Latest Morning Briefing Stories

Lost Sleep and Jangled Nerves: The Rising Onslaught of Noise Harms Mind and Body

KFF Health News Original

Noise pollution is a growing problem that isn’t confined to the ears: It can cause harm throughout the body. California is taking baby steps to address the increasing din from traffic and illegally modified cars, but public health experts urge lawmakers to act more boldly.

Muchas familias con cobertura de empleador inasequible ahora son elegibles para subsidios de Covered California

KFF Health News Original

El gobierno federal ha corregido recientemente una controversial norma del Departamento del Tesoro vinculada a la Ley de Cuidado de Salud a Bajo Precio (ACA), que denegaba la ayuda a muchas familias cuya cobertura basada en sus trabajos se salía de sus presupuestos.

Public Health Agencies Try to Restore Trust as They Fight Misinformation

KFF Health News Original

As public health departments work on improving their message, the skepticism and mistrust often reserved for covid-19 vaccines now threaten other public health priorities, including flu shots and childhood vaccines.

Colorado Considers Changing Its Red Flag Law After Mass Shooting at Nightclub

KFF Health News Original

In El Paso County, where five people were killed in a mass shooting at a nightclub in November, officials have filed relatively few emergency petitions to temporarily remove a person’s guns, with scant approvals.

Survivors of Gangs and Gun Violence, These Women Now Help Others Navigate Grief

KFF Health News Original

As teens, these three women lived amid street gangs around East St Louis, Illinois. Now, as adults, they support the families who have lost loved ones to gun violence. And because of their past, some residents trust them more than they do the police.

‘Caged … For No Fault of Your Own’: Detainees Dread Covid While Awaiting Immigration Hearings

KFF Health News Original

Covid remains a threat for the roughly 30,000 people in the country’s network of immigration facilities. But ICE continues to flout its own pandemic protocols, an extension of the facilities’ poor history of medical care.

ER Doctors Call Private Equity Staffing Practices Illegal and Seek to Ban Them

KFF Health News Original

Doctors, consumer advocates, and some lawmakers are looking forward to a California lawsuit against private equity-backed Envision Healthcare. The case is part of a multistate effort to enforce rules banning corporate ownership of physician practices.

The Case of the Two Grace Elliotts: A Medical Billing Mystery

KFF Health News Original

A health system charged a woman for a shoulder replacement at a hospital across the country that she had not visited for years. She didn’t receive the care, but she did receive the bill — and the medical records of a stranger.

The Official Who Investigates Suspicious Deaths in Your Town May Be a Doctor — Or Not

KFF Health News Original

Across the country, there are no consistent requirements for the officials who investigate suspicious and unexpected deaths. Some have no medical training, others are doctors trained in forensic pathology. Washington, California, Illinois, and Georgia are among the states that have recently attempted to make changes — with mixed success.

HIV Outbreak Persists as Officials Push Back Against Containment Efforts

KFF Health News Original

Research shows offering clean syringes to people who misuse IV drugs is effective in combating the spread of HIV. But an epidemiologist and advocates say state and local officials in West Virginia, home to one of the worst HIV outbreaks in recent years, have taken measures that render syringe exchange less accessible.