Daily Edition for Tuesday, July 25, 2023
Hair chemical safety, looming KP strike, prison health, Covered California deductibles, extreme heat, opioids, and more are in the news.
Hospitals Ask Congress to Delay ACA Medicaid Funding Cuts — For the 14th Time
By Phil Galewitz
Congress has until October to avert cuts to a Medicaid program intended to support safety-net hospitals that, in practice, improves the bottom lines of other hospitals, too. Hospital leaders say now is not a good time for the cuts — which lawmakers have so far postponed 13 times.
Black Women Weigh Emerging Risks of ‘Creamy Crack’ Hair Straighteners
By Ronnie Cohen
Social and economic pressures have long compelled Black girls and women to straighten their hair. But mounting evidence shows chemical straighteners — products with little regulatory oversight — may pose cancer and other health risks.
New Weight Loss Drugs Carry High Price Tags and Lots of Questions for Seniors
By Judith Graham
Although nearly 40% of Americans 60 and older are obese, Medicare doesn’t cover weight loss medications. Meanwhile, studies haven’t thoroughly examined new drugs’ impact on older adults.
Mujeres negras sopesan riesgos emergentes de alisadores para el cabello “adictivos”
By Ronnie Cohen
Los alisadores pueden contener carcinógenos, como agentes liberadores de formaldehído, ftalatos y otros compuestos que alteran el sistema endócrino, según estudios de los Institutos Nacionales de Salud.
Daily Edition for Monday, July 24, 2023
Extreme heat, HSAs, meth use, hospital news, hospice safety, the next pandemic, AI, cancer, and more are in the news.
FDA Head Robert Califf Battles Misinformation — Sometimes With Fuzzy Facts
By Darius Tahir
FDA Commissioner Robert Califf has called misinformation one of the deadliest killers in the United States. As the FDA tries to fight that scourge, it sometimes stumbles.
Everything Old Is New Again? The Latest Round of Health Policy Proposals Reprises Existing Ideas
By Julie Appleby
House Republican legislation promises more health insurance options but fewer protections, even as the Biden administration seeks to rein in short-term plans, which were expanded in the Trump era.
Giant Health System Almost Saved a Madera Hospital. Now, It Wants to ‘Extract Every Dollar.’
By Bernard J. Wolfson and Melissa Montalvo, The Fresno Bee
A bankruptcy judge will soon decide whether a Central Valley hospital needs to liquidate to repay its creditors. Its largest creditor, St. Agnes Medical Center, is the very entity that backed out of purchasing the Madera Community Hospital last December.
Un sistema de salud gigante casi salvó a un hospital de Madera. Ahora quiere “sacarle cada dólar”
By Bernard J. Wolfson and Melissa Montalvo, The Fresno Bee
Problemas como el de Madera son comunes en otros hospitales pequeños con situaciones financieras precarias en California, y en todo el país.
