After Institutions for People With Disabilities Close, Graves Are at Risk of Being Forgotten
By Tony Leys
November 21, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Thousands of people with disabilities lived and died in state institutions. Now, decades after the facilities began closing, the cemeteries left behind are at risk of falling into disrepair.
California Sets 15% Target for Primary Care Spending Over Next Decade
By Vanessa G. Sánchez
November 21, 2024
KFF Health News Original
The state Office of Health Care Affordability has set a goal for insurers to direct 15% of their spending to primary care by 2034, part of a push to expand preventive care services. Health plans say it’s unclear how the policy will mesh with the state’s overarching goal to slow spending growth.
Washington Power Has Shifted. Here’s How the ACA May Shift, Too.
By Stephanie Armour Sam Whitehead Julie Rovner
Updated November 22, 2024
Originally Published November 21, 2024
KFF Health News Original
With a new Trump administration poised to move into the White House and Republicans set to control both chambers of Congress, party leaders are making a to-do list for the Affordable Care Act.
El poder en Washington ha cambiado. ACA podría cambiar también
By Stephanie Armour Sam Whitehead Julie Rovner
November 21, 2024
KFF Health News Original
El futuro gobernante prepara el terreno para hacer cambios potencialmente sísmicos que podrían limitar la expansión de Medicaid, aumentar la tasa de personas sin seguro, debilitar las protecciones para los pacientes y elevar los costos de las primas para millones de personas.
Nearly All Vermonters Have Health Insurance, but Care Is Tough To Find
November 20, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Almost all people have health insurance in Vermont, a state famed for its maple syrup and Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, yet residents pay the nation’s highest insurance premiums for individual coverage and endure months-long waits for care — and most hospitals here are losing money, according to state reports and interviews with residents and […]
Bay Area Child Recovering From Bird Flu Of Unknown Origin
November 20, 2024
Morning Briefing
Health officials are investigating whether wild birds might have infected the child, whose family members all tested negative. Meanwhile, as we head into cold and flu season, roughly 60% of Americans say they are skipping this fall’s updated covid jab.
Change Healthcare’s Claims Center Is Back Online Months After Cyberattack
November 20, 2024
Morning Briefing
Change Healthcare is the largest clearinghouse for billing and payments in the U.S. The company is still working to restore other technology platforms affected by the ransomware attack in February.
Biden Unlikely To Achieve Menthol Ban Before End Of Term
November 20, 2024
Morning Briefing
The FDA might still try to push through a proposal to curb nicotine levels in cigarettes in an attempt to lower their addictiveness. Still, it’s unlikely that a federal ban on menthol cigarettes will go into effect before Donald Trump takes office in January.
Texas Sues Health System For Stopping Off-Duty Cops From Carrying Guns
November 20, 2024
Morning Briefing
The lawsuit alleges it happened illegally at least 10 times at Memorial Hermann Health System facilities in Houston. In related news: Houston nurses say violence is on the rise at hospitals.
Morning Briefing for Wednesday, November 20, 2024
November 20, 2024
Morning Briefing
Trump’s Dr. Oz pick for CMS, eye banks, veteran health care, hospital merger, abortion law, bird flu, vaccines, cyber safety, and more.
Trump Chooses Dr. Mehmet Oz To Run Medicare And Medicaid Agency
November 20, 2024
Morning Briefing
A former cardiothoracic surgeon and professor at Columbia University, Dr. Oz is better known to the public as a TV personality and has no experience running a government agency. If confirmed as the CMS administrator, he would be influential in major policies around how states run their Medicaid programs and regulations on Medicare Advantage private plans.
Wide-Ranging Bill Aimed At Expanding Veteran Care Outside VA Passes House
November 20, 2024
Morning Briefing
Stars and Stripes reports on the bill’s intent to expand private-sector health care for veterans, noting that among other elements, it addresses issues related to in-home care, mental health counseling, ambulance transportation, and breast screening. Also in the news from Capitol Hill: the bathroom bill introduced by GOP Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina.
Legislators Prod Texas To Add Exceptions To Abortion Ban
November 20, 2024
Morning Briefing
Two measures filed last week would allow doctors to intervene to preserve the mental or physical health of a patient or when the fetus has a catastrophic anomaly.
First Edition: Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024
November 20, 2024
Morning Briefing
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Listen: A Tussle With a Rattlesnake Can Take a Bite Out of Your Wallet
By Jackie Fortiér
November 20, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Listen to KFF Health News’ Jackie Fortiér recount how a backyard snakebite led to a harrowing hospitalization — and big bills — for a San Diego family.
Ex-Eye Bank Workers Say Pressure, Lax Oversight Led to Errors
By Madelyn Beck, WyoFile Rae Ellen Bichell
November 20, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Corneas, the windshields of the eye, are the most transplanted part of the human body. But four former employees at Rocky Mountain Lions Eye Bank told of numerous retrieval problems, including damage to eyes and removal from the wrong body.
FTC, Indiana Residents Pressure State To Block Hospital Merger
By Samantha Liss
November 19, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Hundreds of people and the Federal Trade Commission weighed in on a proposed hospital merger in Terre Haute, Indiana, with most arguing that the creation of a monopoly would increase costs and worsen patient care.
Smoking Rates Decline But Disparities Remain, Surgeon General Warns
November 19, 2024
Morning Briefing
A report released Tuesday by U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy shows higher rates of smoking among indigenous populations and people living in poverty. In other public health news: undiagnosed diabetes rates; the link between sitting and heart health; and more.
Study: 38% Of Surgical Patients Have Complications, 1 In 5 Are Preventable
November 19, 2024
Morning Briefing
CNN reports on a new study, published Thursday in the BMJ, which seems to suggest that hospitals haven’t made significant progress on patient safety. Other health industry news is on CVS Health, Ascension Wisconsin, UnitedHealth, and more.
