Latest Morning Briefing Stories
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Chaos Continues in Federal Health System
The Senate has yet to confirm a Health and Human Services secretary, but things around the department continue to change at a breakneck pace to comply with President Donald Trump’s executive orders. Payment systems have been shut down, webpages and entire datasets have been taken offline, and workers — including those with civil service protections — have been urged to quit or threatened with layoffs. Meanwhile, foreign and trade policy changes are also affecting health policy. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico and Lauren Weber of The Washington Post join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KFF Health News’ Julie Appleby, who reported the latest “Bill of the Month” feature, about a young woman, a grandfathered health plan, and a $14,000 IUD.
Officials Seek To Dismantle Appeals Board for Montanans Denied Public Assistance
The Montana health department says the Board of Public Assistance is redundant and a bureaucratic hurdle that helps few people. Current and former board representatives say the rare cases in which the panel helps people are important.
Biden Rule Cleared Hurdles to Lifesaving HIV Drug, but in Georgia Barriers Remain
A new rule requires insurers to improve coverage of PrEP, which can prevent HIV, but Georgians face challenges getting the drug.
California Housing Officials Recommend State Protect Renters From Extreme Heat
State officials say homes should be able to be cooled to a safe indoor air temperature of 82 degrees. The legislature will now take up the report.
Funcionarios de California recomiendan que el estado proteja a los inquilinos del calor extremo
Aunque la mayoría de las muertes y enfermedades causadas por el calor se pueden prevenir, alrededor de 1.220 personas mueren cada año en el país por esta causa.
Wash, Dry, Enroll: Finding Medicaid Help at the Laundromat
State Medicaid and Affordable Care Act programs have long struggled to connect with lower-income Americans to help them access care. Now some are trying an alternative approach: meeting them at the laundromat.
Lavar, secar, inscribirse: cómo obtener Medicaid… en la lavandería
Trabajadores, muchos de los cuales son bilingües, visitan lavanderías para establecer relaciones, generar confianza y conectar a las personas con la asistencia del gobierno
Indiana Governor Appoints Business Leader To Shake Up Health Care
Gloria Sachdev, a pharmacist by training, has spent years taking on the health care establishment in Indiana, working to pull down high hospital prices and make information public to patients. Now, in a newly created position in the governor’s Cabinet, she’s no longer fighting from the outside.
For California Farmworkers, Telehealth Visits With Mexican Doctors Fill a Gap
The MiSalud app enables Spanish-speaking users in the U.S. to meet virtually with health professionals in Mexico via a smartphone app. At Taylor Farms in Salinas, California, the novel program has been a hit.
Este método, que podría llegar a tener gran utilidad en la era de los teléfonos inteligentes, es una aplicación que permite efectuar consultas médicas transfronterizas.
Across the South, Rural Health Care Has Become ‘Trendy.’ Medicaid Expansion Has Not.
State legislatures nationwide, including several in the South, are spending millions to improve rural health outcomes and access. For years, though, most Southern states have refused billions of federal dollars to provide public health insurance to more low-income adults. That isn’t likely to change with Trump back in office.
Little Tracking, Wide Variability Permeate the Teams Tasked With Stopping School Shootings
Several states require schools to assemble teams of law enforcement and education officials to identify students who could become mass shooters and intervene before it’s too late. But some experts say the efforts often face a lack of guidance and significant pressure, putting them at risk of maligning innocent students.
Journalists Analyze Issues of the Day: RFK Jr., Bird Flu, L.A. Fires
KFF Health News journalists made the rounds on national and local media recently to discuss topical stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.
Drawn-Out Overhaul of Troubled Montana Hospital Leaves Lawmakers in Limbo
Unsure how to help the troubled psychiatric facility, legislators look to shore up other parts of the state’s mental health system.
Trump’s Order on Gender-Affirming Care Escalates Reversal of Trans Rights
The Jan. 28 executive order directs federal regulators to cut insurance coverage for hormonal or surgical treatments that help in young people’s gender transitions and cut federal funding for medical professionals or institutions that provide such care. It will likely be challenged in court.
Trump Administration’s Halt of CDC’s Weekly Scientific Report Stalls Bird Flu Studies
An unprecedented freeze on the agency’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report sparks new concerns about political meddling in science.
Telehealth Companies Boost Ad Spending While Taking on More Complex Medicine
Telehealth startups including Ro and Nurx are spending millions to promote themselves as easy dispensers of medicines. Some companies offer care for birth control, sexual dysfunction, and more complex conditions, including behavioral health disorders and obesity.
Sports Betting Is Coming to Missouri. A Fund To Help Prevent Problem Gambling Will Follow.
Can a $5 million compulsive-gambling fund help Missouri avoid the mistakes of other states that have legalized sports betting?
Led by RFK Jr., Conservatives Embrace Raw Milk. Regulators Say It’s Dangerous.
Controversy over raw milk reflects the push-pull the Trump administration faces in rolling back regulations and offering consumers more choices. For now, the CDC still recommends against consuming raw milk and the FDA bans its interstate sale.
Trump’s Funding ‘Pause’ Throws States, Health Industry Into Chaos
A sweeping Trump administration order threw the nation’s health system into disarray Tuesday, as states and the health industry tried to make sense of what looked like a freeze on federal Medicaid funding.
