Legislation Archives - Page 9 of 39

Too Big To Fail? Now It’s ‘Too Big To Hack’

Episode 343

April 18, 2024

Congress this week had the chance to formally air grievances over the cascading consequences of the Change Healthcare cyberattack, and lawmakers from both major parties agreed on one culprit: consolidation in health care. Plus, about a year after states began stripping people from their Medicaid rolls, a new survey shows nearly a quarter of adults who were disenrolled are now uninsured. Jessie Hellmann of CQ Roll Call, Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet, and Lauren Weber of The Washington Post join KFF Health News’ Mary Agnes Carey to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner interviews Caroline Pearson of the Peterson Health Technology Institute.

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The Health 202

Paris Hilton Speaks up for California’s ‘Troubled’ Teens

By Molly Castle Work

April 17, 2024

A photo of a woman holding a sign at a protest that reads, "Defend democracy; We the people... U.S. Constitution."

Conservative Justices Stir Trouble for Republican Politicians on Abortion

Republicans are learning the admonition “be careful what you wish for,” as conservative judges cause them political problems over abortion in a crucial election year.

By Rachana Pradhan

April 16, 2024

California Health Workers May Face Rude Awakening With $25 Minimum Wage Law

A medical industry challenge to a $25 minimum wage ordinance in one Southern California city suggests health workers statewide could face layoffs and reductions in hours and benefits under a state law set to begin phasing in in June. Some experts are skeptical, however, that it will have such effects.

By Don Thompson

April 16, 2024

A sign with text that reads, "Vote NO on Fluoridation."

As Bans Spread, Fluoride in Drinking Water Divides Communities Across the US

The broad availability of over-the-counter dental products containing fluoride has some community leaders arguing that its addition to public drinking water is no longer necessary. But public health experts worry that, much like vaccines, fluoridation may be a victim of its own success.

By Melba Newsome

April 12, 2024

In vitro fertilization medications and sanitary products are displayed on a countertop.

Feds Join Ranks of Employers with Generous Fertility Benefits

Starting this year, federal employees can choose plans that cover a broad menu of fertility services, including up to $25,000 annually for in vitro fertilization procedures. At the same time, politics around IVF and reproductive health have become a central issue in the current election-year debate.

By Michelle Andrews

April 4, 2024

The Health 202

The GOP Keeps Pushing Medicaid Work Requirements, Despite Setbacks

By Renuka Rayasam and Andy Miller

April 3, 2024

A card for the California State University-San Bernardino’s Student Health Center. It lists services, such as "Vaccinations, on site pharmacy, primary care services, and reproductive care."

California Universities Are Required to Offer Abortion Pills. Many Just Don’t Mention It.

One year after California became the first state to require public universities to provide abortion pills to students, LAist found that basic information for students to obtain the medication is often nonexistent.

By Jackie Fortiér, LAist and Adolfo Guzman-Lopez, LAist

April 2, 2024

A photo of two teenagers posing for a photo together. They stand in front of a screen that reads, "Women run 2023. Politics our way."

California Is Expanding Insurance Access for Teenagers Seeking Therapy on Their Own

A California law that takes effect this summer will grant minors on public insurance the ability to get mental health treatment without their parents’ consent, a privilege that their peers with private insurance have had for years. But the law has become a flashpoint in the state’s culture wars.

By April Dembosky, KQED

March 28, 2024

The Health 202

This State Isn’t Waiting for Biden To Negotiate Drug Prices

By Elisabeth Rosenthal

March 26, 2024

A man works in a large warehouse moving bags of produce

Move to Protect California’s Indoor Workers From Heat Upended by Cost Questions

A years-long process that would have created heat standards for California workers in warehouses, steamy kitchens, and other indoor job sites catapulted into chaos Thursday when Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration pulled its support. Regulators, saying they felt “blindsided,” approved the regulation anyway. It’s unclear what happens next.

By Samantha Young

March 21, 2024

A woman is photographed from the chin down, with the focus on her sweatshirt. The shirt reads, "ABORTION IS ON THE BALLOT."

How National Political Ambition Could Fuel, or Fail, Initiatives to Protect Abortion Rights in States

As money flows to abortion rights initiatives in states, some donors focus on where anger over the "Dobbs" ruling could propel voter turnout and spur Democratic victories up and down the ballot, including in key Senate races and the White House.

By Bram Sable-Smith and Rachana Pradhan

March 19, 2024

William Haleck (right) sits on a couch beside his wife, Verdell (left) with his arm around her. They both hold a photo of their son, Sheldon, in their lap and look solemnly down towards the picture.

As More States Target Disavowed ‘Excited Delirium’ Diagnosis, Police Groups Push Back

After California passed the first law in the nation to limit the disavowed term “excited delirium,” bills in other states are being introduced to help end use of the diagnosis. But momentum is being met with resistance from law enforcement and first responder groups, who cite free speech.

By Renuka Rayasam

March 18, 2024

An aerial view of a highway near downtown New Orleans, Louisiana.

A New Orleans Neighborhood Confronts the Racist Legacy of a Toxic Stretch of Highway

New federal funds aim to address an array of problems created by highway construction in minority neighborhoods. These are economic, social, and, perhaps above all, public health problems. In New Orleans’ Treme neighborhood, competing plans for how to deal with harm done by the Claiborne Expressway reveal the challenge of how to mitigate them meaningfully.

By Drew Hawkins, Gulf States Newsroom

March 15, 2024

A photo of Martin O'Malley standing inside a Senate committee hearing room.

KFF Health News / CMG TV Stations Investigation

Exclusive: Social Security Chief Vows to Fix ‘Cruel-Hearted’ Overpayment Clawbacks

New Social Security Commissioner Martin O’Malley is promising to change how the agency reclaims billions of dollars it wrongly pays to beneficiaries, saying the existing process is “cruel-hearted and mindless.”

By Fred Clasen-Kelly

March 13, 2024

Secret Contract Aims to Upend Landmark California Prison Litigation

California has commissioned an exhaustive study of whether its prisons provide a constitutional level of mental health care, which it could use to try to end one of the lawsuits that have federal courts overseeing the state’s prisons. But corrections officials won’t disclose even basic details of the consultants’ contract, including its cost to taxpayers.

By Don Thompson

March 13, 2024

A photo of Rob Bonta speaking in front of a microphone.

California Attorney General Boosts Bill Banning Medical Debt From Credit Reports

California Attorney General Rob Bonta has thrown his weight behind state Sen. Monique Limón’s legislation to bar unpaid medical bills from showing up on consumer credit reports. If passed, California would join just a few other states with such protections.

By Molly Castle Work

March 11, 2024

A photo of President Biden speaking at a podium to a crowd seated before him.

KFF Health News & PolitiFact HealthCheck

Biden Said State of the Union Is Strong and Made Clear His Campaign Is Off and Running

President Joe Biden used his roughly 68-minute address to Congress to counter lackluster public approval ratings and draw clear contrasts between his administration’s policies and those of Donald Trump and some congressional Republicans. Abortion and health care were in the spotlight.

By KFF Health News and PolitiFact staffs

March 8, 2024

What the Health? From KFF Health News

The State of the Union Is … Busy

Episode 337

March 7, 2024

At last, Congress is getting half of its annual spending bills across the finish line, albeit five months after the start of the fiscal year. Meanwhile, President Joe Biden delivers his annual State of the Union address, an over-the-counter birth control pill is (finally) available, and controversy erupts over new public health guidelines for covid-19 isolation. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet, and Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Neera Tanden, the White House domestic policy adviser, about Biden’s health agenda. Plus, for “extra credit,” the panelists suggest health policy stories they read this week that they think you should read, too.

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