Report: Black Women More Likely To Receive Unnecessary C-Sections
September 11, 2024
Morning Briefing
The New York Times reports on the new study, which found Black women to be 25% more likely to have cesarean sections than white women. In other women’s health news: a dearth of obstetric doctors, maternal home visit programs, toxic metals in tampons, PCOS, and more.
CDC: Lack Of Health Insurance Is A Factor In Rising Suicide Rates
September 11, 2024
Morning Briefing
A CDC study finds that communities where people lack health insurance, income, and broadband internet access are likelier to have higher suicide risks, and those “preventable” social factors are playing a role in the national crisis.
Kaiser Permanente To Shut California Nursing Home, Lay Off 249 Staff
September 11, 2024
Morning Briefing
The Kaiser Permanente Post Acute Care Center in San Leandro will be permanently closed by mid-November. Also in the news: an Athena Health Care nursing home in Connecticut loses federal funding; a nurse strike is averted at Brigham and Women’s Hospital; and more.
UnitedHealth Says It’s Swapping Out Humira On Some Preferred-Drug Lists
September 11, 2024
Morning Briefing
The insurance giant signaled that in 2025 it will remove AbbVie’s blockbuster arthritis drug from some reimbursement lists and promote cheaper biosimilar alternatives. Among other pharma news, Novo Nordisk’s old weight loss drug Saxenda is found safe and effective for kids.
Transgender Candidate In Delaware Could Cruise To US House Seat
September 11, 2024
Morning Briefing
Sarah McBride, a state lawmaker who won the Democratic primary, would become the first openly transgender member of Congress if she defeats Republican James Whalen III, a former police officer, in November. Separately, former Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo testified in Congress about New York’s covid policies.
3 New West Nile Cases In Mass.; Another Tick-Borne Illness On The Rise
September 11, 2024
Morning Briefing
The cases of West Nile virus bring the state’s total this year to 10. Also in the news: H5N1 bird flu, a public health warning at the Virginia Boar’s Head plant, and more.
Morning Briefing for Wednesday, September 11, 2024
September 11, 2024
Morning Briefing
Health news from the big debate, uninsured rate, gun violence in schools, 9/11-linked illnesses, c-sections, suicide factors, and more
At Debate, Harris Goes On Attack As Trump Repeats Abortion Lies, Wavers On National Ban
September 11, 2024
Morning Briefing
Democratic nominee Kamala Harris shared harrowing stories of women being denied care and pledged to make Roe v. Wade the law of the land again if given the opportunity. Republican nominee Donald Trump resurrected false narratives and wouldn’t say whether he’d sign or veto an abortion ban at the federal level.
Trump Has Only ‘Concepts Of A Plan’ To Replace ACA; Harris Vows To Expand Health Law
September 11, 2024
Morning Briefing
The former president indicated that details will be coming “in the not too distant future.” His Democratic opponent reminded him that multiple efforts to repeal Obamacare failed during Trump’s administration. Plus: how the covid pandemic was handled, and “Medicare for All.”
9/11-Linked Illnesses Have Killed More FDNY Firefighters Than Day Of Attack
September 11, 2024
Morning Briefing
The New York City Fire Department lost 343 members in the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center, and more than 370 others have perished since. Meanwhile, the health care fund set up to help survivors tackle 9/11-related illnesses is again short of money.
Missouri Supreme Court Allows Abortion Rights Amendment On Ballot
September 11, 2024
Morning Briefing
Anti-abortion activists had been pushing to block a November vote on enshrining a right to abortion in the state constitution, but the Missouri Supreme Court ruled against this challenge. Seperately, a group of Republican-led states have renewed their effort to limit abortion pill access.
First Edition: Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024
September 11, 2024
Morning Briefing
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Longtime Head of L.A. Care To Retire After Navigating Major Medi-Cal Changes
By Bernard J. Wolfson
September 11, 2024
KFF Health News Original
John Baackes, who steered Medi-Cal’s largest health plan following the Affordable Care Act expansion, and later prepared it for a state overhaul of Medi-Cal, will retire after this year. Baackes believes low payments to doctors and other providers, along with an acute labor shortage, hamper Medi-Cal’s success.
Fearing the Worst, Schools Deploy Armed Police To Thwart Gun Violence
By Christine Spolar
September 11, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Officials reason that vigilance and familiarity with campuses would speed responses to shootings. But there is scant research about armed police in schools — and some studies suggest that racial bias in policing offers cause for caution.
US Uninsured Rate Was Stable in 2023, Even as States’ Medicaid Purge Began
By Phil Galewitz
September 10, 2024
KFF Health News Original
About 8% of Americans lacked health insurance in 2023, the Census Bureau announced. But its report doesn’t capture the effect of states winnowing their Medicaid rolls by millions of people since the pandemic emergency ended.
La tasa de personas sin seguro médico se mantiene estable, a pesar de la purga de Medicaid
By Phil Galewitz
September 10, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Aproximadamente el 8% de los estadounidenses no tuvieron cobertura en 2023, un aumento estadísticamente insignificante de solo 0.1 puntos porcentuales con respecto al año anterior.
Harris and Trump Are Ready To Take on Big Pharma
By Stephanie Armour
September 10, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Former president Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are both eager to take on high drug prices, leaving pharmaceutical companies on the defensive as they spend millions of dollars this election season. When Harris was California’s attorney general, she joined cases that resulted in almost $7.2 billion (about $22 per person in the United […]
Fourth Human Case Of EEE Confirmed In Massachusetts
September 10, 2024
Morning Briefing
Meanwhile, the curious human case of H5N1 bird flu in Missouri, without any apparent exposure source, is triggering many questions. The New York Times asks another big question: Bird flu has already been found in New York markets, so what happens next?
