Latest Morning Briefing Stories

California pone gafas, guantes y máscaras a 10.000 trabajadores agrícolas para protegerlos de la gripe aviar

KFF Health News Original

Hasta el momento, se ha confirmado la presencia de gripe aviar en más de 270 granjas lecheras en el centro de California. También detectaron rastros del virus en un sitio de muestreo de aguas residuales en el condado de Los Ángeles.

Tribal Leaders Ask Feds To Declare Syphilis Outbreak a Public Health Emergency

KFF Health News Original

For Native American communities in the Great Plains, data paints a clear picture of the devastation caused by an ongoing syphilis outbreak. According to the South Dakota Department of Health, 649 cases of syphilis have been documented this year. Of those, 546 were diagnosed among Native Americans, who make up only 9 percent of the […]

Maryland Is Training More Health Workers To Offer Abortion Care

KFF Health News Original

After the fall of “Roe v. Wade,” thousands of out-of-state patients traveled to Maryland for abortion care. The state is trying to diversify who can offer that care. Providers in the first training class say their new skills are especially needed in rural areas.

Hospitals Adjust as Rates of Maternal High Blood Pressure Spike

KFF Health News Original

Health researchers are noticing a growing problem in American pregnancies: more cases of blood pressure so high it can be deadly for the parent and baby. U.S. rates of newly developed and chronic maternal high blood pressure skyrocketed from 2007 through 2019, and researchers say they haven’t slowed down. Hospitals are working to adjust their […]

Older Americans Living Alone Often Rely on Neighbors or Others Willing To Help

KFF Health News Original

Diverse networks of friends, former co-workers, neighbors, and extended family are often essential sources of support for older adults living alone. Often it is the elderly caring for the elderly.

California Dengue Cases Prompt Swift Response From Public Health Officials

KFF Health News Original

With the arrival in California of dengue, a dangerous mosquito-borne disease present mainly in more tropical climates, public health authorities are deploying a range of strategies to beat back the Aedes mosquitoes that spread the virus.

Oficiales de salud en California responden rápido a los casos de dengue

KFF Health News Original

En lo que va del año, las autoridades han identificado al menos 13 casos de dengue de transmisión local, frente a dos en 2023, con 11 en el condado de Los Ángeles y dos en el área de San Diego.

Voters in These Red States Okay Paid Sick Leave

KFF Health News Original

Voters in Missouri and Nebraska approved ballot measures Tuesday that guarantee paid leave for sick workers. Alaska voters seem poised to pass a similar measure that has a wide lead. These two Republican-led states join 15 others and D.C. — largely Democratic-controlled places — in requiring some employers to provide workers with paid sick leave. Proponents cheered […]

California Expanded Medi-Cal to Unauthorized Residents. The Results Are Mixed.

KFF Health News Original

California this year completed its Medi-Cal expansion to include income-eligible residents regardless of their immigration status. This final installment of the “Faces of Medi-Cal” series profiles three of those newly eligible patients and how coverage has affected their health.

7 of 10 States Backed Abortion Rights, but Don’t Expect Change Overnight

KFF Health News Original

Voters backed abortion rights in seven of the 10 states where the issue appeared on ballots Tuesday, including in Missouri, among the first states to ban abortion after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned federal abortion protections with its 2022 decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. At first glance, the nation’s patchwork of abortion […]

12 States Promised To Open the Books on Their Opioid Settlement Funds. We Checked Up on Them.

KFF Health News Original

Victims of the opioid crisis, health advocates, and public policy experts have repeatedly called on state and local governments to transparently report how they’re using the funds they are receiving from settlements with opioid makers and distributors.

Tribal Health Leaders Say Feds Haven’t Treated Syphilis Outbreak as a Public Health Emergency

KFF Health News Original

The National Indian Health Board has urged the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to declare a public health emergency as an alarming syphilis outbreak, which disproportionately affects Native Americans, continues. This is the latest plea for more resources from tribal leaders after previous requests went unanswered.

Prepared for Trump’s Comeback, California’s Attorney General Is Ready To Fight

KFF Health News Original

Attorney General Rob Bonta, a longtime champion of reproductive rights, is ready to lead California in the fight to protect abortion under Trump’s second presidency. In a Q&A, he shares how his upbringing prepared him for the role.

7 of 10 States Backed Abortion Rights. But Little To Change Yet.

KFF Health News Original

Voters in 10 states weighed in on abortion rights this election. Despite the results supporting abortion rights in seven of those states, much of the abortion landscape on abortion won’t change much immediately, as medical providers navigate the legal hurdles that remain.

In Vermont, Where Almost Everyone Has Insurance, Many Can’t Find or Afford Care

KFF Health News Original

Vermont has one of the lowest uninsured rates in the U.S., even though its residents pay some of the highest health insurance costs. Still, most of its hospitals are losing money and patients often face long waits for care.

As Nuns Disappear, Many Catholic Hospitals Look More Like Megacorporations

KFF Health News Original

The nation’s Catholic health systems were largely founded and led by nuns with a mission to serve the sick regardless of their creed or financial means. Today, no nuns run any U.S. Catholic health system, while many of these hospitals pull in billions, according to their financial reports.