Salmonella Poisoning Outbreak Prompts Trader Joe’s Basil Recall
April 19, 2024
Morning Briefing
Several agencies are looking into the outbreak, which has sickened 13 people across multiple states and is linked to a particular organic basil product. Havana syndrome, sicknesses from fake Botox, and more are also in the news.
Longer Looks: Interesting Reads You Might Have Missed
April 19, 2024
Morning Briefing
Each week, KFF Health News finds longer stories for you to enjoy. This week’s selections include stories on breast cancer, menopause, a death doula, noise pollution, and more.
Bill To Expand California Aid-In-Dying Law Withdrawn Before Hearing
April 19, 2024
Morning Briefing
California state Sen. Catherine Blakespear removed the bill she wrote days before its first hearing, saying other legislators are reluctant to take up the measure that would have been the nation’s most expansive aid-in-dying law. Other state news comes from Missouri, Connecticut, and elsewhere.
It’s Now Easier To Report Monopolistic Practices In Health Care Sector
April 19, 2024
Morning Briefing
The goal of the new federal portal, HealthyCompetition.gov, is to help lower the cost of health care and prescriptions, the Biden administration announced. Other health industry news is on Medicare device reimbursements, health chatbots, and more.
California Sets Strict Limit For Toxic Chromium-6 In Water Supply
April 19, 2024
Morning Briefing
The dangers of chromium-6 were widely known since the 1990s, but the new California safety limit for the carcinogenic heavy metal is said to be a “nation leading” standard. Also in the news: the CDC says record high heat health emergencies hit parts of the U.S. last year.
Florida Jury Rules J&J Talc Product Isn’t To Blame In Fatal Cancer Case
April 19, 2024
Morning Briefing
Johnson & Johnson’s talc-based baby powder was not the cause of a woman’s death from ovarian cancer, a Florida jury decided in a case brought against the manufacturer. Separately, Eli Lilly warned shortages of its weight loss drug Zepbound would continue, with no quick fix in sight.
Goodbye, ‘Aerosol Transmission,’ Hello, ‘Through-The-Air’ Viruses: Experts
April 19, 2024
Morning Briefing
A move to rename aerosol viral transmission comes after confusion was sown during the pandemic over terms like “airborne,” with a group that includes the WHO proposing a clearer definition. Meanwhile, a Dutch patient had covid for a record 613 days.
Biden Administration Finalizes Title IX Protections For LGBTQ+ Students
April 19, 2024
Morning Briefing
The new provisions come as part of a revised Title IX regulation from the Education Department, protecting the rights of LGBTQ+ students. A rule to protect trans students’ sporting rights is on hold. Separately, Alaska moves forward with an anti-trans bill criticized for “weaponizing” civil rights law.
First Edition: April 19, 2024
April 19, 2024
Morning Briefing
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
In San Francisco’s Chinatown, a CEO Works With the Community To Bolster Hospital
By Bernard J. Wolfson
April 19, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Jian Zhang, an immigrant from China with a doctorate in nursing, leads the 88-bed Chinese Hospital in San Francisco. The facility faces financial constraints like other independent hospitals, but its strong community support and partnerships have helped it weather tough times.
He Thinks His Wife Died in an Understaffed Hospital. Now He’s Trying to Change the Industry.
By Kate Wells, Michigan Public
April 19, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Nurses are telling lawmakers that there are not enough of them working in hospitals and that it risks patients’ lives. California and Oregon legally limit the number of patients under a nurse’s care. Other states trying to do the same were blocked by the hospital industry. Now patients’ relatives are joining the fight.
Newsom Offers a Compromise to Protect Indoor Workers from Heat
By Samantha Young
Updated April 18, 2024
Originally Published April 18, 2024
KFF Health News Original
After rejecting proposed rules to protect millions of workers in sweltering warehouses, steamy kitchens, and other hot workplaces, California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration has offered a compromise to allow the protections to take effect this summer. But state and local correctional workers — and prisoners — would have to wait even longer.
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Too Big To Fail? Now It’s ‘Too Big To Hack’
April 18, 2024
Podcast
Congress this week had the chance to formally air grievances over the cascading consequences of the Change Healthcare cyberattack, and lawmakers from both major parties agreed on one culprit: consolidation in health care. Plus, about a year after states began stripping people from their Medicaid rolls, a new survey shows nearly a quarter of adults who were disenrolled are now uninsured. Jessie Hellmann of CQ Roll Call, Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet, and Lauren Weber of The Washington Post join KFF Health News’ Mary Agnes Carey to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner interviews Caroline Pearson of the Peterson Health Technology Institute.
Drug Shortages Hit Record For The First Three Months Of This Year
April 18, 2024
Morning Briefing
In the first quarter of this year, 323 drugs were low in supply, according to data from the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, compared with 320 in 2014. Meanwhile, reports highlight how prior authorizations are also worsening the growth hormone shortage.
High Brain Cancer Rates Found In Kids At New Mexico Air Force Base
April 18, 2024
Morning Briefing
Military.com reports on a new Air Force study that seems to point to a higher-than-normal rate for rare brain and spinal cord cancer among service members’ children at Cannon Air Force Base. Separately, more communities across the U.S. are removing fluoride from water.
Research Roundup: TB; Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria; Covid
April 18, 2024
Morning Briefing
Each week, KFF Health News compiles a selection of health policy studies and briefs.
Viewpoints: We Must Act Before H5N1 Becomes Next Pandemic; Medicaid Should Cover Lifesaving Donor Milk
April 18, 2024
Morning Briefing
Editorial writers discuss H5N1, donor breast milk, American life expectancy, and more
Neurorights Group: In Today’s Techy World, Brain Data Needs Protections
April 18, 2024
Morning Briefing
Stat reports on efforts to prevent consumer technology companies from Hoovering-up data from users’ brains, including a new bill to expand the relevant privacy protections in Colorado. Meanwhile, a dispute between Epic Systems and startup Particle Health over data-sharing is in the news.
Some Doctors Add Gun Safety Questions To Wellness Visit Checklist
April 18, 2024
Morning Briefing
During a doctor visit, patients are accustomed to lifestyle questions regarding exercise or substance use that can impact overall health. Now some physicians are adding gun safety to that list. Also: the long road to recovery for gun violence survivors.
