Why Medicare Doesn’t Pay for Rapid At-Home Covid Tests
By Michelle Andrews
January 24, 2022
KFF Health News Original
The laws governing Medicare don’t provide coverage for self-administered diagnostic tests, which is precisely what the rapid antigen tests are and why they are an important tool for containing the pandemic.
Despite Doctors’ Concerns, Pharmacists Get More Leeway to Offer Treatment With Testing
By Michelle Andrews
March 31, 2022
KFF Health News Original
In the battle against covid, pharmacies became a key place for consumers to seek vaccines and testing. Some states are expanding pharmacists’ work to include directly prescribing drugs for customers who seek some routine, point-of-care tests, such as those for flu or strep throat. But doctor groups oppose the move.
Anti-Vaccine Ideology Gains Ground as Lawmakers Seek to Erode Rules for Kids’ Shots
By Sandy West
April 21, 2022
KFF Health News Original
Legislators in Kansas are pushing bills to expand exemptions for school vaccines, allowing religious exemptions for all vaccine requirements in the state’s schools without families having to provide any proof of their beliefs. Similar bills are being introduced around the nation as the anti-vaccine movement gains traction among politicians.
Omicron and Other Coronavirus Variants: What You Need to Know
By Louis Jacobson, PolitiFact
November 30, 2021
KFF Health News Original
This new variant has set off alarm bells in the public health community, but much remains to be learned about it.
Majority Of $1.25B Mallinckrodt Opioid Payout At Risk In Bankruptcy Plan
August 24, 2023
Morning Briefing
The company has reached a plan for bankruptcy for the second time in three years, The New York Times says. The plan would cancel the majority of the previous settlement plan in return for a final payout of just $250 million. Also in the news: AI takes a role in tackling opioid addiction.
Tres cosas sobre el debate del aborto que se entienden mal
By Julie Rovner
July 22, 2022
KFF Health News Original
Uno de los mitos: que la decisión de la Corte Suprema afecta solo a las mujeres que quieren realizarse el procedimiento, cuando en realidad afecta a toda la salud reproductiva.
Medicare Cuts 2024 Payments For Safety Net Hospitals By Almost $1B
August 4, 2023
Morning Briefing
The CMS cut of $957 million to a fund destined to help pay hospitals that treat poor and uninsured patients is more than eight times larger than one proposed in April, Stat says. Also in the news: Cigna reports a net income fall, people want weight-loss drugs despite the costs, and more.
Medicare Could Save $245B Over A Decade If It Covered Obesity Drugs
August 3, 2023
Morning Briefing
Axios reports on a startling statistic from new research, showing how much taxpayer money could be saved over 10 years if Medicare covered weight-loss meds. Meanwhile, Stat reports that the popularity of the GLP-1 drugs has “alarmed” insurers, and patients are braced for them to halt coverage.
Global Vaccine Program COVAX Will End Dec. 31; Gave Out Nearly 2B Doses
December 20, 2023
Morning Briefing
The program is estimated to have averted at least 2.7 million deaths, the World Health Organization said Tuesday. In other covid news, subvariant JN.1 is on the move, and fast.
CDC Warns Of Surging Fifth Disease
August 14, 2024
Morning Briefing
CNN notes that the proportion of people with recent parvovirus B19 infections climbed to 10% in June, and children ages 5 to 9 had the highest increase. Meanwhile, federal officials concerned about rising H5N1 have been testing retail dairy products and haven’t found live avian flu virus in any samples.
Researchers Link Chronic Constipation With Cognitive Decline
July 21, 2023
Morning Briefing
A study finds that defecation frequency may impact cognitive function. Also in the news, the benefits of maternal strep B vaccines, health care disruptions linked to preventable hospital admissions, and goals of building a real-life “bionic” person.
American Red Cross Warns Of Emergency Blood Supply Shortage
January 9, 2024
Morning Briefing
The American Red Cross said it was experiencing the lowest number of blood donors in 20 years, with hospitals demanding blood products faster than the organization can replenish supplies. Also in the news: Bayer to expand in U.S., despite blood thinner fails; the “better” ApoB cholesterol test; and more.
As a Nurse Faces Prison for a Deadly Error, Her Colleagues Worry: Could I Be Next?
By Brett Kelman
March 22, 2022
KFF Health News Original
Former nurse RaDonda Vaught is on trial for reckless homicide, and her case raises consequential questions about how nurses use computerized medication-dispensing cabinets.
Study: Arthritis Drug Boosts Effect Of ‘Morning-After’ Pill For Up To 3 Days
August 17, 2023
Morning Briefing
Researchers found that using piroxicam, a common arthritis anti-inflammatory drug, with Levonorgestrel, or Plan B, significantly increased the typical effectiveness window of 24 hours. In other news, Facebook’s parent company is criticized for rating reproductive health for adults-only.
An Arm and a Leg: Revisiting ‘Christmas In July’
By Dan Weissmann
December 23, 2024
Podcast
From the archives of “An Arm and a Leg”: a family tragedy, a 40-year tradition, and a million dollars in medical debt erased.
Silence in Sikeston: Is There a Cure for Racism?
By Cara Anthony
October 8, 2024
Podcast
In the finale of “Silence in Sikeston,” Black residents organize a Juneteenth barbecue. The Department of Public Safety chief encourages officers to attend to build trust. But improving relations between Sikeston’s Black community and the police won’t be easy. Host Cara Anthony discusses the possibility of institutional change in Sikeston.
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.
Morning Briefing for Wednesday, January 11, 2023
January 11, 2023
Morning Briefing
Today’s roundup covers suspicious deaths, covid vaccines, mental health, abortion pills, 340B program, Medicare, flu, guns, and more.
Fast-Tracked Ruling on Abortion Won’t Wait for ‘Hearts and Minds’ to Change
By Julie Rovner
January 21, 2022
KFF Health News Original
Public opinion remains bitterly divided on the issue as a Supreme Court decision is imminent that could overturn or dramatically undercut Roe v. Wade.
Grassroots Groups Lead Way on Closing Colorado’s Infant Mortality Gap
By Rae Ellen Bichell
June 10, 2022
KFF Health News Original
Colorado is among about 15 states that have met federal goals to reduce infant mortality, an important indicator of overall population health. Breaking down the data by race and ethnicity, though, makes clear that major gaps remain.
