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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
More Teens Beginning To Show Up In ERs With Covid As School Starts
August 28, 2023
Morning Briefing
CDC data shows that emergency room visits for youths ages 12-15 with covid have doubled over the past week. CIDRAP reports on rising markers for covid activity in the U.S. and around the world.
Over 80% Of Health Care Leaders Say Hiring, Keeping Talent Is A Top Risk
August 28, 2023
Morning Briefing
The same percentage for other industries, Axios says, is about 71%. Meanwhile, clinician burnout remains a problem. In other news: Massachusetts doulas are advocating for higher pay; data breaches affect 350,000 people in Texas; and ransomware hits nurses’ paychecks in Connecticut.
To Tackle Opioid Payouts, Pharma Industry Players Try Bankruptcy
August 28, 2023
Morning Briefing
Drugmaker Mallinckrodt on Monday said the company filed for a second bankruptcy in 3 years in the U.S., which will reduce its debt by about $1.9 billion. And The Wall Street Journal reports that Rite Aid is also preparing bankruptcy filings to address lawsuits over the opioid crisis. Also in the news: drug shortages.
As Wisconsin Supreme Court Goes Liberal, AG Tackles Anti-Abortion Law
August 28, 2023
Morning Briefing
In what’s being called a “seismic shift,” Wisconsin’s Supreme Court flipped to majority liberal, triggering many changes — including efforts by the attorney general to challenge a 19th-century anti-abortion law. And Pennsylvania, Politico reports, may be the next big abortion battleground.
Legal Moves In Texas, Missouri Bring Bans On Trans Youth Care Into Effect
August 28, 2023
Morning Briefing
Meanwhile, the AP reports conservatives are now targeting bans of LGBTQ+ “conversion therapy,” put in place to protect LGBTQ+ adults and kids from the discredited practice. Also in Missouri, the state health department quietly removed youth sexual health, LGBTQ resources from its website.
US Lacks Protections As More Are Hurt, Killed From Extreme Heat At Work
August 28, 2023
Morning Briefing
The AP reports that state and federal agencies are “scrambling” to find ways to tackle the issue of heat-related injuries and deaths among U.S. workers. Shade deserts in many cities are a problem, another report explains. And many schools lack air conditioning.
First Edition: Aug. 28, 2023
August 28, 2023
Morning Briefing
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
More Cities Address ‘Shade Deserts’ as Extreme Heat Triggers Health Issues
By Lauren Peace, Tampa Bay Times and Jack Prator, Tampa Bay Times
August 28, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Where trees are growing — and who has access to their shade — affects health and well-being, especially in one of the hottest states in the country.
A Nanoengineer Teamed Up With Rihanna’s Tattoo Artist to Make Smarter Ink
By Rae Ellen Bichell
August 28, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Tattoos are more popular than ever. About a third of Americans have at least one. A scientist-entrepreneur, together with a celebrity tattoo artist, believes that ink could be doing a lot more.