Latest Morning Briefing Stories
San Francisco Politician: ‘I Take A Pill Called Truvada’
This story is part of a partnership that includes KQED, NPR and Kaiser Health News. It can be republished for free. (details) In an effort to combat stigma that has arisen around a treatment that prevents HIV, a San Francisco elected official announced publicly Wednesday that he is taking the medicine. City Supervisor Scott Wiener […]
Appeals Court Weighs Texas Abortion Law
Federal judges will decide whether 11 clinics must close to comply with state law. If they do close, some women in the state will be more than 200 miles from a clinic that performs abortions.
Victory In Mass. Health Costs May Be Temporary
This story is part of a partnership that includes WBUR, NPR and Kaiser Health News. It can be republished for free. (details) Two years ago, Massachusetts set what was considered an ambitious goal: The state would not let that persistent monster, rising health care costs, increase faster than the economy as a whole. Today, […]
Federal Judge Blocks Texas Restriction On Abortion Clinics
This story is part of a partnership that includes Houston Public Media, NPR and Kaiser Health News. It can be republished for free. (details) In a highly anticipated ruling, a federal judge in Austin struck down part of a Texas law that would have required all abortion clinics in the state to meet the same standards as […]
In Texas, New Doctor-Restrictive Abortion Law Could Kick In Monday
This story is part of a partnership that includes Houston Public Media, NPR and Kaiser Health News. It can be republished for free. (details) A federal judge in Austin, Texas, will issue a decision in the next few days about whether clinics that perform abortion in the state must become outpatient surgery centers. The Texas […]
Calif. Bill Would Protect Estates Of Many Who Received Medicaid
Federal law allows states to seize assets, such as homes, after a Medicaid enrollee has died to help cover the costs of the program’s spending on basic health services for people 55 years and older.
Operator? Business, Insurer Take On End-of-Life Issues By Phone
Fear keeps many patients and doctors from talking to each other about end-of-life care. One company, hired by insurers, has made a rather unusual business fostering those conversations.
New Head of Healthcare.gov Is Connecticut’s Counihan
Kevin Counihan, the head of Connecticut’s health insurance marketplace, will be the new CEO of healthcare.gov, the website that 36 states use to sell insurance under the Affordable Care Act, the administration announced at noon Tuesday.
Health Care Giants Battling For Control Of Pittsburgh’s Market
As the line between insurance companies and health care providers blurs, these onetime allies are venturing into each other’s business and becoming competitors.
Has Health Law Helped Young People Get Mental Health Treatment? Maybe
Mental health issues like depression, anxiety and substance abuse often start in adolescence, then peak in young adulthood. But for young people who don’t have steady jobs or stable paychecks, getting help can be tough. A popular provision of the Affordable Care Act that took effect in 2010 aimed to make it easier for young […]
To Beat Heroin Addiction, A Turn To Coaches
A one-year pilot project in Gosnold, Mass., provides recovering addicts with daily, sometimes hourly, help from a recovery coach.
Stigma Is A Side-Effect Of HIV-Prevention Medicine
Truvada is a drug that can help people who are not infected avoid contracting the virus that causes AIDS. But some patients are worried the medical community is not up to speed.
Fast Track For Primary Care Docs At One Calif. University
Some doctors in the state of California will soon be able to practice after three years of medical school instead of the traditional four. The American Medical Association is providing seed money for the effort in the form of a $1 million, five-year grant to the University of California at Davis. Student Ngabo Nzigira is in […]
Cleveland’s Early Medicaid Expansion Paying Off
Cuyahoga County, Ohio, created its own Medicaid program for 28,000 residents. So far, E.R. visits have dropped 60 percent.
A Doctor’s Perspective On Obamacare Plans
Low reimbursement rates cause one doctor to reject two out of three companies selling Affordable Care Act insurance in his state.
Covered California Rates Up Modest 4.2 Percent
Covered California says health care premiums will go up modestly for most people buying coverage on the state exchange next year by an average of 4.2 percent. “We enrolled a lot of people, they’re healthy, and that’s kept rates down,” Covered California Executive Director Peter Lee said at a press conference on Thursday in Sacramento […]
Florida’s Largest Health Insurer Is Raising Exchange Rates An Average Of 17.6 Percent
Florida Blue cites cost impact of older and less healthy adults who use more services.
Rx For Clarity: Calif. Considers Bilingual Drug Labels
Every Saturday morning, a steady stream of Chinese and Vietnamese patients line up at the Paul Hom Asian Clinic in Sacramento, Calif. Most of them speak little to no English. Patient assistance director Danny Tao says people come here to get free medical consultations and drug prescriptions. But, he says that when patients take those […]
California Nurses Union Braces For Contract Battle
The powerful California Nurses Association is threatening to strike as it begins negotiations with Kaiser Permanente on a new four-year contract.
Half Of Texas Abortion Clinics Close Due To State Law
This story is part of a partnership that includes Houston Public Media, NPR and Kaiser Health News. It can be republished for free. (details) In just over the past year, the number of abortion clinics in Texas fell from 41 to 20, and watchdogs say that as few as six may be left by September. […]
