Florida Archives

Alabama’s IVF Ruling Still Making Waves

Episode 336

Feb. 29, 2024

Lawmakers in Congress and state legislatures are scrambling to react to the ruling by the Alabama Supreme Court that frozen embryos created for in vitro fertilization are legally children. Abortion opponents are divided among themselves, with some supporting full “personhood” for fertilized eggs, while others support IVF as a moral way to have children. Rachel Cohrs of Stat, Riley Griffin of Bloomberg News, and Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins University schools of nursing and public health and Politico Magazine join �Թϲ��’ Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews University of Pittsburgh law professor Greer Donley, who explains how a 150-year-old anti-vice law that’s still on the books could be used to ban abortion nationwide. Plus, for “extra credit,” the panelists suggest health policy stories they read this week that they think you should read, too.

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A photo of a woman with gloved hands pricking a man's finger to test for diseases.

Horse Sedative Use Among Humans Spreads in Deadly Mixture of ‘Tranq’ and Fentanyl

Illegal supplies of fentanyl are being cut with xylazine, a powerful horse tranquilizer. Overdoses involving this veterinary sedative are growing nationally and now Florida officials are tracking the deaths.

By Sam Ogozalek, Tampa Bay Times

Feb. 26, 2024

Florida Defies CDC in Measles Outbreak, Telling Parents It’s Fine to Send Unvaccinated Kids to School

The state’s surgeon general grants parents permission to send unvaccinated children to school during a measles outbreak, risking their health and that of others.

By Amy Maxmen

Feb. 23, 2024

Patrick Dunnagan stands outside his North Carolina home on a sunny day. He wears a plaid shirt and glasses.

Southern Lawmakers Rethink Long-Standing Opposition to Medicaid Expansion

While many Republican state lawmakers remain firmly against Medicaid expansion, some key leaders in holdout states are showing a willingness to reconsider. Public opinion, financial incentives, and widening health care needs make resistance harder.

By Daniel Chang and Andy Miller

Feb. 16, 2024

What the Health? From �Թϲ��

To End School Shootings, Activists Consider a New Culprit: Parents

Episode 333

Feb. 8, 2024

For the first time, a jury has convicted a parent of a school shooter of charges related to the child’s crime, finding a mother in Michigan guilty of involuntary manslaughter and possibly opening a new legal avenue for gun control advocates. Meanwhile, as the Supreme Court prepares to hear a case challenging the FDA’s approval of the abortion drug mifepristone, a medical publisher has retracted some of the journal studies that lower-court judges relied on in their decisions. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet, and Rachana Pradhan of �Թϲ�� join �Թϲ��’ Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Plus, for “extra credit,” the panelists suggest health policy stories they read this week that they think you should read, too.

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A photograph of a woman using a smartphone as she sits next to an open suitcase on a bed. Her face is cropped out of view.

More ‘Navigators’ Are Helping Women Travel to Have Abortions

After the U.S. Supreme Court ended the federal right to an abortion and many states banned the procedure, reproductive health care organizations hired dozens of people to help patients arrange travel and pay for care.

By Lillian Mongeau Hughes

Feb. 1, 2024

A photo of a nurse helping a woman with her ketamine treatment.

Ketamine Therapy for Mental Health a ‘Wild West’ for Doctors and Patients

Ketamine, approved by the FDA as an anesthetic in 1970, is emerging as a major alternative mental health treatment, and there are now more than 500 ketamine clinics around the country. But with little regulation and widely varying treatment protocols, it’s a medical "wild West."

By Dawn Megli

Jan. 31, 2024

A photo of the exterior of a Publix grocery store.

Records Show Publix Opioid Sales Grew Even as Addiction Crisis Prompted Other Chains’ Pullback

As national prescription drug distributors and pharmacies restricted the flow of oxycodone and other painkillers in response to the growing opioid crisis, Florida’s most popular grocery store ramped up its sales and distribution of the highly addictive drugs, according to a Tampa Bay Times analysis of federal data.

By Ian Hodgson, Tampa Bay Times and Christopher O’Donnell, Tampa Bay Times

Jan. 29, 2024

A photo of Former President Donald Trump standing at a microphone with an American flag in the background behind him.

What Would a Second Trump Presidency Look Like for Health Care?

Health policy during Donald Trump’s tenure was dominated by covid-19 and a failed effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. His appointments to the Supreme Court led to the end of national abortion rights, and he took steps to increase hospital price transparency and improve care for veterans.

By Julie Rovner

Jan. 16, 2024

A photo of Alex Azar speaking at a podium to reporters at a press conference.

Trump Official Who OK’d Drugs From Canada Chairs Company Behind Florida’s Import Plan

Alex Azar advanced Canadian drug importation as Donald Trump’s secretary of Health and Human Services. Now he chairs the board of a company managing Florida’s importation program.

By Phil Galewitz

Jan. 12, 2024

The Health 202

Alex Azar’s Unusual Spin Through the Revolving Door

By Phil Galewitz

Jan. 12, 2024

Mila Clarke holds a syringe of insulin in front of her.

These Patients Had to Lobby for Correct Diabetes Diagnoses. Was Their Race a Reason?

Adults who develop one autoimmune form of diabetes are often misdiagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. Those wrong diagnoses make it harder to get the appropriate medications and technology to manage their blood sugar. Many Black patients wonder if their race plays a role.

By Bram Sable-Smith

Jan. 9, 2024

A photo of an adolescent sitting in a chair with their parent while a medical professional takes notes on a clipboard.

Rising Malpractice Premiums Price Small Clinics Out of Gender-Affirming Care for Minors

Even in states where laws protect minors’ access to gender-affirming care, malpractice insurance premiums are keeping small and independent clinics from treating patients.

By Cecilia Nowell

Jan. 9, 2024

Patients With Narcolepsy Face a Dual Nightmare of Medication Shortages and Stigma

It's been more than a year since the FDA declared a national shortage of Adderall, and it’s affecting more than just patients with ADHD. Those with narcolepsy, a much rarer condition, are often treated with the same medication. Without it, they're often unable to drive or function as usual.

By Lauren Peace, Tampa Bay Times

Jan. 3, 2024

Mental Health Courts Can Struggle to Fulfill Decades-Old Promise

Mental health courts have been touted as a means to help reduce the flow of people with mental illness into jails and prisons. But the specialized diversion programs can struggle to live up to that promise, and some say they’re a bad investment.

By Sam Whitehead

Dec. 28, 2023

Ron Winters and his wife, Teresa, stand outside their home. Ron leans up against a brick wall, while his wife leans against him and places her hand on his stomach. They both look towards the camera.

Deadly Denials

Cancer Patients Face Frightening Delays in Treatment Approvals

Delaying cancer treatment can be deadly — which makes the roadblock-riddled process that health insurers use to approve or deny care particularly daunting for oncology patients.

By Lauren Sausser

Dec. 22, 2023

A colorful, digital illustration in pencil and watercolor shows a cartoon figure hooked up to an array of medical devices. The figure has a device in their mouth, which has caused two teeth to fall out; a glucose monitor on their arm is connected to a cellphone; a ventilator is connected to their lungs; a device is connected to their heart from the inside with battery packs on the outside; and a hemodialysis machine causes blood to spurt from a vein unnoticed. A large error symbol (a yellow triangle with a red exclamation point at its center) is at the center of the illustration.

When Medical Devices Malfunction

Deep Flaws in FDA Oversight of Medical Devices, and Patient Harm, Exposed in Lawsuits and Records

Thousands of medical devices are sold, and even implanted, with no safety tests.

By Fred Schulte and Holly K. Hacker

Dec. 21, 2023

A photo of Denise Woods by her car outside.

�Թϲ�� / CMG TV Stations Investigation

‘I Am Just Waiting to Die’: Social Security Clawbacks Drive Some Into Homelessness

The Social Security Administration is reclaiming billions of dollars in alleged overpayments from some of the nation's poorest and most vulnerable, leaving some people homeless or struggling to stay in housing, beneficiaries and advocates say.

By Fred Clasen-Kelly

Dec. 20, 2023

Two photos are shown side-by side. On the left is a portrait of a man standing outside. On the right is a portrait of a woman standing indoors.

Dying Broke: A �Թϲ��-New York Times Project

‘Financial Ruin Is Baked Into the System’: Readers on the Costs of Long-Term Care

Thousands of people shared their experiences and related to the financial drain on families portrayed in the “Dying Broke” series, a joint project by �Թϲ�� and The New York Times that examined the costs of long-term care.

By Jordan Rau and Reed Abelson, The New York Times

Dec. 15, 2023

Biology, Anatomy, and Finance? More Med Students Want Business Degrees Too

A majority of medical schools now offer dual MD-MBA programs, compared with just a quarter two decades ago. The number of medical students seeking a business degree has nearly tripled. This begs the question: Whom will these doctors serve more, patients or shareholders?

By Samantha Liss

Dec. 11, 2023

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