Aneri Pattani is a health reporter at Philadelphia Media Network, focusing on health issues among young people. Before moving to the City of Brotherly Love, she was an assistant producer on the health team at WNYC, delving into the healthcare system's failure to support adults with developmental disabilities and tracking down stories about childhood lead exposure in New York City. In the past, she's worked as a James Reston reporting fellow on the health/science desk at The New York Times, and traveled to Liberia on a reporting trip with columnist Nicholas Kristof. She has also written for The Boston Globe, The Texas Tribune, CNBC and The Hartford Courant. Originally from Connecticut, she spent four years in Boston and considers herself a New England girl at heart.
Aneri Pattani appears in the following:
Can a simulation platform better decide how to spend opioid settlement money?
Tuesday, February 27, 2024
Mobile, Ala., like other communities benefiting from opioid settlement dollars, weighs whether to treat people in crisis now or invest in long-term solutions to cut future addiction rates.
States are getting $50 billion in opioid cash. And it's an issue in governor's races
Wednesday, November 01, 2023
Some candidates for governor are sparring over bragging rights for their state's share of opioid settlement funds. Some are attorneys general who pursued the lawsuits that produced the payouts.
Law enforcement eyes opioid settlement cash for squad cars and body scanners
Friday, October 20, 2023
Some state and local governments have started tapping in to opioid settlement funds for law enforcement expenses. Many argue it should go toward treating addiction instead.
A wasted chance to fight addiction? Opioid settlement cash fills a local budget gap
Wednesday, August 02, 2023
State attorneys general vowed the funds would go toward tackling the addiction crisis. But as with the tobacco payouts of the 1990s, local officials have started using them to fill budget shortfalls.
Here's who controls the $50 billion opioid settlement funds in each state
Monday, July 10, 2023
As money is funneled to states, opioid councils wield significant power in determining how it gets spent. They face concerns about conflicts of interest and lack of representation by affected groups.
Opioid settlement payouts are now public — and we know how much local governments got
Friday, June 16, 2023
KFF Health News obtained documents showing the exact dollar amounts — down to the cent — that local governments have been paid in 2022 and 2023 in lawsuit settlements from the opioid crisis.
Hold On: My Diagnosis, My Self
Wednesday, May 17, 2023
Getting a mental health diagnosis is a powerful thing. It can make you feel less alone, but it can also impact or alter your sense of identity.
Biden promised a watchdog for opioid settlement billions, but feds are quiet so far
Thursday, April 20, 2023
Billions of dollars are headed to state and local governments to address the opioid crisis. If the federal government fails to oversee how the money is spent, advocates worry it will be wasted.
As states start to get opioid settlement cash, few are sharing how they spend it
Thursday, March 30, 2023
All told, drugmakers and distributors will pay over $50 billion to communities harmed by opioids. An investigation finds that only a dozen states are letting the public see how they use the money.
States differ on how best to spend $26B from settlement in opioid cases
Tuesday, November 22, 2022
The cash represents an unprecedented opportunity to derail the opioid epidemic. But with countless groups advocating for a share of the pie, the impact could depend heavily on geography and politics.
How banks and hospitals are cashing in when patients can't pay for health care
Thursday, November 17, 2022
Some credit cards advertised by hospitals lure in patients with rosy promises of convenient, low-interest payments on big bills. But interest rates soar if you can't quickly pay off the loan.
Medical debt ruined her credit. 'It's like you're being punished for being sick'
Thursday, October 06, 2022
New policies to keep medical bills from sinking credit ratings sound good but will likely fall short for many hit hardest by debt — especially Black Americans in the South, such as Penelope Wingard.
Unpaid medical bills are still harming people's credit scores despite new policies
Monday, October 03, 2022
Medical debt can ruin people's credit rating — making it hard to get a loan, mortgage or credit card. People of color are most impacted by this issue and programs designed to help are falling short.
Social media posts warn people not to call 988. Here's what you need to know
Thursday, August 11, 2022
Mental health advocates celebrated the launch of the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, but some people voiced concerns that using the service could lead to police involvement or forced hospitalization.
7 years went by before an illegal rape kit bill was completely taken care of
Monday, July 25, 2022
More than 100 million people in the U.S. have medical debt, which can ruin credit and deplete savings. One woman who was hounded for years by debt collectors for a bill she never should have gotten.
North Carolina considers new laws to 'de-weaponize' medical debt and protect patients
Tuesday, June 21, 2022
Medical debt can ruin lives, and in many states patients have few financial protections. North Carolina is considering a new law that could lead the way in shielding patients from high medical bills.
Medical debt upended their lives. Here's what it took from them
Thursday, June 16, 2022
First, they were struck by illness and then by medical bills they couldn't pay. Here are seven stories of Americans living under the shadow of health care debt.
To save lives, overdose antidote should be sold over-the-counter, advocates argue
Tuesday, December 14, 2021
With opioid overdoses surging, harm-reduction groups are calling on the FDA to change naloxone's prescription-only status. This would make it easier to get the lifesaving drug to people at risk.
Colleges are turning to science to limit suicide contagion and help heal campuses
Tuesday, November 16, 2021
The new strategy is called "postvention." It means having a plan built on truth, compassion and counseling that quickly addresses the mental health needs of friends and classmates after a suicide.
DEA takes aggressive stance toward pharmacies trying to dispense addiction medicine
Monday, November 08, 2021
A West Virginia pharmacist wanted to help those hit by the opioid crisis. But a few years after he began providing medications to treat addiction, drug enforcement raided his pharmacy.
