Opioid-Related Deaths Fell 10% In Massachusetts Last Year
June 13, 2024
Morning Briefing
It’s the largest decline in more than a decade, the Boston Globe says, and comes after two years of record death rates. Meanwhile, a new study shows that communities closer to marijuana dispensaries in Oregon have lower opioid prescription rates.
Another 34 Salmonella Cases Related To Cucumbers Reported
June 13, 2024
Morning Briefing
The CDC says 196 people have now been sickened, with cases reported in three new states. Several varieties of cookie cough are also being recalled due to Salmonella contamination — nearly 30,000 cases of Rise Baking Company products are affected.
Research Roundup: Lung Cancer; Sepsis; MIS-C; Chronic Wasting Disease
June 13, 2024
Morning Briefing
Each week, KFF Health News compiles a selection of health policy studies and briefs.
Lawmakers Take FDA, DOJ To Task Over Continued Sale Of Illegal Vapes
June 13, 2024
Morning Briefing
“E-cigarette companies addicted a new generation of children to nicotine, erasing the hard work so many of us undertook to convince kids not to smoke tobacco cigarettes,” Richard J. Durbin, D-Ill., said at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing. Other news looks at gun violence and medical debt.
Southern Baptists Vote No To IVF
June 13, 2024
Morning Briefing
The convention’s vote comes as Texas lawmakers block a Republican amendment to protect the procedure and as Democrats prepare to put forth legislation that would make it a right to have access to in vitro fertilization and other treatments.
Antiviral-Resistant ‘Dual Mutant’ Flu Virus Is Now On US Radar, CDC Says
June 13, 2024
Morning Briefing
Vaccination can still offer protection from these strains of H1N1 influenza, which have sickened two people in the U.S. Meanwhile, a new nasal swab, produced by Roche Diagnostics, will be available to help sick people determine if they have covid, the flu, or RSV.
9/11 Responders Who Didn’t Wear PPE Have Higher Dementia Risk Before 65
June 13, 2024
Morning Briefing
A new study compared data from 5,010 people who were severely exposed to building debris in the aftermath of the 2001 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. Plus: A CDC report shows the number of US adults with dementia is holding steady.
Soldiers’ Suicide Risk 9 Times Greater Than Death From Enemy Fire
June 13, 2024
Morning Briefing
A new Pentagon study examined data for a five-year period ending in 2019 and found suicide was the leading cause of death in active-duty soldiers. Axios, meanwhile, reports that response times for the 988 suicide hotline vary depending on where you live.
As More Americans Obtain Insurance, Health Care Spending Surges to $4.8T
June 13, 2024
Morning Briefing
Data show that 93% of Americans — an all-time high — now are covered either by Medicaid, Medicare, or private insurance.
First Edition: June 13, 2024
June 13, 2024
Morning Briefing
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Watch: California Pays Drug Users To Stay Clean
June 13, 2024
KFF Health News Original
KFF Health News senior correspondent Angela Hart discusses a state Medicaid experiment for people addicted to methamphetamine, cocaine, and other stimulants. For every clean urine test, they can earn money — up to $599 a year.
Biden’s on Target About What Repealing ACA Would Mean for Preexisting Condition Protections
By Jacob Gardenswartz
June 13, 2024
KFF Health News Original
A Biden campaign ad highlighting how an Obamacare repeal would affect people with preexisting conditions is mostly true.
Funding Instability Plagues Program That Brings Docs to Underserved Areas
By Michelle Andrews
June 13, 2024
KFF Health News Original
A medical residency program designed to train future primary care physicians in outpatient rather than hospital settings has proved an effective means to bring doctors to rural and underserved areas. But it hinges on unpredictable congressional funding.
California Dabbles With Reining in Health Spending
By Bernard J. Wolfson
June 12, 2024
KFF Health News Original
California is now among the states trying to keep health-care costs down by setting spending caps — a task that pits public officials against a deeply entrenched and heavily lawyered set of players. It’s uncertain whether the state can get insurers, hospitals and medical groups to collaborate on containing costs even as they jockey for […]
Viewpoints: We Aren’t Ready For H5N1; Factory Farming And Bird Flu Are A Dangerous Mix
June 12, 2024
Morning Briefing
Editorial writers tackle bird flu, contraception, vaping, and more.
Official Long Covid Definition Puts Everyone In Sync About Disease
June 12, 2024
Morning Briefing
“A consensus definition could promote consistency in diagnosis, aid awareness efforts, help patients access appropriate care, services, and benefits, and help harmonize long covid research and surveillance,” the authors of the definition wrote.
Mass. House Moves To End Mandate That Can Stigmatize Addiction Meds
June 12, 2024
Morning Briefing
Drug-exposed babies in Massachusetts must be reported by a medical professional to child welfare officials, even if the drug is a drug addiction treatment like methadone or buprenorphine. State lawmakers want to change that mandate.
Rape, Murder Incidents Down 26% As Overall US Violent Crime Rate Falls
June 12, 2024
Morning Briefing
Authorities say factors that led to crime surges during the covid pandemic are largely waning. Other news focuses on lung cancer screenings, women’s heart health, screen time, teen vaping, and more.