Latest Morning Briefing Stories
Conceived Through ‘Fertility Fraud,’ She Now Needs Fertility Treatment
Years ago, doctors sometimes lied about whose sperm they used for artificial inseminations. Could it happen now? Some argue regulation is weak in the multibillion-dollar fertility treatment industry.
Patients Want A ‘Good Death’ At Home, But Hospice Care Can Badly Strain Families
Fewer Americans are dying in a hospital, under the close supervision of doctors and nurses. That trend has been boosted by an expanded Medicare benefit that helps people live out their final days at home in hospice care. But as home hospice grows, so has the burden on families left to provide much of the care.
Smokers Need Not Apply: Fairness Of No-Nicotine Hiring Policies Questioned
U-Haul will not hire nicotine users in 21 states where it is legal to do so. Ethicists say such policies disproportionately affect the poor and are a sign of employers becoming overly involved in workers’ lifestyle choices.
Family Doctors In Rural America Tackle Crisis Of Addiction And Pain
For rural physicians, the burden of responding to the opioid epidemic falls squarely on their already loaded shoulders. For one doctor in a small Wisconsin village, there was no question that she wanted to rise to the challenge.
Listen: A Renewed Focus On Health Care In 2020
KHN’s Julie Rovner joins Stephen Henderson of “Detroit Today” on WDET, an NPR station, to talk about the pivotal role of health care issues in the 2020 presidential campaign.
In Massachusetts, Minors Need Permission For Abortion, But That Could Change
A parental consent requirement for minors who seek abortions is still on the books in left-leaning Massachusetts, as well as about two dozen other states. But a proposed Massachusetts law seeks to repeal that consent requirement and shore up the right to abortion in case the Supreme Court strikes down the federal right to the procedure.
Effort To Control Opioids In An ER Leaves Some Sickle Cell Patients In Pain
People with sickle cell disease aren’t fueling the opioid crisis, research shows. Yet some ER doctors still treat patients seeking relief for agonizing sickle cell crises as potential addicts.
A Veteran Started Vaping THC To Cope With Chronic Pain. Then He Got Very Sick.
A Navy veteran from Cleveland tried vaping marijuana to deal with his chronic pain. He landed in the hospital, becoming one of over 2,400 Americans who have suffered serious lung injury from vaping.
Peligrosos desechos del vapeo son un nuevo dolor de cabeza para escuelas y ciudades
En Boulder High School, en Boulder, Colorado, se ha convertido una tarea cotidiana recoger productos del vapeo, que pueden ser tóxicos.
Don’t Toss That E-Cig: Vaping Waste Is A Whole New Headache For Schools And Cities
E-cigarettes may look sleek, but they create toxic trash, especially at high schools where vaping is widespread. Disposable nicotine pods can be poisonous, and vape pens contain batteries and metals. Safely disposing of them can mean a trip to the local recycling center.
In The Fight For Money For The Opioid Crisis, Will The Youngest Victims Be Left Out?
The opioid epidemic is intergenerational, with tens of thousands of babies born every year dependent on opioids. Advocates worry that settlement dollars resulting from lawsuits against the drug industry might not benefit these children.
Cuando el hijo adolescente maltrata a los padres: el secreto y la vergüenza dificultan buscar ayuda
Si bien la investigación es limitada, una revisión de 2017 de varios trabajos sobre el tema halló que la violencia de hijos a padres es un problema grave que suele no reportarse.
When Teens Abuse Parents, Shame And Secrecy Make It Hard To Seek Help
Most domestic assault offenders are adults, but about 1 in 12 who come to the attention of law enforcement are minors, according to a 2008 study by the U.S. Justice Department. In half of those cases, the victim was a parent, most often the mother.
‘Food Pharmacies’ In Clinics: When The Diagnosis Is Chronic Hunger
It’s hard to manage chronic conditions without a steady source of healthy food. That’s why more health care providers are setting up food pantries — right inside hospitals and clinics.
Black Mothers Get Less Treatment For Postpartum Depression Than Other Moms
Cultural barriers may keep some African American women from seeking treatment for postpartum depression as early as they need it, and the standard screening tools aren’t always relevant for some black women.
Built For Counterterrorism, This High-Tech Machine Is Now Used To Detect Fentanyl
Public health officials are adopting a law enforcement tool, the mass spectrometer, to instantly identify potentially deadly levels of opioids in local drug supplies.
An Atlanta Nonprofit Brings Medical Care And Connection To The Homeless
“Street medicine” programs seek out people living in back alleys and under highways. It’s a public health approach designed to build trust and eventually connect homeless patients to other services.
A Young Immigrant Has Mental Illness, And That’s Raising His Risk Of Deportation
Behavioral problems, criminal arrests and limited access to health care leave a father worried his 21-year-old son will be deported to Mexico.
Last-Minute Loophole Could Undermine Texas Law Against Surprise Medical Bills
Texas passed a bipartisan law against surprise medical billing, but advocates warn that a proposed rule could severely weaken it, continuing to allow surprise bills outside of emergencies.
Some Academics Quietly Take Side Jobs Helping Tobacco Companies In Court
Faced with lawsuits from sick smokers, tobacco firms argue the health risks were “common knowledge” for decades, and they often pay professors to help make that point as expert witnesses.
