Latest Morning Briefing Stories

Rural Americans Have Difficulty Accessing a Promising Cancer Treatment

KFF Health News Original

Chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy has eliminated tumors in some late-stage cancer patients, but the cost and complexity of care mean rural Americans have trouble accessing the treatment.

Wastewater Surveillance Has Become a Critical Covid Tracking Tool, but Funding Is Inconsistent

KFF Health News Original

Dashboards that rely on positive covid test results reported to local health departments no longer paint a reliable picture of how covid is spreading in an area. Some experts say wastewater surveillance is the most accurate way to measure viral activity. Meanwhile, some wastewater labs face funding shortfalls.

Congressman’s Wife Died After Taking Herbal Remedy Marketed for Diabetes and Weight Loss

KFF Health News Original

Lori McClintock, the wife of U.S. Rep. Tom McClintock of California, died after ingesting white mulberry leaf, according to the Sacramento County coroner. The plant is generally considered safe and is used in herbal remedies that claim to lower blood sugar, boost weight loss, and combat high cholesterol. Her death highlights the potential dangers of dietary supplements.

Timely Mental Health Care Is a Key Factor in Strike by Kaiser Permanente Workers

KFF Health News Original

A new California law requires timely follow-up appointments for mental health and addiction patients. But striking workers at Kaiser Permanente in Northern California say patients continue to wait up to two months.

The $18,000 Breast Biopsy: When Having Insurance Costs You a Bundle

KFF Health News Original

An online calculator told a young woman that a procedure to rule out cancer would cost an uninsured person about $1,400. Instead, the hospital initially charged almost $18,000 and, with her high-deductible health insurance, she owed more than $5,000.

‘American Diagnosis’: As Climate Crises Batter the Bayou, Houma People Are Being Displaced

KFF Health News Original

Rising sea levels and severe hurricanes are displacing Indigenous people in Southern Louisiana and harming health. Episode 11 explores the United Houma Nation’s push for federal tribal recognition and the climate-change help that could come with it.

Grassroots Work Leads to Vaccination Success in Georgia Refugee Community

KFF Health News Original

Public health officials and resettlement groups across the U.S. have used community organizers to encourage newly arrived refugees and other vulnerable people to get vaccinated against covid-19. In a Georgia city that is home to many refugees, the vaccination rate is higher than in the state, county, and surrounding communities of similar socioeconomic status.

More Communities Are Giving Flavored Tobacco the Boot. Will California Follow?

KFF Health News Original

San Jose and Sacramento this summer joined scores of other California cities and counties that have banned the sale of flavored tobacco products such as menthol cigarettes and candy-flavored e-cigs. In November, California voters will decide whether to allow a statewide ban to take effect.

Indiana’s New Abortion Ban May Drive Some Young OB-GYNs to Leave a State Where They’re Needed

KFF Health News Original

Dr. Caitlin Bernard, an Indiana OB-GYN, was publicly vilified for providing an abortion to a 10-year-old rape victim. That treatment and new abortion restrictions in the state have left some medical residents reconsidering whether they will practice in Indiana.

Cada vez más comunidades rechazan el tabaco aromatizado. ¿Es el turno de California?

KFF Health News Original

Aunque comunidades grandes y pequeñas de todo el estado ya han actuado, los californianos decidirán en noviembre si promulgan una de las prohibiciones estatales más completas del país sobre el tabaco aromatizado.