Listen: A Tussle With a Rattlesnake Can Take a Bite Out of Your Wallet
By Jackie Fortiér
Listen to KFF Health News’ Jackie Fortiér recount how a backyard snakebite led to a harrowing hospitalization — and big bills — for a San Diego family.
Ex-Eye Bank Workers Say Pressure, Lax Oversight Led to Errors
By Madelyn Beck, WyoFile and Rae Ellen Bichell
Corneas, the windshields of the eye, are the most transplanted part of the human body. But four former employees at Rocky Mountain Lions Eye Bank told of numerous retrieval problems, including damage to eyes and removal from the wrong body.
Daily Edition for Tuesday, November 19, 2024
Voters Approve Deal For Hazel Hawkins Hospital: Voters in San Benito County have approved Measure X, which authorizes the San Benito Health Care District to negotiate a lease-to-own agreement with Flint, Mich.-based Insight Foundation of America, a nonprofit corporation, for financially troubled Hollister-based Hazel Hawkins Hospital. Read more from Becker’s Hospital Review.
Nationwide IV Fluid Shortage Could Change How Hospitals Manage Patient Hydration
By Jackie Fortiér
Many U.S. hospitals are conserving critical intravenous fluid supplies to cope with a shortage that may last months. Some hospital administrators say the shortage accelerated their plans to change IV fluid hydration protocols altogether.
Daily Edition for Monday, November 18, 2024
First US Case Of Aggressive New Mpox Strain Confirmed In California: State health officials confirmed Saturday the first known case of clade I mpox in the United States in a person who recently traveled to Africa. The person received treatment in San Mateo County. Read more from the Palm Springs Desert Sun, Los Angeles Times, and San Francisco Chronicle.
Does Fluoride Cause Cancer, IQ Loss, and More? Fact-Checking Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Claims
By Samantha Putterman, PolitiFact
Research has generally shown that drinking fluoridated water at the recommended levels is safe and beneficial for oral health, especially in children. But many people feel that more research is needed to better understand whether and when health risks kick in.
California Sets 15% Target for Primary Care Spending Over Next Decade
By Vanessa G. Sánchez
The state Office of Health Care Affordability has set a goal for insurers to direct 15% of their spending to primary care by 2034, part of a push to expand preventive care services. Health plans say it’s unclear how the policy will mesh with the state’s overarching goal to slow spending growth.
Social Security Tackles Overpayment ‘Injustices,’ but Problems Remain
By David Hilzenrath and Jodie Fleischer, Cox Media Group
With his term soon to expire, Social Security chief Martin O’Malley’s efforts to address the agency’s overpayments to beneficiaries remain incomplete.
What To Know About RFK Jr.’s Stances on Key Health Issues and What He Could Do at HHS
By Céline Gounder
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, is coming into the nomination process in an unusual position, with a long list of his own policy priorities separate from the president-elect’s, and a public promise by Trump to let him “go wild” on his ideas. Céline […]
Daily Edition for Friday, November 15, 2024
California Doctors Want To Combine Labor Union Chapters: More than 6,400 resident physicians, fellows, and interns across the University of California system filed a petition Thursday to combine their eight union chapters. Read more from Modern Healthcare.
