Could Better Inhalers Help Patients, and the Planet?
By Martha Bebinger, WBUR
May 6, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Puff inhalers can be lifesavers for people with asthma and other respiratory diseases, but some types release potent greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change. That, in turn, worsens wildfires, contributes to air pollution, and intensifies allergy seasons — which can increase the need for inhalers. Some doctors are helping patients switch to more eco-sensitive inhalers.
Stranded in the ER, Seniors Await Hospital Care and Suffer Avoidable Harm
By Judith Graham
May 6, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Many older adults who need hospital care are getting stuck in emergency room limbo — sometimes for more than a day. The long ER waits for seniors who are frail, with multiple medical issues, lead to a host of additional medical problems.
Journalists Delve Into Climate Change, Medicaid ‘Unwinding,’ and the Gap in Mortality Rates
May 4, 2024
KFF Health News Original
KFF Health News and California Healthline staffers made the rounds on national and local media this week to discuss their stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.
Research Finds Less Frequent Colon Cancer Screening OK For Some
May 3, 2024
Morning Briefing
Researchers found that a negative colonoscopy could be followed by another screening every 15 years, instead of 10. Separately, studies linking cellphone use with nearsightedness trigger worries over “epidemic” of sight problems and its impact.
Longer Looks: Interesting Reads You Might Have Missed
May 3, 2024
Morning Briefing
Each week, KFF Health News finds longer stories for you to enjoy. This week’s selections include stories on orangutans, iodized salt, IVF, baby talk, and more.
Viewpoints: Pregnant Workers Fairness Act Is Latest Target In War On Women; Where Are The Doctors?
May 3, 2024
Morning Briefing
Editorial writers examine pregnancy protections, physician shortages, IVF rules, and more.
Bill Proposes Rewards For Hospitals Who Demonstrate Drug Stewardship
May 3, 2024
Morning Briefing
A bipartisan bill suggests hospitals get bonus payments if their business practices help ensure adequate drug supplies in the face of ongoing shortages. Cyberattacks are also in the news, with a top intelligence official warning of rising threat, in the aftermath of the Change Healthcare hack.
Scientists Say Bird Flu Began To Affect Cattle In Texas In Late 2023
May 3, 2024
Morning Briefing
Genetic “breadcrumbs,” virus particles left behind, suggest H5N1 was spreading in cattle in Texas in December. Meanwhile, researchers are concerned that human bird flu cases among farm workers may be being missed as the outbreak spreads.
Federal Noncompete Ban Triggers Worries For Rural Hospital Staffing
May 3, 2024
Morning Briefing
Attracting new recruits may be harder for rural providers now that the FTC ban is in place, Modern Healthcare says. Separately, Walmart and Walgreens are finding it difficult to make their health care operations profitable.
California Supreme Court To Hear Controversial Case On HIV Drugs
May 3, 2024
Morning Briefing
The complex case involves an argument that drugmakers could be held negligent if they don’t develop a particular drug. Also in the news: Amgen drops plans for an obesity pill, focusing instead on new injectable drugs to compete with Wegovy and Zepbound.
Title IX Trans Rules Should Be Disregarded, Arkansas Governor Says
May 3, 2024
Morning Briefing
Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, a Republican, is joining a list of governors ordering their state to ignore new federal civil rights rules. And in Tennessee, an appeals court is weighing whether the state ban on amending gender on birth certificates is unconstitutional.
Morning Briefing for Friday, May 3, 2024
May 3, 2024
Morning Briefing
ACA coverage for ‘Dreamers,’ bird flu, abortion law, doctor and nurse shortages, cancer screenings, and more are in the news. Plus, your weekend reads.
HHS Expects 100,000 ‘Dreamers’ To Enroll In Obamacare Under New Rule
May 3, 2024
Morning Briefing
The Biden administration has announced that undocumented immigrants with protections under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program will be eligible for a federal health plan under the ACA starting in 2025. It’s estimated that about 100,000 of the 800,000 “Dreamers” will become insured under the change.
In Emotional Ceremony, Ariz. Governor Rids State Of 1864 Abortion Ban
May 3, 2024
Morning Briefing
The repeal of the archaic law that outlawed abortions completely will take effect 90 days after the legislative session ends, typically in June or July. After that, state law will ban abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy.
New Rule Makes It Easier For People With Disabilities To Visit The Doctor
May 3, 2024
Morning Briefing
Health facilities will soon be required to update features such as elevators, ramps, exam tables, scales, mammogram machines, and more. Other health policy news is on Medicaid reimbursements, home health care workers, telehealth, and more.
First Edition: May 3, 2024
May 3, 2024
Morning Briefing
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Bird Flu Is Bad for Poultry and Dairy Cows. It’s Not a Dire Threat for Most of Us — Yet.
By Amy Maxmen
May 3, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Cattle across the country are infected by the H5N1 bird flu. The virus isn’t spreading among people — but if it evolves to do that, fears of another pandemic could be realized.
California Floats Extending Health Insurance Subsidies to All Adult Immigrants
By Jasmine Aguilera, El Tímpano
May 3, 2024
KFF Health News Original
The legislature is considering taking the first steps to make Covered California plans available to immigrants without permanent legal status. The state has already extended Medi-Cal coverage to low-income immigrants.
Oh, Dear! Baby Gear! Why Are the Manuals So Unclear?
By Darius Tahir
May 3, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Sure, new parents are an anxious lot. But instruction manuals for devices meant to keep the baby safe and healthy are daunting and add to the anxiety. Why are they so confusing?
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Abortion Access Changing Again in Florida and Arizona
May 2, 2024
Podcast
A six-week abortion ban took effect in Florida this week, dramatically restricting access to the procedure not just in the nation’s third-most-populous state but across the South. Patients from states with even more restrictive bans had been flooding in since the overturn of Roe v. Wade in 2022. Meanwhile, the CEO of the health behemoth UnitedHealth Group appeared before committees in both the House and Senate, where lawmakers grilled him about the February cyberattack on subsidiary Change Healthcare and how its ramifications are being felt months later. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet, and Rachana Pradhan of KFF Health News join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Plus, for “extra credit,” the panelists suggest health policy stories they read this week they think you should read, too.