yet to catch up after the pandemic-era drop in routine childhood shots. Also in the news: a window into the structure of proteins in the brains of those with Alzheimer’s disease; Ozempic’s tie to the risk for cognitive problems; and more.
Viewpoints: Clearing Up IVF Misinformation; Safe Help For Teens Shouldn’t Be So Tricky
July 15, 2024
Morning Briefing
Editorial writers tackle IVF, teen mental health facilities, long covid, and Medicare drug pricing.
First Edition: July 15, 2024
July 15, 2024
Morning Briefing
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Rural Hospitals Built During Baby Boom Now Face Baby Bust
By Tony Leys
July 15, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Fewer than half of rural U.S. hospitals offer labor and delivery services. In some areas, births have dropped by three-quarters since the baby boom’s peak.
California Health Care Pioneer Goes National, Girds for Partisan Skirmishes
By Samantha Young
July 15, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Anthony Wright, a champion for Californians’ health care rights, will take the helm of Families USA in Washington, D.C., where he plans to campaign for more affordable and accessible care nationally. He leaves Health Access California, where he helped outlaw surprise medical billing, require companies to report drug price increases, and cap hospital bills for uninsured patients.
Journalists Discuss FTC and Supreme Court Actions — And What’s Up With the Bird Flu
July 13, 2024
KFF Health News Original
KFF Health News and California Healthline staff made the rounds on national and local media in recent weeks to discuss topical stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.
The Court Case That Could Upend Access To Free Birth Control
By Sam Whitehead
July 12, 2024
KFF Health News Original
A lawsuit winding its way through the courts could undermine the power of federal agencies to mandate the services health insurance providers must cover. And that could threaten access to free birth control for millions of Americans. The case is called Braidwood Management Inc. v. Becerra, and it was brought by plaintiffs looking to strike […]
Viewpoints: Has US Maternal Mortality Rate Been Misreported?; Consolidation In Health Care Is A Bad Deal
July 12, 2024
Morning Briefing
Editorial writers discuss maternal mortality rates, health care consolidation, gender medicine, homelessness, and more.
2,400 Patients At Oregon Hospitals May Have Been Exposed To HIV, Hepatitis
July 12, 2024
Morning Briefing
An anesthesiologist might not have followed infection control practices, officials told AP. Former patients of Providence Willamette Falls Medical Center in Oregon City and Providence Portland Medical Center are being notified to get a blood screen.
Pfizer Plans Clinical Trials For Its Once-A-Day Weight Loss Pill
July 12, 2024
Morning Briefing
A twice-daily version of the drug, named danuglipron, was scrapped late in 2023, but the new drug is now advancing toward clinical trials in a once-daily format.
House Panel Pares And Passes HHS 2025 Budget Along Party Lines
July 12, 2024
Morning Briefing
The proposal includes such Republican priorities as revamping the NIH, protections on limiting abortion access, and trimming Title X family grants. The measure, which still needs full House approval, isn’t likely to pass the Senate in its current form.