Listen to the Latest ‘KFF Health News Minute’
May 7, 2024
KFF Health News Original
“Health Minute” brings original health care and health policy reporting from the KFF Health News newsroom to the airwaves each week.
An NIH Genetics Study Targets a Long-Standing Challenge: Diversity
By Lauren Sausser
May 7, 2024
KFF Health News Original
In his 2015 State of the Union address, President Barack Obama announced a precision medicine initiative that would later be known as the All of Us program. The research, now well underway at the National Institutes of Health, aims to analyze the DNA of at least 1 million people across the United States to build a diverse health database. The key word there is “diverse.” So […]
Penn Medicine To Phase Out Greenhouse Gas Anesthetic
May 7, 2024
Morning Briefing
Desflurane is reportedly the most potent greenhouse gas used in health facilities, and reducing it can improve a hospital’s carbon footprint. Also in the news: more fallout from the Steward Health bankruptcy filing.
Lawmakers Spotlight Large Nursing Home Companies’ Staffing, Spending
May 7, 2024
Morning Briefing
Democratic lawmakers sent letters to three large chains of nursing homes, questioning their spending levels and staffing ratios, in response to new federal minimum levels. In Wisconsin, 3 in 5 homes are said to need to hire more staff.
Psych Hospital Often Falsified Records To Its Benefit, Former Staffers Allege
May 7, 2024
Morning Briefing
Workers at Jacksonville’s Brynn Marr Hospital in North Carolina say management told them to exaggerate diagnoses. In other news, researchers explore the teen mental health crisis.
‘I’m Huuungry’: After-Day Care Snacks Tend To Be Unhealthy, Study Finds
May 7, 2024
Morning Briefing
Emerging from day care tired and cranky, the foods kids eat in the hour transitioning home tend to be sugary or processed, according to a new study. Nutritionists say this is a prime opportunity to teach healthier eating habits.
Viewpoints: More Than Ozempic Is Needed To Fight Obesity; How Can Doctors Justify Immoral Actions?
May 7, 2024
Morning Briefing
Editorial writers tackle weight-loss drugs, morality in medicine, H5N1, and more.
Morning Briefing for Tuesday, May 7, 2024
May 7, 2024
Morning Briefing
Cancer drugs, sunscreen safety, Obamacare, Medicare solvency, Alzheimer’s, reproductive health, mpox, and more are in the news.
Medicare Hospital Trust Fund Now Projected To Go Broke In 2036
May 7, 2024
Morning Briefing
A new financial report indicates that Medicare’s hospital insurance trust fund has gained an additional five years over the previous estimate for when it will run out of money, but the overall outlook for the security net program remains grim.
The Risk Of Inheriting Alzheimer’s May Be Higher Than Was Thought
May 7, 2024
Morning Briefing
A new study into a gene long linked to risks for Alzheimer’s shows the disease may be more commonly inherited. Meanwhile, researchers found human brains were larger for people born in the late 20th century than earlier — and this may protect us against dementia.
Federal Candidates Have Carte Blanche To Raise Funds For Ballot Measures
May 7, 2024
Morning Briefing
A ruling by the FEC immediately affects campaigns in Missouri, where an amendment to enshrine abortion is on the ballot. Meanwhile, lawsuits are moving forward in New York over abortion pill “reversal” and in Alabama over its authority to prosecute those who help women travel for abortions.
Alarm Raised As Mpox Cases Surge In New York City
May 7, 2024
Morning Briefing
The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene warned over rising mpox infection rates among unvaccinated people. Meanwhile, during recent health crises, including mpox, the national stockpile saw infrastructural issues.
FDA Advisers Set To Consider Use Of Psychedelic-Assisted PTSD Therapy
May 7, 2024
Morning Briefing
In June, independent advisers will discuss the possibility of recommending MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD. Separately, reports note how some recreational psychedelic drug users are left with long-lasting, unwanted highs.
First Edition: May 7, 2024
May 7, 2024
Morning Briefing
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Biden Team’s Tightrope: Reining In Rogue Obamacare Agents Without Slowing Enrollment
By Julie Appleby
May 7, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Federal regulators face a growing challenge — how to prevent rogue health insurance agents from switching unknowing consumers’ Obamacare coverage without making the enrollment process so cumbersome that enrollment declines.
Amgen Plows Ahead With Costly, Highly Toxic Cancer Dosing Despite FDA Challenge
By Arthur Allen
May 7, 2024
KFF Health News Original
The FDA told Amgen to test whether a quarter-dose of its lung cancer drug worked as well as the amount recommended on the product label. It did and with fewer side effects. But Amgen is sticking to the higher dose — which earns it an additional $180,000 a year per patient.
What’s Keeping the US From Allowing Better Sunscreens?
By Michael Scaturro
May 7, 2024
KFF Health News Original
A decade after Congress told the FDA to expedite the approval of more effective sunscreens, the federal government still has not approved sunscreen ingredients that are safely being used around the world. Meanwhile, skin cancer is the nation’s most common cancer.
La gripe aviar es mala para las aves de corral y las vacas lecheras. No es una amenaza grave para la mayoría de nosotros… por ahora
By Amy Maxmen
May 6, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Las pruebas han detectado el virus en el ganado en nueve estados, principalmente en Texas y Nuevo México, y más recientemente en Colorado. Una persona ha dado positivo para el H5N1.
Rompiendo una promesa: déficit en California podría frenar aumentos a cuidadores de personas con discapacidades
By Vanessa G. Sánchez
May 6, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Las organizaciones sin fines de lucro señalan que California ha vuelto más difícil retener a los trabajadores en tareas de cuidado después que aumentara los salarios en otros sectores vinculados a los servicios y la salud.
California propone ampliar subsidios de seguros de salud a todos los inmigrantes adultos
By Jasmine Aguilera, El Tímpano
May 6, 2024
KFF Health News Original
California es el primer estado en ampliar Medicaid a todos los adultos que reúnan los requisitos, independientemente de su estatus migratorio, una medida celebrada por los activistas de la salud y por líderes políticos de todo el estado.