Latest Morning Briefing Stories

In Weary Post-Storm Puerto Rico, Medicaid Cutbacks Bode New Ills

The island’s government must squeeze $840.2 million in annual savings from Medicaid by 2023, part of the U.S. territory’s agreement with the federal government as Puerto Rico claws its way back from fiscal oblivion. Experts warn such drastic cuts defy actuarial science.

The Pluses And Minuses Of Allowing Medical Marijuana At School

As more parents turn to medical marijuana to treat their sick children, a handful of states have changed the rules to allow them to administer the drug on campus. California is considering it — at the possible risk of losing federal funding.

Listen: Inexpensive Nerve Drug Often Abused As Opioid Epidemic Grows

Gabapentin, a medication approved to help patients with nerve pain or epilepsy, is being abused by people addicted to opioids to help prolong their high or stave off withdrawal from other drugs. Kaiser Health News reporter Carmen Heredia Rodriguez talks about the problem during a wide-ranging health discussion on the NPR program “On Point.”

For Many College Students, Hunger Can ‘Make It Hard To Focus In Class’

With rising college costs, up to half of college students’ finances are stretched so tight they report that they were either not getting enough to eat or were worried about it, studies find. An innovative program that sprouted at UCLA lets students donate unused meal plan vouchers to those in need. It has caught on at nearly 50 schools.