As Bans Spread, Fluoride in Drinking Water Divides Communities Across the US
By Melba Newsome
The broad availability of over-the-counter dental products containing fluoride has some community leaders arguing that its addition to public drinking water is no longer necessary. But public health experts worry that, much like vaccines, fluoridation may be a victim of its own success.
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Arizona Turns Back the Clock on Abortion Access
A week after the Florida Supreme Court said the state could enforce an abortion ban passed in 2023, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled that state could enforce a near-total ban passed in 1864 — over a half-century before Arizona became a state. The move further scrambled the abortion issue for Republicans and posed an immediate quandary for former President Donald Trump, who has been seeking an elusive middle ground in the polarized debate. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Rachel Cohrs Zhang of Stat, and Rachel Roubein of The Washington Post join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KFF Health News’ Molly Castle Work, who reported and wrote the latest KFF Health News-NPR “Bill of the Month” feature, about an air-ambulance ride for an infant with RSV that his insurer deemed not medically necessary.
Daily Edition for Thursday, April 11, 2024
As Pandemic Eases, State Workers Reportedly Will Have To Return To Office: Gov. Gavin Newsom is setting a government-wide requirement that state employees work from the office two days a week starting in June, according to a memo shared exclusively with POLITICO. Read more from Politico.
Modesto Company Poised for Madera Hospital Takeover After Uphill Battle
By Melissa Montalvo, The Fresno Bee and Bernard J. Wolfson
American Advanced Management, a steadily growing operator of small hospitals, is expected to get the green light from a bankruptcy court next week to take over the shuttered Madera Community Hospital. Some community groups worry about the company’s track record.
Arkansas Led the Nation in Measuring Obesity in Kids. Did It Help?
By Kavitha Cardoza
For more than 20 years, children in Arkansas have been measured in school as part of a statewide effort to reduce childhood obesity. But the letters have had no impact on weight loss — and obesity rates have risen. Still, the practice of sending letters has spread to other states.
Daily Edition for Wednesday, April 10, 2024
HHS Chief Becerra Might Run For California Governor: Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, the former attorney general of California, is considering leaving the Biden administration to mount a run for governor in 2026, people briefed on his deliberations told POLITICO. Read more from Politico.
Congress Likely to Kick the Can on Covid-Era Telehealth Policies
By Sarah Jane Tribble
With an end-of-year deadline and a presidential election approaching, payment rules that fueled rapid expansion of telehealth in the United States face a last-minute congressional decision.
Médicos de atención primaria asumen tareas de dentista para ayudar a pacientes vulnerables
By Kate Ruder
En Denver, la inestabilidad de la vivienda, las barreras del idioma, la falta de transporte y el “costo astronómico” de la odontología sin seguro hacen que la atención dental sea inaccesible para muchos nuevos inmigrantes.
Doctors Take On Dental Duties to Reach Low-Income and Uninsured Patients
By Kate Ruder
More doctors are integrating oral health care into their practices, filling a need in America’s dental deserts.
An Arm and a Leg: Attack of the Medicare Machines
By Dan Weissmann
In this episode of “An Arm and a Leg,” host Dan Weissmann tells a horror story. Instead of monsters and aliens, it’s about private health insurance companies and algorithms that call the shots on patient care.
