Calif. Ballot Measure Targets Drug Discount Program Spending
By Angela Hart
October 8, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Californians in November will weigh in on a ballot initiative to increase scrutiny over the use of health-care dollars — particularly money from a federal drug discount program — meant to support patient care largely for low-income or indigent people. The revenue is sometimes used to address housing instability and homelessness among vulnerable patient populations. Voters […]
Harris To Roll Out Medicare Policy To Help Seniors Get Covered Care At Home
October 8, 2024
Morning Briefing
The Democratic presidential candidate hopes to make it possible for Americans to stay in their homes while receiving elder care. Separately, PolitiFact says Republican nominee Donald Trump’s statement that Harris ‘wants to legalize fentanyl’ is bunk.
CVS Warns Of More Than 1,000 Layoffs Around New England Headquarters
October 8, 2024
Morning Briefing
In letters to the respective states warning of the upcoming layoffs, CVS signaled its plans to cut more than 630 jobs at it’s Woonsocket, Rhode Island, headquarters. Another 416 employees of the pharmacy giant’s Aetna subsidiary in Hartford, Connecticut, will also be laid off.
Chicago Concertgoers Urged To Seek Medical Care After Bat Exposure
October 8, 2024
Morning Briefing
Although not all bats carry rabies, the city’s health department wants people to seek post-exposure prophylaxis if they were bitten, scratched, or had contact with a bat. Meanwhile, travelers from Rwanda soon will have to be tested for the deadly Marburg virus, CDC officials say.
As Humanity Reaches Peak Longevity, It’s Time To Rethink Retirement Age
October 8, 2024
Morning Briefing
Medical technology and research advances might not be giving the same boost they once did, a new study says. In other news, scientists take first images of waste-disposal mechanisms in living people’s brains, with Alzheimer’s treatment implications. Plus: the winners of the Nobel Prize in Physics.
‘Silence In Sikeston’ Podcast Finale: How Do You Build Trust?
October 8, 2024
Morning Briefing
Our “Silence in Sikeston” project, a multimedia collaboration from KFF Health News, Retro Report, and WORLD, explores the impact of a 1942 lynching and a 2020 police shooting on a rural Missouri community. Today, Episode 4 of our podcast explores the promise of systemic change and structural fixes for racism.
Morning Briefing for Tuesday, October 8, 2024
October 8, 2024
Morning Briefing
ACA open enrollment, abortion law, IVF, Hurricane Milton evacuations, lead pipes, Medicare, and more. Plus, the last episode of ‘Silence in Sikeston.’
Supreme Court Rebuffs Cases On Abortion, IVF; Georgia Reinstates Abortion Ban
October 8, 2024
Morning Briefing
Lower courts’ rulings are allowed to stand on whether EMTALA supersedes the Texas abortion law and whether Alabamans may seek redress for the wrongful death of an embryo.
Hurricane Milton Sparks Hospital Evacuations, Affecting Thousands
October 8, 2024
Morning Briefing
As Florida braces for its second hurricane in two weeks, many health care facilities are preparing to evacuate patients and suspend services. Meanwhile, Politico reports that federal government disaster relief programs are near collapse.
EPA To Water Utilities: Replace All Lead Pipes Within A Decade
October 8, 2024
Morning Briefing
The Environmental Protection Agency’s new rule also restricts the amount of lead allowed in U.S. drinking water. Also in the news: a cyberattack on the nation’s largest water utility, the benefit of outside time on kids’ vision, cancer risk in acne creams and cleansers, and more.
First Edition: Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024
October 8, 2024
Morning Briefing
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Silence in Sikeston: Is There a Cure for Racism?
By Cara Anthony
October 8, 2024
Podcast
In the finale of “Silence in Sikeston,” Black residents organize a Juneteenth barbecue. The Department of Public Safety chief encourages officers to attend to build trust. But improving relations between Sikeston’s Black community and the police won’t be easy. Host Cara Anthony discusses the possibility of institutional change in Sikeston.
What’s New and What To Watch For in the Upcoming ACA Open Enrollment Period
By Julie Appleby
October 8, 2024
KFF Health News Original
This year’s start date in most states is Nov. 1, and consumers may encounter new scams as well as important rule changes.
Lo nuevo y lo que debes tener en cuenta en el próximo período de inscripción abierta de ACA
By Julie Appleby
October 8, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Estamos en esa época del año otra vez. En la mayoría de los estados, la temporada de inscripción abierta de la Ley de Cuidado de Salud a Bajo Precio (ACA) para los planes de salud comienza el 1 de noviembre y dura hasta el 15 de enero.
A Boy’s Bicycling Death Haunts a Black Neighborhood. 35 Years Later, There’s Still No Sidewalk.
By Renuka Rayasam Fred Clasen-Kelly
October 8, 2024
KFF Health News Original
John Parker was in first grade when he was struck by a pickup truck driving on Durham’s Cheek Road, which lacks sidewalks to this day. Neighborhoods with no sidewalks, damaged walkways, and roads with high speed limits are concentrated in Black neighborhoods, research finds.
CMS Proposes Rule That Targets Rogue Brokers Switching Obamacare Plans
October 7, 2024
Morning Briefing
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services released the proposed regulation Friday to update rules governing the Affordable Care Act that would enable stricter oversight of health insurance marketers. Bad actors have been switching people’s health plan enrollment without permission.
Planned Parenthood Won’t See Funds Under Trump’s Watch, Vance Vows
October 7, 2024
Morning Briefing
On another front in reproductive rights, Florida’s Health Department has promised legal action against a local TV network if it continues to run a campaign ad advocating for the right to abortion care. Also, longtime abortion critic Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, is curiously quiet about the subject these days.
Trump Pivots On Support For Controversial Plan To Slash Drug Prices
October 7, 2024
Morning Briefing
Former President Donald Trump had previously promised to bring back an executive order he signed in 2020 to ensure Medicare paid no more than other developed nations for prescription drugs, but Stat reports he has now backed away from it. Also, a preview of health-related cases on the Supreme Court docket.
