First Edition: April 6, 2023
April 6, 2023
Morning Briefing
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Gov. Newsom Wanted California to Cut Ties With Walgreens. Then Federal Law Got in the Way.
By Samantha Young
April 6, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Gov. Gavin Newsom declared that California would cut ties with Walgreens after the company said it would not distribute abortion pills in some states. But federal rules make it difficult for the state to unwind its Medicaid prescription drug agreement, which paid Walgreens $1.5 billion last year.
High Inflation and Housing Costs Force Many Americans to Delay Needed Care
By Stephanie Colombini, WUSF
April 7, 2023
KFF Health News Original
A recent Gallup Poll suggests that Americans are putting off medical care because of costs. Inflation and rising rents make it harder for people to make ends meet.
Morning Briefing for Wednesday, April 5, 2023
April 5, 2023
Morning Briefing
Abortion access, J&J’s talc settlement, Alzheimer’s, covid, trans health, military’s body fat standards, opioids, and more are in the news.
Antibiotic Resistance In Humans And Animals Closely Linked
April 5, 2023
Morning Briefing
Read about the biggest pharmaceutical developments from the past week in KHN’s Prescription Drug Watch roundup.
Viewpoints: Childhood Obesity Needs To Stop Being Profitable; Health Care Is Exacerbating Climate Change
April 5, 2023
Morning Briefing
Editorial writers discuss childhood obesity, climate change and rural hospitals.
Nevada Senate To Vote On Allowing Medically Assisted Death
April 5, 2023
Morning Briefing
A bill that would allow administration of prescription medicine to allow terminally ill patients to end their lives was approved by Nevada’s Senate Health and Human Services Committee and is set for a state Senate vote. Also: Medicaid in Connecticut, food assistance and Medicaid in Iowa, and more.
In Some States, Anti-Trans Laws Advance Like Never Before
April 5, 2023
Morning Briefing
Bloomberg explains that barely a day has passed in 2023 without some state lawmakers introducing what it labels as “anti-LGBTQ” bills that curtail trans people’s lives in some way. New York Magazine argues that anti-trans activists are using the same tactics as those who targeted abortion rights.
Air Force Says It Will Accept Recruits With More Body Fat
April 5, 2023
Morning Briefing
Male recruits can have up to 26% body fat, compared with the previous 20%. Female recruits can have 36% body fat, up from 28%. Separately, some lawmakers might block the rollout of the VA’s electronic health records program. Also in the news: flu cases, prebiotic sodas, and that everlasting question: Is playing golf a real workout?
ER Room Treatments Spark Tension Over Responsibility For Opioid Misuse
April 5, 2023
Morning Briefing
A report in Axios says that as more hospitals offer opioid addiction treatments in emergency rooms, tension is rising over who’s “really responsible” for tackling the underlying problem. Separately, Narcan and fentanyl test strips will soon be available in vending machines across D.C.
National Institute On Aging Sets Sights On Boosting Alzheimer’s Research
April 5, 2023
Morning Briefing
CNN covers an effort to “transform” Alzheimer’s disease research, starting with building a real-world disease database. AP, meanwhile, reports that $200 million has been pledged by the Estée Lauder family to the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation.
Second Hospital In Idaho Stops Delivering Babies
April 5, 2023
Morning Briefing
Officials at Valor Health — a small, county-owned hospital in Emmett, Idaho — said in their announcement that it has been “unsustainably expensive to recruit and retain” nurses. The announcement comes just weeks after Bonner General Health in Sandpoint said it would stop its labor and delivery services. Bonner blamed staff shortages as well as the state’s anti-abortion climate.
Some Prisoners Were Allowed Home During Covid. Now Most Can Stay.
April 5, 2023
Morning Briefing
A Justice Department rule change is allowing federal inmates who qualified for home confinement to remain and serve out their terms in the same way they did during the covid emergency. In news on covid vaccines, federal regulators “flip flop” and are allowing a second omicron booster for some vulnerable people.
Johnson & Johnson Sets A Record With $8.9 Billion Talc Settlement Offer
April 5, 2023
Morning Briefing
The deal goes hand in hand with a second bankruptcy reorganization plan that will be presented to a judge as soon as May 14, according to the court filing. Despite the settlement, J&J denies any wrongdoing.
Washington State Is First To Stock Up On ‘Insurance Supply’ Of Mifepristone
April 5, 2023
Morning Briefing
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, a Democrat, says that the state has bought 30,000 doses — an estimated 3-year supply — of the key abortion drug in anticipation that access could be limited due to court challenges.
Wis. Abortion Laws To Be Shaped By State’s Now Liberal-Leaning High Court
April 5, 2023
Morning Briefing
Judge Janet Protasiewicz was elected Tuesday to fill the open seat on Wisconsin’s Supreme Court, in a closely watched race. Her win shifts the court’s idealogical makeup to the left, which makes it more likely that a contested abortion ban could be struck down.
First Edition: April 5, 2023
April 5, 2023
Morning Briefing
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Abortion Clinics in Conservative-Led States Face Increasing Legal Threats
By Aaron Bolton
April 10, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Since the U.S. Supreme Court reversed federal protections for abortions, medical providers in conservative-led states have been fighting legal and political battles — as well as escalating threats from the anti-abortion movement.
