KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: It’s Health Costs, Stupid (2022 Edition)
Can’t see the audio player? Click here to listen on PRX. You can also listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Pocket Casts or wherever you listen to podcasts. Click here for a transcript of the episode. The pandemic may be showing signs of winding down, but health care costs are not. In Massachusetts, a fight […]
State Constitutions Vex Conservatives’ Strategies for a Post-Roe World
Republican lawmakers in a handful of conservative states have stumbled on a roadblock to what they thought would be a clear path to setting new restrictions on abortion if the Supreme Court upends the landmark Roe v. Wade decision: right-to-privacy protections enshrined in their own state constitutions. In states where courts have ruled that their […]
As Politics Infects Public Health, Private Companies Profit
For some counties and cities that share a public health agency with other local governments, differences over mask mandates, business restrictions, and other covid preventive measures have strained those partnerships. At least two have been pushed past the breaking point. A county in Colorado and a small city in Southern California are splitting from their […]
Teen Traveled to Philly to Get Vaccinated Against His Parents’ Wishes
[UPDATED at 5:30 p.m. ET] High school junior Nicolas Montero stays busy. He runs track, works night and weekend shifts at Burger King, and keeps on top of his schoolwork at Neshaminy High School in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. But Nicolas’ packed schedule is also strategic: It’s a way to stay out of the house. Nicolas […]
Demand for Service Dogs Unleashes a ‘Wild West’ Market
Jenni Mahnaz admits she’s not much of a dog person. She’s mildly allergic and the only pet she had as a child was a hermit crab. But once she learned that specially trained dogs could help her daughters with their medical needs, she was willing to do anything to make it happen. Her oldest daughter, […]
La alta demanda de perros de servicio crea un mercado salvaje y a veces fraudulento
Jenni Mahnaz admite que no le gustan mucho los perros. Es ligeramente alérgica y la única mascota que tuvo de niña fue un cangrejo ermitaño. Pero cuando supo que los entrenados para asistir a las personas podían ayudar a sus hijas con sus necesidades médicas, decidió conseguir uno al precio que fuera. A su hija […]
Inside the Tactical Tug of War Over the Controversial Alzheimer’s Drug
[UPDATED at 12:30 p.m. ET] The drug industry, patient advocates, and congressional Republicans have all attacked federal officials’ decision to decline routine Medicare coverage for a controversial Alzheimer’s drug. They’ve gone as far as to accuse them of tacit racism, ageism, and discrimination against the disabled — and hinted at a lawsuit — over the […]
What Does It Say About Your Neighborhood If the Supermarket Isn’t So Super?
Though I grew up in Roxbury, “the heart of Black culture in Boston,” I now live in Los Angeles, where I typically shop for groceries at Whole Foods Market or Trader Joe’s. Their produce is fresh, green, abundant. Organic options beckon as you walk in the door. So it gnawed at me, a Black woman, […]
‘American Diagnosis’ Episode 3: Uranium Mining Left Navajo Land and People in Need of Healing
Can’t see the audio player? Click here to listen. Click here for a transcript of the episode. Episode 3: Abandoned Mines, Abandoned Health – Part I On the morning of July 16, 1979, a dam broke at a uranium mine near Church Rock, New Mexico, releasing 1,100 tons of radioactive waste and pouring 94 million […]
Medical Boards Pressured to Let It Slide When Doctors Spread Covid Misinformation
Tennessee’s Board of Medical Examiners unanimously adopted in September a statement that said doctors spreading covid misinformation — such as suggesting that vaccines contain microchips — could jeopardize their license to practice. “I’m very glad that we’re taking this step,” Dr. Stephen Loyd, the panel’s vice president, said at the time. “If you’re spreading this […]