Latest Morning Briefing Stories

Timely Mental Health Care Is a Key Factor in Strike by Kaiser Permanente Workers

KFF Health News Original

A new California law requires timely follow-up appointments for mental health and addiction patients. But striking workers at Kaiser Permanente in Northern California say patients continue to wait up to two months.

More Communities Are Giving Flavored Tobacco the Boot. Will California Follow?

KFF Health News Original

San Jose and Sacramento this summer joined scores of other California cities and counties that have banned the sale of flavored tobacco products such as menthol cigarettes and candy-flavored e-cigs. In November, California voters will decide whether to allow a statewide ban to take effect.

Cada vez más comunidades rechazan el tabaco aromatizado. ¿Es el turno de California?

KFF Health News Original

Aunque comunidades grandes y pequeñas de todo el estado ya han actuado, los californianos decidirán en noviembre si promulgan una de las prohibiciones estatales más completas del país sobre el tabaco aromatizado.

Para las familias médicamente vulnerables, la presión de la inflación es inevitable

KFF Health News Original

Para millones de familias que viven con enfermedades crónicas, trastornos cardíacos, diabetes y cáncer, u otras condiciones debilitantes, la inflación está demostrando ser un doloroso flagelo que podría perjudicar su salud.

For Medically Vulnerable Families, Inflation’s Squeeze Is Inescapable

KFF Health News Original

Inflation hasn’t hit Americans like this in decades. And families living with chronic diseases have little choice but to pay more for the medicine, supplies, and food they need to stay healthy.

California Gov. Newsom Pins Political Rise on Abortion, Guns, and Health Care

KFF Health News Original

As California Gov. Gavin Newsom claims the role as the national Democratic Party’s political attack dog, he is trolling red-state governors over their positions on guns and abortion. He’s also making a case for himself — with health care front and center.

In California, Abortion Could Become a Constitutional Right. So Could Birth Control.

KFF Health News Original

Proposition 1, the constitutional amendment that would enshrine abortion in California’s constitution, would also lock in a right that has gotten less attention: the right to “choose or refuse” contraception.

A California Man’s ‘Painful and Terrifying’ Road to a Monkeypox Diagnosis

KFF Health News Original

A Bay Area man described himself as “delirious” from the pain of a quickly spreading rash, but it took six telehealth appointments, one urgent care visit, and two emergency room trips before he was finally diagnosed and treated for monkeypox.

The Time Has Come for DIY Mandates on Covid

KFF Health News Original

Yes, lots of us suffer from pandemic fatigue and have been getting sloppy about precautions in recent months. But with covid an ongoing menace — and governments reluctant to return to sweeping mandates — it’s time for all of us to step up our game.

Citing a Mental Health Crisis Among Young People, California Lawmakers Target Social Media

KFF Health News Original

Legislators are considering two bills that address online addiction among children by taking aim at website features such as push notifications and targeted posts. But Big Tech is fighting the effort, saying companies are already taking steps to protect children.

Conservative Blocs Unleash Litigation to Curb Public Health Powers

KFF Health News Original

Spurred on by opposition to pandemic-related health mandates, a coalition of religious liberty groups, conservative think tanks, and Republican state attorneys general has filed a cascade of litigation seeking to rein in the powers of public health authorities.