This week - Running down what happened on Election Day 2016, from aid-in-dying in Colorado to medical marijuana in Florida to the big question looming over all of it -- what will happen to the Affordable Care Act ... Also, more people are dumping their cigarette habit ... These and more ...
Recapping Election Day 2016 Changes
In case you need a reminder, the Affordable Care Act is likely to see major changes in the coming months after Donald Trump won the presidency. He's promised to repeal the law and replace it with other reforms, but what are those changes going to look like? Here are some resources on that and what other changes are in store for public health around the U.S.:
The major differences between Trump and Clinton on health care, from WFPL's Lisa Gillespie.
Running down what passed and what failed in health care in the states on election day, by Shefali Luthra of Kaiser Health News.
Florida just joined the list of states that have OK'd medical marijuana. Abe Aboraya of WMFE looks at what's next.
Millions of people newly covered on Medicaid could lose coverage, reports Phil Galewitz of Kaiser Health News.
Voters in Florida are split on whether to use genetically modified mosquitoes to try to stop Zika, reports STAT's Andrew Joseph.
In Colorado, voters decided to allow medical aid-in-dying, but rejected a state-run health coverage system, says John Daley of Colorado Public Radio.
Voters in four cities passed taxes on soda, reports NPR's Allison Aubrey.
Elections weren't the only thing people were talking about this week. Here's what else happened:
Police Try Treatment, Instead Of Punishment, To Treat Addiction
In Massachusetts, an estimated 5 people a day die due to overdoses. Some places have tried Narcan to undo overdoses, others have tried stricter enforcement of drug laws to stop access to opioids. But in Gloucester, Mass.,police hope helping people get off the drugs will lead to fewer arrests and fewer overdoses. Kristin Gourlay of Rhode Island Public Radio has the story.
Related: Behind The Overdose Statistics, The Woman Who Investigates Each Death
Quick Hits
The number of people who smoke cigarettes in the U.S. is down 8.5 million since 2005, and in California, a newly passed $2 per pack tax on cigarettes is aimed at reducing that number even more.
Warmer temperatures and wastewater runoff mean more algae blooms, and that could pose a public health risk in drinking water from the Ohio River.
