States Begin Tapping Medicaid Dollars to Combat Gun Violence
By Samantha Young
The Biden administration is allowing states to use money from the insurance program for low-income and disabled residents to pay for gun violence prevention. California and six other states have approved such spending, with more expected to follow.
Woman Petitions Health Insurer After Company Approves — Then Rejects — Her Infusions
By Lauren Sausser
Even people with good insurance aren’t guaranteed affordable care, as this California Healthline follow-up to one patient’s saga shows.
Daily Edition for Wednesday, January 3, 2024
Addiction, health industry layoffs, Medi-Cal expansion, long covid, prison health, AI errors, mental health, and more are in the news.
Patients With Narcolepsy Face a Dual Nightmare of Medication Shortages and Stigma
By Lauren Peace, Tampa Bay Times
It’s been more than a year since the FDA declared a national shortage of Adderall, and it’s affecting more than just patients with ADHD. Those with narcolepsy, a much rarer condition, are often treated with the same medication. Without it, they’re often unable to drive or function as usual.
Doctors Are as Vulnerable to Addiction as Anyone. California Grapples With a Response.
By Bernard J. Wolfson
The Medical Board of California, which licenses MDs, is developing a program to evaluate, treat, and monitor doctors with alcohol and drug problems. But there is sharp disagreement over whether those who might volunteer for the program should be subject to public disclosure and over how much participants should pay.
Los médicos son tan vulnerables a la adicción como cualquier persona
By Bernard J. Wolfson
El alcohol es una droga muy común entre los médicos, pero su fácil acceso a los analgésicos es también un riesgo particular.
Pacientes con narcolepsia enfrentan una doble pesadilla: escasez de medicamentos y estigma
By Lauren Peace, Tampa Bay Times
Se estima que una de cada 2,000 personas en los Estados Unidos vive con narcolepsia (más de 160,000 en todo el país).
Listen to the Latest ‘KFF Health News Minute’
“Health Minute” brings original health care and health policy reporting from the KFF Health News newsroom to the airwaves each week.
Daily Edition for Tuesday, January 2, 2024
A host of new health laws are now in effect; extreme heat; gun violence; housing; Medicaid reform; drug pricing; and more are in the news.
Can Family Doctors Deliver Rural America From Its Maternal Health Crisis?
By Sarah Jane Tribble
Family medicine doctors already deliver most of rural America’s babies, and efforts to train more in obstetrics care are seen as a way to cope with labor and delivery unit closures.
