KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Abortion Pill’s Legal Limbo Continues
A federal appeals court issued a split decision on whether the abortion pill mifepristone should remain on the market — rejecting a lower court’s decision to effectively cancel the drug’s FDA approval in 2000, while ordering the rollback of more recent rules that made the drug easier to obtain. Nothing changes immediately, however, as the Supreme Court blocked the lower court’s ruling in the spring. It will be up to the high court to determine whether the pill remains available in the U.S. and under which conditions. Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, and Shefali Luthra of The 19th join KFF Health News’ chief Washington correspondent, Julie Rovner, to discuss these issues and more. Plus, for “extra credit,” the panelists suggest health policy stories they read this week they think you should read, too.
Daily Edition for Thursday, August 17, 2023
State Reconsidering Who Is Eligible For Medi-Cal: About 15.5 million Californians — including over 150,000 people across the Bay Area — will have their Medi-Cal eligibility reconsidered. As of June, 21% of Medi-Cal recipients in California — or approximately 225,000 people — have lost coverage as a result of the redetermination process, according to the California Department of Health Care Services. Read more from CBS/Bay City News Service.
Journalists Talk Madera Hospital Bankruptcy Woes and Savings for Covered California Enrollees
By Bernard J. Wolfson and Melissa Montalvo, The Fresno Bee and Stephanie O'Neill Patison
California Healthline senior correspondent Bernard J. Wolfson and Fresno Bee reporter Melissa Montalvo discuss community efforts to save a bankrupt hospital from liquidation. California Healthline contributing radio correspondent Stephanie O’Neill Patison reports how lawmakers won additional Covered California subsidies.
Doctors Hesitate to Ask About Patients’ Immigration Status Despite New Florida Law
By Daniel Chang
Florida’s new immigration law requires hospitals to ask patients about their immigration status at admission and in emergency rooms, and report that information plus the cost of care for residents without legal status. Doctors and nurses who oppose the policy seem reluctant to criticize lawmakers for fear of political retribution.
Community With High Medical Debt Questions Its Hospitals’ Charity Spending
By Markian Hawryluk
Pueblo, Colorado, residents have higher-than-average medical debt, while the city’s two tax-exempt hospitals provide relatively low levels of charity care.
Médicos son reacios a preguntar el estatus migratorio de pacientes, a pesar de nueva ley de Florida
By Daniel Chang
Médicos, enfermeras y expertos en política sanitaria afirman que la ley ataca a personas marginadas que ya tienen dificultades para navegar el sistema de salud y que les disuadirá aún más de buscar ayuda médica.
Daily Edition for Wednesday, August 16, 2023
July Was A Deadly Month For Fentanyl Overdoses In San Francisco: More people died from accidental fentanyl overdoses in San Francisco in July than almost any other month since the city began releasing overdose death data three years ago, according to preliminary figures released by the San Francisco Medical Examiner’s office Tuesday. Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle.
North Carolina Hospitals Have Sued Thousands of Their Patients, a New Report Finds
By Noam N. Levey
An analysis of court records by the state treasurer and Duke researchers finds Atrium Health, originally a public hospital system, accounted for almost a third of the legal actions against North Carolina patients over roughly five years.
Funyuns and Flu Shots? Gas Station Company Ventures Into Urgent Care
By Bram Sable-Smith
A Tulsa-based gas station chain is using its knowledge of how to serve customers and locate shops in easy-to-find spots to enter the urgent care industry, which has doubled in size over the past decade. Experts question how the explosion of convenient clinics will affect care costs and wait times.
An Arm and a Leg: How a Surprise Bill Can Hitch a Ride to the Hospital
By Dan Weissmann
The No Surprises Act has helped rein in out-of-network medical bills, but ground ambulances are a costly exception. Hear why this service can still hit patients with big bills and what to do if you get one.
