Hit Hard by Opioid Crisis, Black Patients Further Hurt by Barriers to Care
By Melba Newsome
The rate of overdose deaths from opioids has grown significantly among Black people. Yet, even after a nonfatal overdose, this group is half as likely to be referred to or get treatment compared with white people. Advocates and researchers cite implicit bias, insurance denials, and other systemic issues.
Daily Edition for Tuesday, April 1, 2025
UC Health Workers On Strike Today: As many as thousands of unionized University of California health care and technical workers are poised to join in a one-day strike Tuesday across all UC campuses and medical centers, including UCSF Parnassus. Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle.
Public Health Risks of Urban Wildfire Smoke Prompt Push for More Monitoring
By Katharine Gammon
As the fires burned in Los Angeles, scientists and local air regulators deployed monitors to measure the levels of heavy metals, carcinogens, and other toxic substances released into the air when homes, buildings, and cars burned. They hope their efforts will inform ongoing cleanup efforts and protect the public in future fires.
Trump Says He’ll Stop Health Care Fraudsters. Last Time, He Let Them Walk.
By Brett Kelman
In his first term, President Donald Trump granted pardons or clemency to more than 60 convicted fraudsters, including health care executives who defrauded Medicare out of hundreds of millions of dollars, courts and juries found. Now, Trump says cracking down on fraud is a priority.
Daily Edition for Monday, March 31, 2025
Bill Would Create Emergency Minimum Nurse-To-Patient Ratios For Psychiatric Hospitals: Calling the dangerous conditions in for-profit psychiatric hospitals an emergency, California’s top lawmaker on the state Senate Health Committee has proposed legislation to quickly impose stricter staffing requirements in the facilities that treat tens of thousands of residents experiencing mental health crises every year. Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle.
Readers Shop for Nutritional Information and Weigh Radiation and Cancer Risks
KFF Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
‘If They Cut Too Much, People Will Die’: Health Coalition Pushes GOP on Medicaid Funding
By Christine Mai-Duc
As House Republicans mull a massive $880 billion cut from federal programs likely including Medicaid, constituents, disability advocates, and health care providers are joining forces to lobby GOP members in California — including those who represent rural, deeply conservative pockets that stand to lose the most.
‘They Won’t Help Me’: Sickest Patients Face Insurance Denials Despite Policy Fixes
By Lauren Sausser
The fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson prompted both grief and public outrage about the ways insurers deny treatment. Republicans and Democrats agree prior authorization needs fixing, but patients are growing impatient.
Montana’s Small Pharmacies Behind Bill To Corral Pharmacy Benefit Managers
By Mike Dennison
A bill designed to force PBMs to pay higher fees to independent drugstores sailed through the state House, but lobbyists are marshaling their forces to kill the measure in the Senate.
Treatment Tops Housing in Trump Homeless Policy
By Angela Hart
Get our weekly newsletter, The Week in Brief, featuring a roundup of our original coverage, Fridays at 2 p.m. ET.
