First Edition: July 12, 2024
July 12, 2024
Morning Briefing
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
States Set Minimum Staffing Levels for Nursing Homes. Residents Suffer When Rules Are Ignored or Waived.
By Jordan Rau
July 12, 2024
KFF Health News Original
The Biden administration set stringent new federal staffing rules. But for years, nursing homes have failed to meet the toughest standards set by states.
How to Find a Good, Well-Staffed Nursing Home
By Jordan Rau
July 12, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Here are the telltale signs to look for in nursing homes to avoid, and resources that can point to better places.
Lifesaving Drugs and Police Projects Mark First Use of Opioid Settlement Cash in California
By Aneri Pattani Don Thompson
July 12, 2024
KFF Health News Original
California is in line for more than $4 billion in opioid settlement funds, and local governments are most often spending the first tranche of money on lifesaving drugs. An exclusive KFF Health News analysis also found projects to help police deter youths’ drug use and counsel officers who witness overdoses.
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': GOP Platform Muddies Abortion Waters
July 11, 2024
Podcast
As Donald Trump prepares to be formally nominated as the GOP’s candidate for president next week, the platform he will run on is taking shape. And in line with Trump’s approach, it aims to simultaneously satisfy hard-core abortion opponents and reassure more moderate swing voters. Meanwhile, the Federal Trade Commission takes on pharmacy benefits management firms. Shefali Luthra of The 19th News, Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call, and Jessie Hellmann of CQ Roll Call join KFF Health News’ chief Washington correspondent, Julie Rovner, to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Jennifer Klein, director of the White House Gender Policy Council, about the Biden administration’s policies to ensure access to reproductive health care.
Relieving the Growing Burden of Medical Debt
By Molly Castle Work
July 11, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Medical debt is a growing burden for millions of people around the country, from parents in Illinois to immigrants in Colorado to residents of the “Diabetes Belt” across the South, and it’s now being recognized as a health-care problem. People often forgo care or prescriptions if they have debt, according to a KFF Health News […]
Research Identifies Immune System Issues As Cause Of Lupus
July 11, 2024
Morning Briefing
A new study illuminates the pathway that lupus follows as it develops, with abnormalities in sufferers’ immune systems as a root cause. Also in the news, an AI disease diagnosis startup, and obituaries for two pioneering medical scientists.
Research Roundup: Foodborne Pathogens; Post-Covid Loss Of Smell; Meningococcal Vaccine; RSV Vaccine
July 11, 2024
Morning Briefing
Each week, KFF Health News compiles a selection of health policy studies and briefs.
Medicare Physician Payments May Fall 2.9% In 2025
July 11, 2024
Morning Briefing
A proposed CMS rule would see doctors taking a 2.9% Medicare pay cut next year. The AMA and other medical societies have sharply criticized the suggestion. Meanwhile, CMS also proposed to raise outpatient hospitals reimbursements 2.6% next year.
Medicaid Coverage For Unhealthy ‘Medically Tailored’ Meals Questioned
July 11, 2024
Morning Briefing
A report in Stat says that some “dietitian-approved” meals that are being delivered to homes of seriously ill people are actually salty and packed with fat, throwing their “medically tailored” label into sharp contrast. Meanwhile, Medicaid taxes on hospitals are helping cover state budgets.
Arkansas Secretary Of State Denies Attempt To Put Abortion On The Ballot
July 11, 2024
Morning Briefing
In a letter to a group hoping to amend the state Constitution to allow the procedure up to 18 weeks of pregnancy, the state said the “petition is insufficient on its face for failure to obtain the required 90,704 signatures.” Arizona, Florida, and the U.S. Senate also are in the news.
GAO Says FEMA Needs To ID Lessons Learned From Covid Pandemic
July 11, 2024
Morning Briefing
CIDRAP looks at a new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO), which assessed how FEMA estimated spending from January 2020 to March 2024. Also in the news: Michigan’s bird flu response; H5N1 in five more dairy herds and three more cats; and more.
Navy Experiencing Uptick In Suicides As Sailors Report Increasing Stress
July 11, 2024
Morning Briefing
The military branch has lost 24 of its own to suicide in just the first quarter of this year, Pentagon data show. Other military news is on retirement and disability benefits, death benefits for family members of ROTC cadets, and a mother’s plea.
Officials Propose Rule To Improve Health IT, Software Interoperability
July 11, 2024
Morning Briefing
The new rule from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology is designed to improve interoperability between payers, public health bodies, and providers via a voluntary certification system. Also in the news: Doctors use AI chatbots to battle insurance denials.
Death Toll From Extreme Heat Nears 30
July 11, 2024
Morning Briefing
The bulk of heat-related deaths are in California and Oregon, states that have seen a string of triple-digit temperatures. Meanwhile in Texas, where Hurricane Beryl blew through, officials have opened NRG Arena to hospital patients who have been discharged but cannot safely return home just yet.
Morning Briefing for Thursday, July 11, 2024
July 11, 2024
Morning Briefing
KFF Health News is on Instagram and TikTok ! Watch our videos and follow along as we break down health care headlines and policy.
Feds Plan To Sue CVS, UnitedHealth, Cigna Over Drug Rebates: Source
July 11, 2024
Morning Briefing
A person familiar with the investigation who asked not to be named said the complaint is still being drafted but could be filed this month, the Los Angeles Times reported. In other pharmaceutical news: the price of Ozempic, updates on the Abbott trial, tanning pills, and more.
‘A Bottomless Pit’: How Out-of-Pocket TMJ Costs Drive Patients Into Debt
By Brett Kelman Anna Werner, CBS News
July 11, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Millions of Americans suffer from temporomandibular joint, or TMJ, disorders. The high cost and poor insurance coverage of TMJ care can bury patients in debt even as the treatments do more harm than good.
First Edition: July 11, 2024
July 11, 2024
Morning Briefing
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
