Steward Health Care CEO Sues To Stop Contempt Charges Against Him
October 1, 2024
Morning Briefing
In the lawsuit, Ralph de la Torre contends he is being punished “for invoking his Fifth Amendment right not to ‘be compelled … to be a witness against himself.’” The embattled chief refused to comply with a subpoena to testify to a Senate committee.
California Bans ‘Forever Chemicals’ In Tampons, Other Menstrual Products
October 1, 2024
Morning Briefing
Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, on Monday signed the bill that outlaws the use of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl in feminine products. Other news from around the country is on dengue fever in California, inmate medical records in Arizona, and more.
Arkansas Sues YouTube, Alphabet Alleging Harms To Kids’ Mental Health
October 1, 2024
Morning Briefing
The state says the video-based social media platform YouTube is deliberately addictive and is thus contributing to the mental health crisis among young people.
First Edition: Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024
October 1, 2024
Morning Briefing
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Get Your BOO On! Submit Your Scariest Halloween Health Care Haikus
October 1, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Submissions are open for KFF Health News’ sixth annual Halloween haiku competition. Send us your best scary poems — if you dare.
How Minnesota Figures Into the Presidential Politics of Insulin Prices
By Bram Sable-Smith
October 1, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Minnesota led the way on insulin affordability, culminating in 2020 when Gov. Tim Walz signed a law going further to cut costs than other state laws. Now, former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are vying for support from people with diabetes.
Silence in Sikeston: Trauma Lives in the Body
By Cara Anthony
October 1, 2024
Podcast
Denzel Taylor, a young Black father, moved from Chicago to Sikeston, Missouri, for a fresh start in life. There, he proposed to his girlfriend, started a family, and then, in April 2020, was fatally shot by police officers. Taylor had two young daughters and another on the way when he was killed. Pediatrician Rhea Boyd talks about how children process such loss.
Americans Increasingly Dependent On Government Aid, Research Shows
September 30, 2024
Morning Briefing
An exclusive Wall Street Journal report shows how government support is taking an evermore central role in many Americans’ lives, with programs like Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid at the core. Separately, CMS said Medicare Part D and Advantage premiums will decline next year.
Embattled CEO Of Steward Health Care Is Stepping Down
September 30, 2024
Morning Briefing
Ralph de la Torre will resign Tuesday. Other health industry news is on layoffs at Beth Israel Lahey Health and Brightline, the spread of ransomware attacks, and more.
California Mandates Coverage For IVF
September 30, 2024
Morning Briefing
In a bill signed Sunday, Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom also expanded health care coverage to LGBTQ+ families, saying “California is a proud reproductive freedom state — and that includes increasing access to fertility services that help those who want to start a family.”
Opioid Overdose Deaths Down In DC
September 30, 2024
Morning Briefing
The data from the nation’s capital is in line with what officials are seeing across the nation: The fentanyl crisis is ebbing. Also, news from Indiana, Massachusetts, and elsewhere.
Texas Maternal Mortality Panel Wants Access To Death Data Tied To Abortion
September 30, 2024
Morning Briefing
“We can’t make comments about what caused an increase in maternal death in our state if we’re not really reviewing all of them,” the committee’s chair said. This comes as the state’s attorney general takes action to block Austin from helping women seeking out-of-state abortions.
How Cancer Drugs Helped Jimmy Carter Become A Centenarian
September 30, 2024
Morning Briefing
USA Today reports on how the former president benefitted after a diagnosis that just years prior would have been terminal. Cancer therapies have enabled him to celebrate his 100th birthday this week.
Morning Briefing for Monday, September 30, 2024
September 30, 2024
Morning Briefing
Medicare Advantage, drug use, bird flu, health impact of big storm, IVF coverage, maternal health, and more are in the news.
CDC Investigating Possible Human-To-Human Transmission Of Bird Flu
September 30, 2024
Morning Briefing
Seven people in Missouri — including six health care workers — developed flu symptoms after direct exposure to a patient with avian influenza. While none has tested positive for bird flu, the CDC is testing antibodies to see if they came from the virus.
In Storm-Ravaged North Carolina, Necessities Of Life Difficult To Come By
September 30, 2024
Morning Briefing
Many thousands of residents in the western part of the state have no clean water, as well as no electricity or gas with which to boil water. People were collecting wood to build fires for cooking. Millions of others underwater in Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina, and elsewhere wondered how and when life would return to normal.
First Edition: Monday, Sept. 30, 2024
September 30, 2024
Morning Briefing
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
California Voters Consider Tough Love for Repeat Drug Offenders
By Don Thompson
September 30, 2024
KFF Health News Original
A California ballot measure would roll back some decade-old criminal justice reforms that have become fodder for Donald Trump’s presidential campaign. Stiffer penalties for shoplifting have gotten much of the attention, but the measure also allows controversial treatment requirements for repeat drug offenders.
The Medicare Advantage Influence Machine
By Fred Schulte Holly K. Hacker
September 30, 2024
KFF Health News Original
New court filings and lobbying reports reveal an industry drive to tamp down critics — and retain billions of dollars in overcharges.
