Latest Morning Briefing Stories
As Marijuana Laws Relax, Doctors Say Pregnant Women Shouldn’t Partake
Some mothers who smoke pot see it as a harmless remedy for everything from pain to postpartum depression. But doctors say the active ingredients in marijuana can be passed onto the baby and may affect developing nervous systems.
As Doctors Drop Opposition, Aid-In-Dying Advocates Target Next Battleground States
Will efforts to expand the practice to Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey and Hawaii succeed this year?
In Trump’s First Year, Anti-Abortion Forces Make Strides Despite Setbacks
As a candidate, President Trump promised a ban on abortions that take place after 20 weeks and federal funding to Planned Parenthood, but Congress has not obliged. Still, other anti-abortion policy goals have been realized. They are anathema in California, which has a long history of supporting abortion rights.
How A Shutdown Might Affect Your Health
For some federal health programs, a shuttered government means business as usual. But the congressional impasse over funding will hit others hard.
Gloves Off, Fists Up: Nurses Storm Capitol To Renew Single-Payer Fight
The state nurses union struck a defiant tone at a Capitol rally and hearing, promising to continue their in-your-face tactics until the legislature passes a bill to create universal health coverage in California.
When Food Stamps Pass As Tickets To Better Health
A federally funded program is partnering with a Latino grocery chain to reward people who use their food stamps to put more fresh produce on their tables.
Trump’s Work-For-Medicaid Rule Puts Work On States’ Shoulders
States that opt to change their Medicaid program must figure out how to delineate who is covered by the new mandate, how to enforce the rules and how to handle the people seeking exemptions. In California, leaders say, it’s a non-starter.
With CHIP Funds Running Low, Doctors And Parents Scramble To Cover Kids’ Needs
Doctors are advising patients to be sure to fill medication orders now or are giving away drugs to make sure children have enough if their insurance disappears.
Hospital Honchos Hone New Message In Wake Of Opioid Crisis: Expect Pain
“We really do have a lot of responsibility and culpability,” says one hospital official who is part of a working group trying to address the opioid epidemic. Patients have to expect more pain after surgery and understand the risk of addiction, says another doctor.
Alzheimer’s ‘Looks Like Me, It Looks Like You’
At a panel discussion this week in Sacramento, patients, caregivers and others shared their perspectives on how Alzheimer’s disease affects women, who account for two-thirds of those living with the condition.