Latest Morning Briefing Stories
Louisiana Reclassifies Drugs Used in Abortions as Controlled Dangerous Substances
Louisiana lawmakers have added two drugs commonly used in pregnancy and reproductive health care to the state’s list of controlled dangerous substances, a move that has alarmed doctors in the state.
Why Millions Are Trying FDA-Authorized Alternatives to Big Pharma’s Weight Loss Drugs
Although Novo Nordisk and Lilly lump together the pharmacies that compound semaglutide and tirzepatide with internet cowboys selling fake drugs, there is a distinction. The FDA has offered Americans little clarity about the vast gray and black markets for the drugs.
California Forges Ahead With Social Media Rules Despite Legal Barriers
State lawmakers are advancing two bills aimed at protecting children from the harms of social media, part of a nationwide wave of efforts to address the issue. Yet the bills’ proponents face hurdles in finding an approach that can survive legal challenges from the tech industry.
Rescue From Above: How Drones May Narrow Emergency Response Times
Public safety and health care organizations are using drones to speed up lifesaving treatment during medical emergencies in which every second counts.
Rescate desde el cielo: cómo los drones pueden reducir el tiempo de respuesta a una emergencia
Cada año más de 356,000 personas sufren un paro cardíaco fuera de un hospital. Cada minuto que pasa sin intervención médica disminuye las probabilidades de supervivencia en un 10%.
Journalists Discuss Abortion in GOP Platform and How Idaho’s Ban Drove Away OB-GYNs
KFF Health News and California Healthline staff made the rounds on national and local media in the last couple of weeks to discuss topical stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.
Un grupo médico atiende a personas que viven en la calle… y gana dinero
Estos médicos, enfermeros y trabajadores sociales se están desplegando en las calles de Los Ángeles para ofrecer atención médica y servicios sociales a las personas sin hogar: soldados de un nuevo modelo de negocio que está arraigándose en comunidades de toda California.
A California Medical Group Treats Only Homeless Patients — And Makes Money Doing It
Healthcare in Action, a California medical group that exclusively serves homeless people, has tapped into growing demand and funding for street medicine services. Three years in, the innovative nonprofit is raking in revenue and serving thousands of people who otherwise might flock to the hospital for high-cost care.
Montana’s Plan To Curb Opioid Overdoses Includes Vending Machines
Details about where the machines would go — and how they would help those most at risk — are sparse. The state has proposed using them to distribute naloxone and fentanyl testing strips.
El plan de Montana para frenar las sobredosis de opioides incluye máquinas expendedoras
En todo Estados Unidos, las máquinas expendedoras que distribuyen naloxona y otros suministros de salud de forma gratuita se están convirtiendo en elementos de primera línea en la lucha contra las sobredosis de opioides. Diferentes versiones del modelo se están probando en al menos 33 estados.
Tennessee Agrees To Remove Sex Workers With HIV From Sex Offender Registry
For years, Tennessee has required anyone convicted of prostitution while HIV-positive to register as a sex offender for life. In response to DOJ and ACLU discrimination suits, the state has agreed to reverse course.
A Little-Recognized Public Health Crisis
About every 12 minutes, someone is killed on America’s roads and countless others are injured. More than 42,500 people died in car crashes in 2022, a death toll that rivals or surpasses those of other major public health threats, such as the flu and gun violence. “We have not recognized that traffic violence is a […]
The Nation’s 911 System Is on the Brink of Its Own Emergency
911 outages have hit at least eight states this year. They’re emblematic of problems plaguing emergency response communications due in part to wide disparities in capabilities and funding.
Her Hearing Implant Was Preapproved. Nonetheless, She Got $139,000 Bills for Months.
Even when patients double-check that their care is covered by insurance, health providers often send them bills as they haggle with insurers over reimbursement, which can last for months. It’s stressful and annoying — but legal.
An Arm and a Leg: The Woman Who Beat an $8,000 Hospital Fee
In this episode of “An Arm and a Leg,” host Dan Weissmann speaks with Georgann Boatright, a patient in Mississippi who was willing to drive to another state to avoid paying a steep fee to her local hospital.
El sistema de emergencias del 911 está al borde del colapso
Mientras que algunos estados, ciudades y condados ya han modernizado sus sistemas de emergencia del 911 o han hecho planes para actualizarlos, muchos otros están rezagados.
HealthSherpa and Insurers Team Up To Curb Unauthorized ACA Enrollment Schemes
The initiative targets the biggest incentive driving fraudulent sign-ups and plan switches: the commissions that rogue agents or large call centers seek.
JD Vance, Trump’s VP Pick, Says Media Twisted His Remarks on Abortion and Domestic Violence
In his first interview after being named as the vice presidential pick by former President Donald Trump, Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) spoke about his previous statements on topics like abortion.
Before Michigan Legalized Surrogacy, Families Found Ways Around the Ban
Until this spring, Michigan was the only state that had a broad criminal ban on surrogacy. Many families say that left them in limbo: forcing them to leave the state to have children, finding strangers on Facebook who would carry their child, or going through the legal hassle of having to adopt their biological children.
Despite Past Storms’ Lessons, Long-Term Care Residents Again Left Powerless
Even after multiple massive power outages — including one from a 2021 winter storm in Texas that prompted a U.S. Senate investigation — little has changed for older Americans in senior living facilities when natural disasters strike.
