Latest Morning Briefing Stories

States Begin Tapping Medicaid Dollars to Combat Gun Violence

KFF Health News Original

The Biden administration is allowing states to use money from the insurance program for low-income and disabled residents to pay for gun violence prevention. California and six other states have approved such spending, with more expected to follow.

Listen to ‘Tradeoffs’: How the Loss of a Rural Hospital Compounds the Collapse of Care

KFF Health News Original

Six years ago, the hospital in Fort Scott, Kansas, shuttered, leaving residents in the small community without a cornerstone health care institution. In the years since, despite new programs meant to save small hospitals, dozens of other communities have watched theirs close.

KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': New Year, Same Abortion Debate

Podcast

Some Supreme Court justices were wrong if they assumed overturning “Roe v. Wade” would settle the abortion issue before the high court. At least two cases are awaiting consideration, and more are in the legal pipeline. Meanwhile, Congress once again has only days until the next temporary spending bill runs out, with no budget deal in sight. Lauren Weber of The Washington Post, Shefali Luthra of The 19th, and Victoria Knight of Axios join KFF Health News chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Sandro Galea, dean of the Boston University School of Public Health, about how public health can regain public trust.

Doctors Are as Vulnerable to Addiction as Anyone. California Grapples With a Response.

KFF Health News Original

The Medical Board of California, which licenses MDs, is developing a program to evaluate, treat, and monitor doctors with alcohol and drug problems. But there is sharp disagreement over whether those who might volunteer for the program should be subject to public disclosure and over how much participants should pay.

California protegerá a trabajadores del calor extremo en interiores

KFF Health News Original

Sólo otros dos estados, Minnesota y Oregon, han adoptado normas sobre el calor para las personas que trabajan en interiores, según la Administración de Seguridad y Salud Ocupacional (OSHA).

Utah Survey Shows Why So Many People Were Dumped From Medicaid

KFF Health News Original

It’s one of the biggest mysteries in health policy: What happened to millions of Americans kicked out of Medicaid last year? A survey conducted for state officials in Utah, obtained by KFF Health News, holds some clues. Like many states, Utah terminated Medicaid coverage for a large share of enrollees whose eligibility was reevaluated in […]

Patients With Narcolepsy Face a Dual Nightmare of Medication Shortages and Stigma

KFF Health News Original

It’s been more than a year since the FDA declared a national shortage of Adderall, and it’s affecting more than just patients with ADHD. Those with narcolepsy, a much rarer condition, are often treated with the same medication. Without it, they’re often unable to drive or function as usual.

California Is Poised to Protect Workers From Extreme Heat — Indoors

KFF Health News Original

Only a few states have rules to protect workers from the growing threat of extreme heat, either indoors or outdoors. California is expected to adopt heat standards for indoor workers in spring, even as federal legislation has stalled.

Child Care Gaps in Rural America Threaten to Undercut Small Communities

KFF Health News Original

Deep gaps in rural America’s child care system threaten communities’ stability by shrinking the workforce and inhibiting economic potential. Now that pandemic-era federal aid for child care programs and low-income families has ended, it’s up to state and local leaders to find solutions.

Mental Health Courts Can Struggle to Fulfill Decades-Old Promise

KFF Health News Original

Mental health courts have been touted as a means to help reduce the flow of people with mental illness into jails and prisons. But the specialized diversion programs can struggle to live up to that promise, and some say they’re a bad investment.

An Arm and a Leg: When Hospitals Sue Patients (Part 2)

Podcast

Why do hospitals sue patients who can’t afford to pay their medical bills? On this episode of “An Arm and a Leg,” host Dan Weissmann investigates such lawsuits and covers new laws and regulations that may change this practice.

RFK Jr.’s Campaign of Conspiracy Theories Is PolitiFact’s 2023 Lie of the Year

KFF Health News Original

Debate and speculation are heating up over whether Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s presidential campaign will factor into the outcome of the 2024 election. But one thing is clear: Kennedy’s political following is built on a movement that seeks to legitimize conspiracy theories.

Bold Changes Are in Store for Medi-Cal in 2024, but Will Patients Benefit?

KFF Health News Original

California’s Medicaid program is undergoing major changes that could improve health care for residents with low incomes. But they are happening at the same time as several other initiatives that could compete for staff attention and confuse enrollees.