First Edition: Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024
September 11, 2024
Morning Briefing
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Fearing the Worst, Schools Deploy Armed Police To Thwart Gun Violence
By Christine Spolar
September 11, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Officials reason that vigilance and familiarity with campuses would speed responses to shootings. But there is scant research about armed police in schools — and some studies suggest that racial bias in policing offers cause for caution.
Longtime Head of L.A. Care To Retire After Navigating Major Medi-Cal Changes
By Bernard J. Wolfson
September 11, 2024
KFF Health News Original
John Baackes, who steered Medi-Cal’s largest health plan following the Affordable Care Act expansion, and later prepared it for a state overhaul of Medi-Cal, will retire after this year. Baackes believes low payments to doctors and other providers, along with an acute labor shortage, hamper Medi-Cal’s success.
US Uninsured Rate Was Stable in 2023, Even as States’ Medicaid Purge Began
By Phil Galewitz
September 10, 2024
KFF Health News Original
About 8% of Americans lacked health insurance in 2023, the Census Bureau announced. But its report doesn’t capture the effect of states winnowing their Medicaid rolls by millions of people since the pandemic emergency ended.
La tasa de personas sin seguro médico se mantiene estable, a pesar de la purga de Medicaid
By Phil Galewitz
September 10, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Aproximadamente el 8% de los estadounidenses no tuvieron cobertura en 2023, un aumento estadísticamente insignificante de solo 0.1 puntos porcentuales con respecto al año anterior.
Harris and Trump Are Ready To Take on Big Pharma
By Stephanie Armour
September 10, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Former president Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are both eager to take on high drug prices, leaving pharmaceutical companies on the defensive as they spend millions of dollars this election season. When Harris was California’s attorney general, she joined cases that resulted in almost $7.2 billion (about $22 per person in the United […]
Fourth Human Case Of EEE Confirmed In Massachusetts
September 10, 2024
Morning Briefing
Meanwhile, the curious human case of H5N1 bird flu in Missouri, without any apparent exposure source, is triggering many questions. The New York Times asks another big question: Bird flu has already been found in New York markets, so what happens next?
New Mammogram Notification Rule Starts Today
September 10, 2024
Morning Briefing
Patients now must be told about the density of their breasts. Although it’s a common issue, having dense tissue is linked to a higher risk of developing breast cancer because it’s more difficult to spot cancer on mammograms. Also in the news: UVA, Yale, Allegheny Valley Hospital, and more.
AbbVie Accuses BeiGene Of Trade Secret Theft In Cancer Therapy Suit
September 10, 2024
Morning Briefing
BeiGene hired a former longtime senior scientist at AbbVie, and then developed a competing cancer therapy, a lawsuit argues. Separately, a top Merck executive downplayed the impact of a promising experimental Chinese lung cancer drug on its dominant product Keytruda.
DC Legislation Seeks To Force 911 Agency To Reveal Dispatching Errors
September 10, 2024
Morning Briefing
Under new legislation announced Monday by D.C. Council member Brooke Pinto, a Democrat, the trouble-stricken local 911 agency would have to release audio and documents pertaining to suspected errors. Also: tainted chicken; youth suicide rates in Connecticut; and more.
Researchers Find Signals In Babies’ Blood That Link To SIDS Risks
September 10, 2024
Morning Briefing
Researchers at UC San Francisco found that babies with unusual patterns of metabolites in their blood were 14 times more likely to die from SIDS than infants with the lowest-risk patterns — possibly paving the way for SIDS risk screening. Kids’ high blood pressure is also in the news.
Morning Briefing for Tuesday, September 10, 2024
September 10, 2024
Morning Briefing
Listen to our new ‘Silence in Sikeston’ podcast. Plus, ACA enrollment, elections, covid discovery, mammogram rules, EEE, and more.
Listen To Our ‘Silence In Sikeston’ Podcast, Available Starting Today
September 10, 2024
Morning Briefing
“Silence in Sikeston” explores what it means to live with racism and violence, then charts the toll on health — from hives and high blood pressure to struggles with mental health. The deaths of two Black men killed nearly 80 years apart in the same Missouri community anchor a conversation about the public health consequences of systemic bias. “Silence in Sikeston” is the podcast about finding the words to say the things that go unsaid.
Obamacare Enrollment Is Trending Up, With Almost 50M Onboard Since 2014
September 10, 2024
Morning Briefing
About 21 million Americans have signed up for a plan this year, an analysis shows. Major subsidies have played a role in propping up the numbers, but now Congress must decide whether to extend them. Also, a look at where the presidential candidates stand on the law.
As Shutdown Deadline Looms, Congress Not Focusing On Health Care Bills
September 10, 2024
Morning Briefing
Lawmakers are hoping to pass several health care measures during the lame duck session, but for right now, migrant voting appears to be a top Republican concern. Separately, both presidential candidates now appear to support broad cannabis reform.
Fates Of Missouri, Nebraska Abortion Ballot Measures In Judges’ Hands
September 10, 2024
Morning Briefing
Courts in those states will decide whether initiatives on abortion rights will be allowed on the ballots as deadlines to set the ballots approach. And news outlets look at the presidential candidates’ reproductive health views ahead of tonight’s debate.
Scientists Zero In On Antibody With Ability To Ward Off Covid-19 Infection
September 10, 2024
Morning Briefing
In other covid news, the new and even more contagious XEC variant, making its way across Europe, has health officials concerned as the U.S. still grapples with the latest summer surge in cases.
First Edition: Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024
September 10, 2024
Morning Briefing
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
ACA Enrollment Platforms Suspended Over Alleged Foreign Access to Consumer Data
By Julie Appleby
September 10, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Federal regulators provided more specifics about why they suspended two private sector Affordable Care Act enrollment sites, including concerns about potential overseas accessing of consumer data and suspicions of involvement in Obamacare enrollment and switching schemes. The companies reject the assertions.
