Category: Public Health

Health Programs Are at Risk as Debt Ceiling Cave-In Looms

A warning from the Treasury Department that the U.S. could default on its debt as soon as June 1 has galvanized lawmakers to intervene. But there is still no obvious way to reconcile Republican demands to slash federal spending with President Joe Biden’s demand to raise the debt ceiling and save the spending fight for a later date. Meanwhile, efforts to pass abortion bans in conservative states are starting to stall as some Republicans rebel against the most severe bans. Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico, Rachel Cohrs of Stat, and Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico join KFF Health News chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more.

COVID-19 lowers to a whisper as some hospitals report zero cases

COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are nearing a new low after various variants caused spikes and dips, data shows, and some hospitals say they have zero cases. 

Colorado Becomes the First State to Ban So-Called Abortion Pill Reversals

The controversial practice of administering progesterone to people after they have taken the abortion pill mifepristone may be coming to an end in Colorado. Pills have emerged as the latest front in the war over abortion since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last summer.

CDC debuts 1st public health data strategy

The CDC has released its first-ever strategic plan on public health data, which aims to “help our nation quickly respond to health threats, promote health equity and improve health outcomes,” the agency said in a May 3 tweet.

CDC probes COVID-19 outbreak at its own conference

Just as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced it will stop tracking cases of COVID-19 in line with the end of the pandemic-induced public health emergency on May 11, 35 people tested positive for the disease after attending the CDC’s…

Federal Rules Don’t Require Period Product Ingredients on Packaging Labels. States Are Stepping In.

New York and California have passed laws requiring disclosure of ingredients on menstrual product packaging. Advocates want more transparency across the U.S.

After Idaho’s Strict Abortion Ban, OB-GYNs Stage a Quick Exodus

At least two Idaho hospitals are ending labor and delivery services, with one citing the state’s “legal and political climate” and noting that “recruiting replacements will be extraordinarily difficult” as doctors leave.

The rise in eating disorder admissions amid COVID-19: 6 notes

The U.S. has noted an increase in hospitalizations from eating disorders for the past few years. Here are six things to know: 

Listen: How Are States Spending Money From the Opioid Settlements? It’s Not Easy to Know

KFF Health News senior correspondent Aneri Pattani appeared on NPR’s “1A” on May 1 to discuss issues related to how opioid settlement funds are being distributed.

Surgeon general: Why the US needs to address loneliness

It’s time for the U.S. to prioritize Americans’ social connections and address the health implications of loneliness, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, MD, wrote in an April 30 opinion piece for The New York Times.