First Edition: July 2, 2024
July 2, 2024
Morning Briefing
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Mississippi Lacks Black Doctors, Even as Lawmakers Increasingly Target Diversity Programs
By Lauren Sausser
July 2, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Administrators at the University of Mississippi School of Medicine are trying to recruit more Black students — and more Hispanic and Choctaw Nation students, for that matter. But they face several obstacles, including a recent swell of Republican opposition to diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.
Fake Therapist Fooled Hundreds Online Until She Died, State Records Say
By Brett Kelman
Illustration by Oona Zenda
July 2, 2024
KFF Health News Original
A Florida woman with no training in mental health services pretended to be a licensed social worker during online therapy sessions with Brightside Health patients.
Pain Doesn’t Belong on a Scale of Zero to 10
By Elisabeth Rosenthal
July 2, 2024
KFF Health News Original
A popular scale for measuring pain doesn’t work, but medicine still has no better alternative.
Falsa terapeuta engañó a cientos de pacientes en Internet, y solo se supo porque murió
By Brett Kelman
July 2, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Cientos de estadounidenses pueden haber recibido terapia, sin saberlo, de una impostora sin formación que se hizo pasar por terapeuta en sesiones por internet, posiblemente durante dos años. El engaño sólo se descubrió cuando murió, según registros de departamentos de salud estatales.
El dolor ya no se puede medir en una escala de cero a 10
By Elisabeth Rosenthal
July 2, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Los médicos de hoy tienen una comprensión más completa del tratamiento del dolor, así como de las terribles consecuencias de recetar opioides con liviandad. Lo que están aprendiendo ahora es cómo medir mejor el dolor y tratar sus muchas formas.
The Supreme Court Just Limited Federal Power. Health Care Is Feeling the Shockwaves.
By Stephanie Armour
July 1, 2024
KFF Health News Original
A Supreme Court ruling restricting federal power will likely have seismic ramifications for health policy. A flood of litigation — with plaintiffs like small businesses, drugmakers, and hospitals challenging regulations they say are too expensive or burdensome and not authorized by law — could leave the country with a patchwork of disparate health regulations.
Critical Patients Missed Out On Lung Transplants Due To Algorithm Error
July 1, 2024
Morning Briefing
The Chicago Tribune reports that a new system to help fair distribution of donor lungs was built on a flawed algorithm which harmed some sick and dying patients. Meanwhile a researcher was indicted on research fraud charges related to an Alzheimer’s drug candidate.
Scientists Zero In On Milking Machines As Conduit For Bird Flu Spread
July 1, 2024
Morning Briefing
Virologists say this is good news, but halting transmission of the virus poses “a real logistical problem” for farmers. Elsewhere, two more people in Pennsylvania have contracted the virus, which also has been detected in San Francisco wastewater.
FDA Has New Powers Over Cosmetics Regulation Starting Today
July 1, 2024
Morning Briefing
It’s part of a phase-in of a 2022 law allowing more oversight of the industry. In other news, a study links anxiety in older people to a higher risk of Parkinson’s disease. Also: brain damage found in Navy SEALs who died by suicide.
Massachusetts On Track For Local Record With Over 50 Dengue Cases
July 1, 2024
Morning Briefing
Also in Massachusetts, as well as New Hampshire, residents are warned of potential measles exposure from an international traveler. Also in state health news: credit agencies barred from medical debt data in Connecticut; gun violence in Baltimore drops; and more.
Data On 800,000 People Leaked In Lurie Children’s Hospital Cyberattack
July 1, 2024
Morning Briefing
The attack compromised such personal health information as names, drivers’ license numbers, medical conditions and diagnoses, and Social Security numbers. In other industry news, Optum’s bid on Steward Health’s physician group; Ascension’s hospital selling; rural telehealth; and more.
Morning Briefing for Monday, July 1, 2024
July 1, 2024
Morning Briefing
Alleged ACA fraud, abortion ballot measures, Supreme Court rulings, cyberattacks, transplants, bird flu, FDA powers, and more are in the news.
House Republican Leaders Demand Investigation Of Alleged ACA Fraud
July 1, 2024
Morning Briefing
Several high-level House committees want the Government Accountability Office and Health and Human Services inspector general to look into separate reports from KFF Health News and conservative think tank Paragon Health Institute.
Abortion Rights Measure Will Be Put To Nevada Voters In November
July 1, 2024
Morning Briefing
As efforts to enshrine abortion protections gain steam in Nevada, Florida maneuvers to stop any ballot initiatives. Meanwhile, Iowa’s high court allows the state’s six-week abortion ban to stand.
White House Signals It Opposes Gender Surgery For Trans Minors
July 1, 2024
Morning Briefing
Meanwhile, in Texas, the Supreme Court upheld a gender care ban for transgender youth. Also: LGBTQ+ people say their mental health is boosted when states have protective laws.
First Edition: July 1, 2024
July 1, 2024
Morning Briefing
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
The Concierge Catch: Better Access for a Few Patients Disrupts Care for Many
By John Rossheim
July 1, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Increasingly, Americans pay for the privilege of seeing a doctor. Research shows concierge medicine can further hamper access to care for those who can’t afford the upgrade.
Idaho’s OB-GYN Exodus Throws Women in Rural Towns Into a Care Void
By Jazmin Orozco Rodriguez
July 1, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Idaho’s law criminalizing abortion drove a high-profile exodus of OB-GYNs from the state more than a year ago. Now, two years after the U.S. Supreme Court rolled back abortion protections enshrined by Roe v. Wade, patients in rural Idaho are forced to leave their community for gynecological care.