First Edition: July 15, 2024
July 15, 2024
Morning Briefing
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
California Health Care Pioneer Goes National, Girds for Partisan Skirmishes
By Samantha Young
July 15, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Anthony Wright, a champion for Californians’ health care rights, will take the helm of Families USA in Washington, D.C., where he plans to campaign for more affordable and accessible care nationally. He leaves Health Access California, where he helped outlaw surprise medical billing, require companies to report drug price increases, and cap hospital bills for uninsured patients.
Rural Hospitals Built During Baby Boom Now Face Baby Bust
By Tony Leys
July 15, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Fewer than half of rural U.S. hospitals offer labor and delivery services. In some areas, births have dropped by three-quarters since the baby boom’s peak.
Journalists Discuss FTC and Supreme Court Actions — And What’s Up With the Bird Flu
July 13, 2024
KFF Health News Original
KFF Health News and California Healthline staff made the rounds on national and local media in recent weeks to discuss topical stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.
The Court Case That Could Upend Access To Free Birth Control
By Sam Whitehead
July 12, 2024
KFF Health News Original
A lawsuit winding its way through the courts could undermine the power of federal agencies to mandate the services health insurance providers must cover. And that could threaten access to free birth control for millions of Americans. The case is called Braidwood Management Inc. v. Becerra, and it was brought by plaintiffs looking to strike […]
Viewpoints: Has US Maternal Mortality Rate Been Misreported?; Consolidation In Health Care Is A Bad Deal
July 12, 2024
Morning Briefing
Editorial writers discuss maternal mortality rates, health care consolidation, gender medicine, homelessness, and more.
Pfizer Plans Clinical Trials For Its Once-A-Day Weight Loss Pill
July 12, 2024
Morning Briefing
A twice-daily version of the drug, named danuglipron, was scrapped late in 2023, but the new drug is now advancing toward clinical trials in a once-daily format.
House Panel Pares And Passes HHS 2025 Budget Along Party Lines
July 12, 2024
Morning Briefing
The proposal includes such Republican priorities as revamping the NIH, protections on limiting abortion access, and trimming Title X family grants. The measure, which still needs full House approval, isn’t likely to pass the Senate in its current form.
Study: Risk Of Long Covid Is High For Pregnant Women Infected With Virus
July 12, 2024
Morning Briefing
The findings said nearly 1 in 10 pregnant women who caught covid went on to develop long covid. Meanwhile, a separate study found that long covid was more likely to occur after a first infection compared to a reinfection.
As Big PBMs Dangle On A Hook, Smaller Players Surface For A Bite
July 12, 2024
Morning Briefing
As Modern Healthcare explains, the newer entrants are trying to set themselves apart from giants CVS, Cigna, and UnitedHealth and are passing along drug rebates, disclosing cost negotiations, reimbursing pharmacies at higher rates, and more.
Beware Of Canned Meats Illegally Imported From Philippines, USDA Says
July 12, 2024
Morning Briefing
The warning addresses ready-to-eat meat products shipped to Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, and Virginia. Also in public health news: Olympic wastewater monitoring, the latest trend in tween skincare, human longevity, and more.
Longer Looks: Interesting Reads You Might Have Missed
July 12, 2024
Morning Briefing
Each week, KFF Health News finds longer stories for you to enjoy. Today’s selections are on the opioid crisis, “magic mushrooms,” cancer, and health tracking rings.
2,400 Patients At Oregon Hospitals May Have Been Exposed To HIV, Hepatitis
July 12, 2024
Morning Briefing
An anesthesiologist might not have followed infection control practices, officials told AP. Former patients of Providence Willamette Falls Medical Center in Oregon City and Providence Portland Medical Center are being notified to get a blood screen.
Morning Briefing for Friday, July 12, 2024
July 12, 2024
Morning Briefing
Nursing home staffing, opioid settlement cash, IVF access, a weight-loss pill, HHS funding, PBMs, long covid risks, and more are in today’s news. Plus, your weekend reads.
Most US Adults Support Protecting Access To IVF: Survey
July 12, 2024
Morning Briefing
According to a new AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll, 6 in 10 U.S. adults support protecting IVF access. When it comes to the complex issue of the destruction of unused embryos, opinions are more mixed — 4 in 10 people are “neutral” about banning it.
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.
