A state law establishes a list of representatives who can make medical decisions for patients unable to convey their wishes. California is late to making the change; 45 other states and the District of Columbia already have next-of-kin laws.
Category: Kaiser Health News
The Kids Are Not OK
A new survey from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finds that teenagers, particularly girls, are reporting all-time high rates of violence and profound mental distress. Meanwhile, both sides in the abortion debate are anxiously waiting for a district court decision in Texas that could effectively revoke the FDA’s 22-year-old approval of the abortion pill mifepristone. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call, and Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico join KHN’s chief Washington correspondent, Julie Rovner, to discuss these issues and more.
Republican Lawmakers Shy Away From Changing Montana’s Constitutional Right to Abortion
Lawmakers in 14 states have passed near-total bans on abortion since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. But in some conservative-led states where court rulings determined their constitutions protect abortion, including Montana, politicians haven’t asked voters to weigh in.
As Covid Grabbed the World’s Attention, Texas’ Efforts to Control TB Slipped
Responding to covid has taken so much attention and energy that some public health workers believe it pushed tuberculosis off people’s radar.
She Sued a Hospital and Lost — But Felt She’d Won
A listener sued a hospital in small-claims court and lost but felt as if she’d won. Now, she wants to encourage more people to take their bills to court.
Armed With Hashtags, These Activists Made Insulin Prices a Presidential Talking Point
Twitter has been a hotbed for the burgeoning insulin access movement and activism surrounding other medical conditions. For people with diabetes, the platform has helped propel concern about insulin prices into policy. Can it continue to win with hashtags?
As Opioids Mixed With Animal Tranquilizers Arrive in Kensington, So Do Alarming Health Challenges
The veterinary tranquilizer xylazine, the choice du jour of local drug dealers to cut fentanyl, leads to necrotic ulcers and leaves street medics and physicians confused about how best to deal with this wave of the opioid crisis.
Watch: In Insurers’ Eyes, Not All Midwives Are Equal
The first installment of InvestigateTV and KHN’s “Costly Care” series explores one California mother’s experience struggling to get reimbursed for midwifery care and the differences between providers that may determine whether insurance covers them.
In California, Democrats Propose $25 Minimum Wage for Health Workers
State Sen. María Elena Durazo and Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West want to give health facility support staffers a raise. Hospitals, nursing homes, and dialysis clinics are expected to resist.
It Takes a Village: Foster Program Is a New Model of Care for Indigenous Children
A foster care program on the Cheyenne River Reservation in South Dakota is attracting attention from officials elsewhere as they search for ways to reduce trauma inflicted on Indigenous families, who’ve faced generations of high rates of family separation.
