Mary Lou Retton’s Explanation of Health Insurance Takes Some Somersaults
By Julie Appleby
The gold-medal gymnast’s explanation of why she remained uninsured has health policy experts doing mental gymnastics — because it makes little sense.
Trump Official Who OK’d Drugs From Canada Chairs Company Behind Florida’s Import Plan
By Phil Galewitz
Alex Azar advanced Canadian drug importation as Donald Trump’s secretary of Health and Human Services. Now he chairs the board of a company managing Florida’s importation program.
Daily Edition for Friday, January 12, 2024
Tiny homes, long covid, blood supply shortage, reproductive health, vaccines, overdoses, pollutants, and more are in the news.
Rural Hospitals Are Caught in an Aging-Infrastructure Conundrum
By Markian Hawryluk
Small, community hospitals face challenges in paying for the capital improvement projects they need to stay open.
What Would a Nikki Haley Presidency Look Like for Health Care?
By Lauren Sausser
Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley’s tenure in the Palmetto State — which overlapped with several tumultuous years of health care reform — and her recent comments offer clues to how her presidency might affect national health care policy.
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': All About the (Government) Funding
With days to go until a large chunk of the federal government runs out of money needed to keep it operating, Congress is still struggling to find a compromise spending plan. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court agreed to hear — this year — a case that pits federal requirements for emergency treatment against state abortion bans. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet, and Tami Luhby of CNN join KFF Health News chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews American Medical Association President Jesse Ehrenfeld about the choppy waters facing the nation’s physicians in 2024.
In a Fractious Rerun, GOP Rivals Haley and DeSantis Debate Health Care. Trump Sits It Out.
By KFF Health News and PolitiFact staffs
The fifth debate of the 2024 GOP presidential primary season took place days before Iowa Republicans will caucus to determine their pick for the top of the party’s ticket. The front-runner, former President Donald Trump, once again did not participate.
Daily Edition for Thursday, January 11, 2024
Newsom Wants To Delay Pay Raises For Health Workers: Because of the state’s $38 billion projected deficit, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday said he is seeking changes to a law he signed just three months ago. The first pay increases were expected to take effect in June. It’s unclear how long the proposed changes could push back that schedule. Read more from CalMatters.
Hoping to Clear the Air in Casinos, Workers Seek to Ban Tobacco Smoke
By Sandy West
Casinos in several states are fighting efforts to ban smoking, and trying to roll back existing anti-smoking laws. One planned facility even moved outside a city’s limits because of voter-approved smoking restrictions.
Delicate Labor-Industry Deal in Flux as Newsom Revisits $25 Minimum Health Wage
By Don Thompson
In spite of labor concern about any rollback, Gov. Gavin Newsom is revisiting California’s planned $25 minimum wage for health workers less than three months after approving the measure despite an uncertain price tag. The projected $4 billion first-year cost forms part of the state’s estimated $38 billion deficit.
