Category: Public Health

Planned Parenthood to Blitz GOP Seats, Betting Abortion Fears Can Sway Voters

The reproductive rights organization hopes to oust GOP incumbents from key California congressional seats by highlighting the possibility of a national abortion ban. A state Republican official calls it a swing and a miss, noting that, under Democrats, hospitals have closed maternity wards and filed for bankruptcy.

5 states where COVID ED visits are rising fastest

The FLiRT variants of COVID-19 are gaining momentum, with emergency department visits diagnosed as COVID went up 23.3% from the week prior, building up to an anticipated “summer wave” across multiple states, especially in the South, CDC data shows.

WHO releases 1st tobacco cessation clinical guidelines

WHO released the first clinical guidelines for tobacco cessation.

KFF Health News’ ‘What the Health?’: SCOTUS Term Wraps With a Bang

The Supreme Court has issued its final opinions for the 2023-24 term, including decisions affecting abortion access, the opioid epidemic, and how the federal government functions. In this special episode, Sarah Somers , legal director of the National Health Law Program, joins KFF Health News’ chief Washington correspondent, Julie Rovner, to discuss how the justices disposed of the term’s health-related cases and what those decisions could mean going forward.

Lack of Affordability Tops Older Americans’ List of Health Care Worries

Rising health care costs are fueling anxiety among older Americans covered by Medicare. They’re right to be concerned.

'Walking pneumonia' surge observed at Cook Children's

Cook Children’s Hospital in Fort Worth, Texas, began seeing a rise of mycoplasma pneumonia in patients in April, and since then, they’ve unexpectedly increased.

ED visits for COVID on the rise: 4 updates

COVID-19 activity is rising in many areas of the country ahead of the Fourth of July holiday, hinting at the start of a summer surge, the CDC said in a June 28 update. 

Supreme Court OKs Local Crackdowns on Homelessness, as Advocates Warn of Chaos

In a momentous 6-3 decision that could affect communities across the nation, the U.S. Supreme Court gave local officials and law enforcement more authority to fine and penalize homeless people living outside. Advocates for homeless people predict the ruling will lead to more sickness and death.

KFF Health News’ ‘What the Health?’: SCOTUS Ruling Strips Power From Federal Health Agencies

In what will certainly be remembered as a landmark decision, the Supreme Court has overruled a 40-year-old precedent that gave federal agencies, rather than judges, the power to interpret ambiguous laws passed by Congress. Administrative experts say the decision will dramatically change the way key health agencies do business. Also, the court decided not to decide whether a federal law requiring hospitals to provide emergency care overrides Idaho’s near-total ban on abortion. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Victoria Knight of Axios, and Joanne Kenen of Johns Hopkins University and Politico Magazine join KFF Health News chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Plus, for “extra credit,” the panelists suggest health policy stories they read this week they think you should read, too.

COVID gets tougher to distinguish

Gone are the days of hallmark COVID-19 symptoms. While loss of taste and smell, and persistent cough were once tell-tale signs of the respiratory infection, symptoms today vary widely, with tests being the only sure-fire way to confirm a diagnosis, phy…