Schools Struggle With Lead in Water While Awaiting Federal Relief
By Katheryn Houghton
President Joe Biden said in his State of the Union address that federal funds will pay to replace lead pipes in hundreds of thousands of schools and child care centers. In the meantime, schools are dealing with high lead levels now.
Shaved Costs, High Risk, Maximum Profits: Regulators Worry About Florida’s Butt Lift Boom
By Daniel Chang
Social media marketing lures people to South Florida’s lucrative cosmetic surgery scene with the promise of cheap Brazilian butt lifts. But some researchers, patient advocates, and surgeon groups say that the risks of the procedure are generally not understood by prospective patients, and that an unsafe number of surgeries can be performed per day in office settings, maximizing profits.
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': March Medicaid Madness
With Medicare and Social Security apparently off the table for federal budget cuts, the focus has turned to Medicaid, the federal-state health program for those with low incomes. President Joe Biden has made it clear he wants to protect the program, along with the Affordable Care Act, but Republicans will likely propose cuts to both […]
Eli Lilly Slashed Insulin Prices. This Starts a Race to the Bottom.
By Bram Sable-Smith and Samantha Young
Eli Lilly’s news that it plans to cut insulin costs for patients will help, not hinder, the recent efforts in California and by entrepreneurs such as Mark Cuban to offer lower-cost alternatives, drug pricing experts said.
Daily Edition for Thursday, March 2, 2023
LA Students' Medical, Mental Health Records Leaked By Hackers: Families of students in Los Angeles are learning this week that their kids’ medical and mental health records are appearing on the dark web, thanks to a notorious ransomware crew that’s extorting academic institutions. Read more from Bloomberg.
Watch: Dental Device at Center of Lawsuits Was Used on Patients Without FDA Review
More than 10,000 dental patients have been fitted with an Anterior Growth Guidance Appliance, or AGGA, according to court records. But the unproven and unregulated device has not been evaluated by the FDA, according to a months-long joint investigation by KHN and CBS News.
Information Blackout Shrouds New Reports of Deaths and Abuse at Montana State Hospital
By Aaron Bolton
Patient injuries, abuse, and neglect have continued at the Montana State Hospital since the state-run psychiatric facility lost its federal certification due to preventable patient deaths. But state officials won’t release details, citing laws making those reports confidential.
After People on Medicaid Die, Some States Aggressively Seek Repayment From Their Estates
By Tony Leys
States take drastically different approaches to recovering Medicaid money from deceased participants’ estates. Demands for repayment of Medicaid spending can drain the assets a person leaves behind, depending on where they lived.
California’s Massive Medicaid Program Works for Some, but Fails Many Others
By Angela Hart and Bernard J. Wolfson
Medi-Cal serves more than one-third of the state’s population — offering a dizzying range of care to a diverse population. In the new “Faces of Medi-Cal” series, California Healthline will assess the program’s strengths and weaknesses through the lives and experiences of its enrollees.
Este dispositivo dental debía arreglar las mandíbulas de los pacientes. Las demandas afirman que les destrozó los dientes
By Brett Kelman and Anna Werner, CBS News
A los pocos meses de usar AGGA, una paciente dijo que sus dientes estaban tan flojos que podía sentir cómo se movían cuando se untaba crema hidratante en las mejillas. Besar a su novio le resultaba incómodo.
