Latest Morning Briefing Stories

Recovery From Addiction Is a Journey. There’s No One-and-Done Solution.

KFF Health News Original

Drug use has become a major public health crisis, but effective treatment remains hard to find. It does exist though. Columnist Bernard J. Wolfson offers advice on finding help and says not to expect a quick solution.

California Confronts the Threat of ‘Tranq’ as Overdose Crisis Rages

KFF Health News Original

California officials are stepping up efforts to combat the spread of xylazine, a powerful animal sedative that’s increasingly being used by people, often with devastating results. It’s mostly been an East Coast phenomenon, but ‘tranq,’ as it is known, is beginning to appear in the Golden State.

Health Care Coalition Jockeys Over Medi-Cal Spending, Eyes Ballot Initiative

KFF Health News Original

California Healthline has learned that a coalition of doctors, hospitals, insurers, and community clinics want to lock in a tax on health insurance companies to draw in extra Medicaid funding. It also wants to make the tax permanent.

Mammograms at 40? Breast Cancer Screening Guidelines Spark Fresh Debate

KFF Health News Original

There is no direct evidence that screening women in their 40s will save lives, yet modeling suggests expanding routine mammography to include them might avert 1.3 deaths per 1,000. Highlighting the risk of false positives, some specialists call for a more personalized approach.

California Governor and Democratic Lawmakers at Odds Over Billions in Health Care Funds

KFF Health News Original

Gov. Gavin Newsom is getting pressure from his political allies to begin spending money on health care that the state raised by fining Californians who go without health insurance. But Newsom says the state can’t afford to.

¿Mamografías a los 40? Nueva pauta para la detección del cáncer de seno genera debate

KFF Health News Original

Algunos médicos e investigadores que están interesados en un enfoque más individualizado para encontrar tumores problemáticos se muestran escépticos y plantean preguntas sobre los datos y el razonamiento detrás del cambio radical del Grupo de Trabajo de Servicios Preventivos de Estados Unidos

California Hospitals Seek a Broad Bailout, but They Don’t All Need It

KFF Health News Original

As hospitals squeeze Democratic leaders in Sacramento for more money, health care finance experts and former state officials warn against falling for the industry’s fear tactics. They point to healthy profits and a recession-era financing scheme that allows rich hospitals to take tax money from poorer ones.

California’s Fentanyl Problem Is Getting Worse

KFF Health News Original

State lawmakers have recently been debating whether and how to stiffen punishments for dealers, while Gov. Gavin Newsom is targeting fentanyl trafficking and distributing more naloxone. The problem, experts say, is one with no easy or clear answers.

Se agrava la crisis del fentanilo en California

KFF Health News Original

Impulsadas en gran medida por la prevalencia del fentanilo, un opioide sintético hasta 100 veces más potente que la morfina, las sobredosis de drogas en California matan ahora a más del doble de personas que los accidentes de tráfico.

Young People Are Having Less Sex Than Their Parents Did at Their Age. Researchers Explore Why.

KFF Health News Original

The percentage of young adults not having sex was rising even before covid made dating harder. Data and research suggest economic precarity, technology, and the warping effects of porn on sexual attitudes may play a role.

California Confronts Overdose Epidemic Among Former Prison Inmates

KFF Health News Original

Individuals newly released from prison are 40 times as likely to die of opioid overdoses than members of the general population, researchers say. In response, California corrections officials aim to arm departing inmates with an antidote that can be used to reverse the effects of opioid poisoning.

California Debates Extending PTSD Coverage to More First Responders

KFF Health News Original

A state Senate bill would extend workers’ compensation coverage of post-traumatic stress injuries for firefighters and police officers. But a separate bill to cover paramedics and EMTs is unlikely to be heard.

Medi-Cal Enrollees in California: Here’s How to Verify Your Eligibility

KFF Health News Original

California’s safety-net health program has resumed annual eligibility checks after three years, which means beneficiaries will need to provide updated personal information to maintain coverage. Here’s what to watch for.