Conservative Justices Stir Trouble for Republican Politicians on Abortion Rachana Pradhan Abortion opponents have maneuvered in courthouses for years to end access to reproductive health care. In Arizona last week, a win for the anti-abortion camp caused political blowback for Republican candidates in the state and beyond. The reaction echoed the response to an […]

  Swap Funds or Add Services? Use of Opioid Settlement Cash Sparks Strong Disagreements Aneri Pattani State and local governments are receiving billions of dollars in opioid settlements to address the drug crisis that has ravaged America for decades. But instead of spending the money on new addiction treatment and prevention services they couldn’t afford […]

  When Rogue Brokers Switch People’s ACA Policies, Tax Surprises Can Follow Julie Appleby, KFF Health News Tax season is never fun. But some tax filers this year face an added complication: Their returns are being rejected because they failed to provide information about Affordable Care Act coverage they didn’t even know they had. While […]

  Nearly 1 in 4 Adults Dumped From Medicaid Are Now Uninsured, Survey Finds Phil Galewitz, KFF Health News Nearly a quarter of adults disenrolled from Medicaid in the past year say they are now uninsured, according to a survey released Friday that details how tens of millions of Americans struggled to retain coverage in […]

  As Bans Spread, Fluoride in Drinking Water Divides Communities Across the US Melba Newsome MONROE, N.C. — Regina Barrett, a 69-year-old retiree who lives in this small North Carolina city southeast of Charlotte, has not been happy with her tap water for a while. “Our water has been cloudy and bubbly and looks milky,” […]

  Arkansas Led the Nation in Measuring Obesity in Kids. Did It Help? Kavitha Cardoza LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Sixth-grade boys were lining up to be measured in the Mann Arts and Science Magnet Middle School library. As they took off their shoes and emptied their pockets, they joked about being the tallest. “It’s an […]

  After Uphill Battle, Company Is Poised for Takeover of Bankrupt California Hospital Melissa Montalvo, The Fresno Bee and Bernard J. Wolfson MODESTO, Calif. — When American Advanced Management made a bid for the bankrupt Madera Community Hospital last year, many local officials and others involved in trying to reopen the facility didn’t take the […]

  After Public Push, CMS Curbs Health Insurance Agents’ Access to Consumer SSNs Julie Appleby, KFF Health News Until last week, the system that is used to enroll people in federal Affordable Care Act insurance plans inadvertently allowed access by insurance brokers to consumers’ full Social Security numbers, information brokers don’t need. That raised concerns […]

  City-Country Mortality Gap Widens Amid Persistent Holes in Rural Health Care Access Jazmin Orozco Rodriguez In Matthew Roach’s two years as vital statistics manager for the Arizona Department of Health Services, and 10 years previously in its epidemiology program, he has witnessed a trend in mortality rates that has rural health experts worried. As […]

  Ten Doctors on FDA Panel Reviewing Abbott Heart Device Had Financial Ties With Company David Hilzenrath and Holly K. Hacker When the FDA recently convened a committee of advisers to assess a cardiac device made by Abbott, the agency didn’t disclose that most of them had received payments from the company or conducted research […]