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Abortion Heats Up Presidential Race聽
Episode 358The elevation of Vice President Kamala Harris to the top of the presumed Democratic presidential ticket is newly energizing the debate over abortion, while former President Donald Trump attempts to distance himself from more sweeping proposals in the 鈥淧roject 2025鈥 GOP blueprint put together by his former administration officials and the conservative Heritage Foundation. Lauren Weber of The Washington Post, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet join 麻豆女优 Health News鈥 Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews 麻豆女优 Health News鈥 Elisabeth Rosenthal, who reported and wrote the latest 麻豆女优 Health News-NPR 鈥淏ill of the Month鈥 about a preauthorized surgery that generated a six-figure bill.
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Louisiana Reclassifies Drugs Used in Abortions as Controlled Dangerous Substances
Louisiana lawmakers have added two drugs commonly used in pregnancy and reproductive health care to the state鈥檚 list of controlled dangerous substances, a move that has alarmed doctors in the state.
At GOP Convention, Health Policy Is Mostly MIA
Episode 356After an assassination attempt last weekend sent former President Donald Trump to the hospital with minor injuries, the Republican National Convention went off with little mention of health care issues. And Trump鈥檚 newly nominated vice presidential pick, Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio, has barely staked out a record on health during his 18 months in office 鈥 aside from being strongly opposed to abortion. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet, and Joanne Kenen of Johns Hopkins University and Politico Magazine join 麻豆女优 Health News鈥 Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews 麻豆女优 Health News鈥 Renuka Rayasam, who wrote June鈥檚 installment of 麻豆女优 Health News-NPR 鈥淏ill of the Month,鈥 about a patient who walked into what he thought was an urgent care center and walked out with an emergency room bill.鈥
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Listen: How the End of 鈥楻oe鈥 Is Reshaping the Medical Workforce
In this episode of 鈥淭he Indicator From Planet Money,鈥 麻豆女优 Health News鈥 chief Washington correspondent, Julie Rovner, reports on how the medical labor force is changing post-Roe v. Wade and why graduating medical students, from OB-GYNs to pediatricians, are avoiding training in states with abortion bans.
By Julie Rovner -
Chorus or Cacophony? Cicada Song Hits Some Ears Harder Than Others
Cicadas are the song of the summer, but this year鈥檚 large broods may be especially irritating for people on the autism spectrum who have hearing sensitivity.
By Zach Dyer -
Super Bowl Parade Shooting Survivors Await Promised Donations While Bills Pile Up
Families of the people hurt during the Feb. 14 mass shooting are carrying what one expert calls 鈥渧ictimization debt.鈥 In the third story of our series 鈥淭he Injured,鈥 we learn about the strain of paying small and large medical bills and other out-of-pocket costs.
By Peggy Lowe, KCUR and Bram Sable-Smith -
Experts: US Hospitals Prone to Cyberattacks Like One That Hurt Patient Care at Ascension
Clinicians working for Ascension hospitals in multiple states described harrowing lapses, including delayed or lost lab results, medication errors, and an absence of routine safety checks to prevent potentially fatal mistakes.
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End of Pandemic Internet Subsidies Threatens a Health Care Lifeline for Rural America
As the Affordable Connectivity Program runs out of money, millions of people face a jump in internet costs or lost connections if federal lawmakers don't pass a funding extension.
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He Fell Ill on a Cruise. Before He Boarded the Rescue Boat, They Handed Him the Bill.
A man from Michigan was evacuated from a cruise ship after having seizures. First, he drained his bank account to pay his medical bills.
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Why One New York Health System Stopped Suing Its Patients
Most U.S. hospitals aggressively pursue patients for unpaid bills. One New York hospital system decided to work with them instead.
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Paid Sick Leave Sticks After Many Pandemic Protections Vanish
The U.S. is one of nine countries that do not guarantee paid sick leave. Since the covid pandemic, advocates in states including Missouri, Alaska, and Nebraska are organizing to take the issue to voters with ballot initiatives this November.
By Zach Dyer -
Three People Shot at Super Bowl Parade Grapple With Bullets Left in Their Bodies
Despite the rise of gun violence in America, few medical guidelines exist on removing bullets from survivors鈥 bodies. In the second installment of our series 鈥淭he Injured,鈥 we meet three people shot at the Kansas City Super Bowl parade who are dealing with the bullets inside them in different ways.
By Bram Sable-Smith and Peggy Lowe, KCUR -
Could Better Inhalers Help Patients, and the Planet?
Puff inhalers can be lifesavers for people with asthma and other respiratory diseases, but some types release potent greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change. That, in turn, worsens wildfires, contributes to air pollution, and intensifies allergy seasons 鈥 which can increase the need for inhalers. Some doctors are helping patients switch to more eco-sensitive inhalers.
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Sign Here? Financial Agreements May Leave Doctors in the Driver鈥檚 Seat
Agreeing to an out-of-network doctor鈥檚 own financial policy 鈥 which generally protects their ability to get paid and may be littered with confusing insurance and legal jargon 鈥 can create a binding contract that leaves a patient owing.
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Unsheltered People Are Losing Medicaid in Redetermination Mix-Ups
Some of the nearly 130,000 Montanans who have lost Medicaid coverage as the state reevaluates eligibility are homeless. That鈥檚 in part because Montana kicked more than 80,000 people off the program for technical reasons rather than income ineligibility. For unhoused people who were disenrolled, getting back on Medicaid can be extraordinarily difficult.
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He Thinks His Wife Died in an Understaffed Hospital. Now He鈥檚 Trying to Change the Industry.
Nurses are telling lawmakers that there are not enough of them working in hospitals and that it risks patients鈥 lives. California and Oregon legally limit the number of patients under a nurse鈥檚 care. Other states trying to do the same were blocked by the hospital industry. Now patients鈥 relatives are joining the fight.
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More Patients Are Losing Their Doctors 鈥 And Trust in the Primary Care System
A shortage of primary care providers is driving more people to seek routine care in emergency settings. In Rhode Island, safety-net clinics are under pressure as clinicians retire or burn out, and patients say it鈥檚 harder to find care as they lose connections to familiar doctors.
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California Is Expanding Insurance Access for Teenagers Seeking Therapy on Their Own
A California law that takes effect this summer will grant minors on public insurance the ability to get mental health treatment without their parents鈥 consent, a privilege that their peers with private insurance have had for years. But the law has become a flashpoint in the state鈥檚 culture wars.
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Needle Pain Is a Big Problem for Kids. One California Doctor Has a Plan.
The pain and trauma from repeated needle sticks leads some kids to hold on to needle phobia into adulthood. Research shows the biggest source of pain for children in the health care system is needles. But one doctor thinks he has a solution and is putting it into practice at two children鈥檚 hospitals in Northern California.
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Statistical Models vs. Front-Line Workers: Who Knows Best How to Spend Opioid Settlement Cash?
A mathematical model designed to direct spending of opioid settlement funds is at the center of a debate over whether to invest in technology to guide long-term decisions or focus on the immediate needs of people in addiction.