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Latest Morning Briefing Stories

‘Time’s Up’: Covered California Takes Aim At Hospital C-Section Rates

KFF Health News Original

Starting in less than two years, if state hospitals haven’t met targets for safety and quality, they’ll risk being excluded from the “in-network” designation of health plans sold on the state’s insurance exchange.

Choosing Between Death And Deportation

KFF Health News Original

What happens when an undocumented immigrant has a life-threatening diagnosis? Much depends on where the person lives. And even in states with generous care for a dire illness, a patient can face difficult life-and-death choices.

Reversing An Overdose Isn’t Complicated, But Getting The Antidote Can Be

KFF Health News Original

Last month, U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams urged more Americans to carry and learn to use naloxone, which can save someone from an opioid overdose. But the drug, brand-name Narcan, can be difficult to get and expensive.

Male OB-GYNs Are Growing Rare. Is That A Problem?

KFF Health News Original

Nationally, women outnumber men as specialists in obstetrics and gynecology — yet women remain underrepresented in leadership roles. Many OB-GYN patients say they prefer female doctors, as residency programs strive for diversity in race, ethnicity and even gender.

In A Puerto Rican Mountain Town, Hope Ebbs And Health Suffers

KFF Health News Original

More than six months after Hurricane Maria, daily life in Castañer, Puerto Rico, is nowhere close to normal as residents try to deal with the effects of trauma, chronic stress and the continued lack of electricity.

Drug Test Spurs Frank Talk Between Hypertension Patients And Doctors

KFF Health News Original

Roughly half of patients don’t take their high blood pressure medicine as they should, even though heart disease is the leading cause of death in America. Now, a drug test can flag whether a patient is taking the prescribed medication and is meant to spark a more truthful conversation between patient and doctor.

PrEP Campaign Aims To Block HIV Infection And Save Lives In D.C.

KFF Health News Original

Washington, D.C., is trying to stop new cases of HIV in the district by making sure residents who might be at risk are taking PrEP, medicine that cuts the risk of contracting the virus by 92 percent.

How Many Opioid Overdoses Are Suicides?

KFF Health News Original

Opioid overdoses and related deaths are still climbing, U.S. statistics show. Teasing out which overdoses are intentional can be hard, but is important for treatment, doctors say.

Docs Worry There’s ‘Nowhere To Send’ New And Expectant Moms With Depression

KFF Health News Original

California’s legislature will soon take up a bill that would require doctors to screen pregnant women and new mothers for mental health problems. Many doctors oppose the idea, and laws elsewhere haven’t increased the number of moms treated.

With Some Republican Support, Virginia Edges Closer To Medicaid Expansion

KFF Health News Original

More than a dozen Republicans in the Virginia House of Delegates voted to expand Medicaid, and at least one state senator may be leaning in favor of expansion. It will be the hot topic as legislators are called back to Richmond to hash out a budget in the special session starting April 11.