Texas Archives

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Washington’s Slow Churn

Stemming gun violence is back on the legislative agenda following three mass shootings in less than a month, but it’s hard to predict success when so many previous efforts have failed. Meanwhile, lawmakers must soon decide if they will extend current premium subsidies for those buying health insurance under the Affordable Care Act, and the Biden administration acts, belatedly, on Medicare premiums. Margot Sanger-Katz of the New York Times, Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call, and Rachel Cohrs of Stat News join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KHN’s Michelle Andrews, who reported and wrote the latest KHN-NPR “Bill of the Month” episode about a too-common problem: denial of no-cost preventive care for a colonoscopy under the Affordable Care Act.

June 2, 2022

A digital illustration in bright ink and watercolor drawn in a cartoon style. Colorful children are visible through the windows of different hotel rooms, appearing tired or concerned and holding backpacks and stuffed animals. The exterior of the buildings are painted in dark, cool tones which contrasts with the vivid interiors.

‘Desperate Situation’: States Are Housing High-Needs Foster Kids in Offices and Hotels

Some foster children with complex mental, behavioral, and physical health needs without a foster placement are having to stay in hotel rooms and even office buildings, a practice called “hoteling.”

By Sam Whitehead

June 1, 2022

A gloved hand holds a magnifying glass to a miniature model of the human body focusing on the gastrointestinal system.

Patients for Profit: How Private Equity Hijacked Health Care

Betting on ‘Golden Age’ of Colonoscopies, Private Equity Invests in Gastro Docs

An aging population in need of regular cancer screenings has driven private equity companies, seeking profits, to invest in many gastroenterology practices and set up aggressive billing practices. Steep prices on routine tests are one consequence for patients.

By Emily Pisacreta and Emmarie Huetteman

May 27, 2022

Podcast

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: A(nother) Very Sad Week

Two mass shootings in two weeks — one at a Texas elementary school that killed 19 fourth graders and two teachers — have reignited the “guns-as-public-health-problem” debate. But political consensus seems as far away as ever. Meanwhile, the FDA is in the congressional hot seat over its handling of the infant formula shortage. Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, and Rachana Pradhan of KHN join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Dr. Richard Baron, head of the American Board of Internal Medicine, about how doctors should discipline colleagues who spread medical misinformation.

May 26, 2022

KHN On Air

Journalists Explore Affordability of Mental Health Care and Abortion Laws’ Effect on Miscarriages

KHN and California Healthline staff made the rounds on national and local media this week to discuss their stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.

May 21, 2022

A wide shot shows rows of pews in a funeral home leading up to casket. Some of the pews are cordoned off.

COVID-19

Few Eligible Families Have Applied for Government Help to Pay for Covid Funerals

The Federal Emergency Management Agency will reimburse many families up to $9,000 in funeral expenses for loved ones who died of covid-19. But fewer than half of eligible families have applied, while others have run into application problems.

By Blake Farmer, Nashville Public Radio

May 13, 2022

Ripple Effects of Abortion Restrictions Confuse Care for Miscarriages

In Texas, where anyone can face a hefty fine of at least $10,000 if they abet an abortion, medical professionals on the front lines face tough quandaries when treating patients who have a miscarriage, a scenario that could soon play out around the country if abortion restrictions tighten.

By Charlotte Huff

May 11, 2022

Travel Nurses See Swift Change of Fortunes as Covid Money Runs Dry

Travel nurse contracts that were plentiful and paid the temporary nurses far more than hospital staff nurses are vanishing. Hospitals nationwide are turning their energies to recruiting full-time people.

By Hannah Norman

May 10, 2022

A wide shot photo shows Cameron Wright sitting in his bed at home in Denton, Texas. Posters and trinkets hang on the wall behind him.

The Families of Trans Kids in Texas Consider Their Options Amid Crackdown on Care

After Texas limited transgender medical care for young people, patients are trying to figure out what’s next.

By Sandy West

May 9, 2022

Sex Education Update in Texas Still Lacking, Say Some Students and Educators

The last time Texas updated its sex education curriculum was in the '90s. Students will now learn about contraception and STIs — but not gender or consent. And parents must opt in to the classes for their children.

By Elena Rivera, KERA

May 5, 2022

A digital illustration shows two hands, one blue and one yellow, pointing from the left and right down at the Supreme Court. A woman holds a hand to her face above the building's exterior, which is emblazoned with a banner that reads, "Equal justice under law."

What’s Next if ‘Roe v. Wade’ Falls? More Than Half of States Expected to Ban or Restrict Abortion

If the Supreme Court affirms the leaked draft decision and overturns abortion rights, the effects would be sweeping in states where Republican-led legislatures have been eagerly awaiting the repudiation of a woman’s right to terminate a pregnancy.

By Sarah Varney

May 3, 2022

Abortion Politics Lead to Power Struggles Over Family Planning Grants

Conservative-leaning states and nonprofit reproductive health care providers are competing over control of states’ Title X funding for family planning programs.

By Katheryn Houghton

May 3, 2022

Nimisha Srikanth sits on the floor next to her bed. She is surrounded by boxes full of Plan B and condoms.

Emergency Contraception Marks a New Battle Line in Texas

In the shadow of Texas’ austere abortion regulations, grassroots organizers employ stealth tactics to help young women get emergency contraception.

By Sarah Varney

April 28, 2022

Navigating Aging

Advance Care Planning for Guns: Owners Can Help Ensure Safe Use and Transfer of Weapons

Colorado researchers publish a tool to help gun owners and family members plan ahead for safe firearm use and transfers in the event of disability or death.

By Judith Graham

April 27, 2022

KHN On Air

Journalists Cover the Gamut, From Rising Insulin Costs to Delays in Autism Care for Children

KHN and California Healthline staff made the rounds on national and local media this week to discuss their stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.

April 23, 2022

Postcard From the Rio Grande Valley

Abortion Clinic on Texas-Mexico Border Faces Unique Legal and Cultural Challenges

Just as Texas has tightened its laws surrounding abortion, Mexico has gone the opposite direction, compelling people to seek potentially less-safe procedures south of the border.

By Colleen DeGuzman

April 20, 2022

Babies Die as Congenital Syphilis Continues a Decade-Long Surge Across the US

Congenital syphilis rates keep climbing, according to newly released federal data. But the primary funding source for most public health departments has been largely stagnant, its purchasing power dragged even lower by inflation.

By Anna Maria Barry-Jester

April 12, 2022

Doctors Trying to Prescribe Abortion Pills Across State Lines Stymied by Legislation

Some doctors are getting licensed in multiple states so they can use telemedicine and mail-order pharmacies to provide medication abortions to more women. At the same time, states are cracking down on telemedicine abortions, blunting the efforts of out-of-state doctors.

By Rachel Bluth

April 6, 2022

Stacy Whitford sits in her house on the right, facing a window. Her son sits on the floor in the corner on the left.

Patients’ Perilous Months-Long Waiting for Medicaid Coverage Is a Sign of What’s to Come

The pandemic crisis has overwhelmed understaffed state Medicaid agencies, already delaying access to the insurance program in Missouri. As the public health emergency ends, low-income people nationwide could find it even harder to have coverage.

By Bram Sable-Smith and Rachana Pradhan

April 4, 2022

As States Impose Abortion Bans, Young Doctors Struggle — And Travel Far — To Learn the Procedure

The number of medical schools and residency programs where aspiring physicians can learn to perform abortion procedures continues to shrink, a byproduct of the anti-abortion legislation being enacted in multiple states.

By Sarah Varney

March 23, 2022

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