KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': The Supreme Court and the Abortion Pill
The Supreme Court this week heard its first abortion case since overturning Roe v. Wade in 2022, about an appeals court ruling that would dramatically restrict the availability of the abortion pill mifepristone. But while it seems likely that this case could be dismissed on a technicality, abortion opponents have more challenges in the pipeline. Meanwhile, health issues are heating up on the campaign trail, as Republicans continue to take aim at Medicare, Medicaid, and the Affordable Care Act — all things Democrats are delighted to defend. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet, and Lauren Weber of The Washington Post join KFF Health News chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KFF Health News’ Tony Leys, who wrote a KFF Health News-NPR “Bill of the Month” feature about Medicare and a very expensive air-ambulance ride. Plus, for “extra credit,” the panelists suggest health policy stories they read this week they think you should read, too.
Daily Edition for Thursday, March 28, 2024
Covered California enrollment, hospital news, a nurse strike, Medicaid, Sacramento as trans sanctuary city, and more are in the news.
Mujeres están bebiendo hasta enfermarse. A la administración Biden le preocupa el costo de la atención
By Lauren Sausser
Históricamente, las enfermedades vinculadas al abuso del alcohol han afectado más a los hombres. Pero datos actuales de los Centros para el Control y Prevención de Enfermedades (CDC) muestran que las tasas de muerte por esta causa están aumentando más rápido entre las mujeres que entre los hombres.
More Women Are Drinking Themselves Sick. The Biden Administration Is Concerned.
By Lauren Sausser
Historically, alcohol use disorder has disproportionately affected men. But targeted advertising and changes in societal norms over the past 50 years have led to an upsurge in alcohol-related diseases and deaths among women. “It’s a very taboo topic,” one expert said.
Daily Edition for Wednesday, March 27, 2024
Mifepristone, intervention services for kids, inhaler prices, drug-testing kits, the next pandemic, and more are in the news.
Emergency Physicians Decry Surprise Air-Ambulance Bills
By Molly Castle Work
Emergency room doctors say insurers are increasingly declining to cover costly air-ambulance rides for critically ill patients, claiming they aren’t medically necessary. And the National Association of EMS Physicians says the No Surprises Act, enacted in 2022, is partly to blame. The law protects patients from many out-of-network medical bills by requiring insurers and providers […]
Adultos mayores, agotados por tener que organizar tanta atención médica
By Judith Graham
Un nuevo estudio revela que los pacientes de Medicare dedican aproximadamente tres semanas al año a hacerse pruebas médicas, ver a doctores, someterse a tratamientos o procedimientos médicos, o pasar tiempo en el hospital o en centros de rehabilitación.
The Burden of Getting Medical Care Can Exhaust Older Patients
By Judith Graham
It’s estimated that an older patient can spend three weeks of the year getting care — and that doesn’t count the time it takes to arrange appointments or deal with insurance companies.
Daily Edition for Tuesday, March 26, 2024
Mental health care access, whooping cough, prison health, cancer treatment, abortion pill, covid, water safety, and more are in the news.
California Is Expanding Insurance Access for Teenagers Seeking Therapy on Their Own
By April Dembosky, KQED
A California law that takes effect this summer will grant minors on public insurance the ability to get mental health treatment without their parents’ consent, a privilege that their peers with private insurance have had for years. But the law has become a flashpoint in the state’s culture wars.
