Ad Goes Too Far With Claim That Joe Biden Promotes Surgery for Trans Teens
By Blake Farmer, Nashville Public Radio
November 9, 2022
KFF Health News Original
Even some medical experts who are skeptical of gender-affirming care say the White House is not promoting breast removal and genital surgery for teens. But that’s not what an ad, funded by a group led by a former adviser to President Donald Trump, would have you believe.
People With Long Covid Face Barriers to Government Disability Benefits
By Betsy Ladyzhets
November 9, 2022
KFF Health News Original
Some people with long covid have fallen through the cracks of the government’s disability system, which was time-consuming and difficult to navigate even before the pandemic.
In Texas, Medicaid Expansion Is Still A Republican Taboo
November 8, 2022
Morning Briefing
Public Health Watch explains why Republican politicians in Texas oppose expanding the medical support net. Meanwhile News Service of Florida examines challenges to the minimums wage for Medicaid providers. Among other news, pharmacy closures hit parts of Boston.
New Blood Pressure Drug Seems To Tackle Uncontrolled Cases
November 8, 2022
Morning Briefing
The new daily oral medication baxdrostat works by targeting a hormone that regulates the amount of salt in the body, NBC News explains. Separately, a medical device from Medtronic is reportedly good at curbing otherwise tough-to-treat hypertension.
Half Of Dentists In Survey Say Patients Have Arrived For Procedures High
November 8, 2022
Morning Briefing
The American Dental Association surveyed 557 dentists, and 52% of them said they’ve been greeted with patients who were under the influence of marijuana or other drugs. A new patient code of conduct at Mass General Brigham in response to hostile patient behavior is among other health personnel news.
High Stress Of Pandemic Affected Menstrual Cycles, Researchers Find
November 8, 2022
Morning Briefing
Between March 2020 and May 2021, women experienced at least four major changes in their periods, a study from the University of Pittsburgh found.
Morning Briefing for Tuesday, November 8, 2022
November 8, 2022
Morning Briefing
KHN is now on TikTok! Watch our videos and follow along here as we break down health care headlines and policy.
Veterans With Cancer Will Be The First To Get Benefits From New PACT Act
November 8, 2022
Morning Briefing
The law, which passed in August, expanded benefits for veterans exposed to burn pits. The Department of Veterans Affairs will begin processing claims for benefits beginning Jan. 1. Meanwhile, the VA said it will expand screening for those potentially exposed to toxic hazards.
Abortion Bans Have Disproportionate Impact On Latinas, Data Show
November 8, 2022
Morning Briefing
Data analysis by two advocacy groups finds that 42% of Latina women ages 15 to 49 live in a state that has or is likely to ban abortion. Other state reproductive health news comes from South Carolina, New Mexico, Texas, and Arizona.
Votes Cast Today Will Shape Future Federal And State Abortion Laws
November 8, 2022
Morning Briefing
Democrats and the White House are already second-guessing their messaging on the controversial subject in the lead-up to midterm elections that could shift the balance of power in the U.S. Congress.
First Edition: Nov. 8, 2022
November 8, 2022
Morning Briefing
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Pfizer’s Covid Cash Powers a ‘Marketing Machine’ on the Hunt for New Supernovas
By Arthur Allen
November 8, 2022
KFF Health News Original
While sales of its covid vaccines are falling, Pfizer plans to triple the price of the shots and use its bonanza from government contracts to buy and develop new blockbusters.
Defense Department Health Plan Cuts Its Pharmacy Network by Nearly 15,000 Outlets
By Patricia Kime
November 8, 2022
KFF Health News Original
Many of the pharmacies were small, independent operations that had decided not to participate next year because of the lowered reimbursement being offered. But they were surprised by an early dismissal, and some patients with specialized drug needs could face difficulties in the transition.
Listen: With Abortion Rights on the Ballot in Michigan, Women Tell Their Stories
By Kate Wells, Michigan Public
November 8, 2022
KFF Health News Original
Women who need abortion care come to Michigan from surrounding states that already have banned the procedure. A clinic in suburban Detroit allowed a reporter to interview patients, doctors, and nurses to understand what is at stake as voters decide whether to guarantee abortion access in the Michigan Constitution.
IVF Embryo Disposal Isn’t Subject To Abortion Ban, Tennessee AG Says
November 7, 2022
Morning Briefing
The strict abortion ban in the state does not apply to disposal of fertilized embryos that haven’t been transferred to a uterus, Tennessee’s attorney general has stated in an opinion. Separately, Wisconsin doctors want to join a lawsuit challenging an 1849-era abortion ban.
Highly Processed Foods May Kill You Sooner: Study
November 7, 2022
Morning Briefing
NBC News covers a study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine that linked 57,000 deaths in 2019 in Brazil with the consumption of ultra-processed food — 10% of premature deaths in that age group.
Florida Medical Board Blocks Doctors From Giving Gender Care To Minors
November 7, 2022
Morning Briefing
The state board voted 6-3 Friday to adopt a standard of care forbidding doctors from giving puberty blockers and hormones or performing surgery until transgender patients are 18. The New York Times says board members received calls from Florida’s surgeon general Dr. Joseph Ladapo urging the ban.
Man In First Muscular Dystrophy CRISPR Treatment Trial Dies
November 7, 2022
Morning Briefing
The Boston Globe, reporting on the news, said 27-year-old Terry Horgan was due to be the first person to get a custom CRISPR therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy, but it’s unclear when or if he got the treatment. AP notes he was the lone volunteer in the study.