Latest KFF Health News Stories
The Disability Tax: Medical Bills Remain Inaccessible for Many Blind Americans
Health insurers and health care systems across the country are violating disability rights laws by sending medical bills that blind and visually impaired people cannot read, a KHN investigation has found. By hindering the ability of blind Americans to know what they owe, some bills get sent to debt collections.
KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Medicaid Machinations
The lame-duck Congress has returned to Washington with a long health care to-do list and only a little time. Meanwhile, some of the states that have not yet expanded Medicaid eligibility under the Affordable Care Act are rethinking those decisions. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Rachel Cohrs of Stat, and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these topics and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KHN’s Fred Clasen-Kelly, who reported and wrote the latest KHN-NPR “Bill of the Month” feature, about a mysterious mishap during minor surgery.
Montana’s New Sex Ed Law Ensnares English and History Lessons, Too
A broadly worded Montana law meant to alert parents of upcoming lessons about human sexuality has led cautious school administrators to include notifications about literature, history, and science lessons, as well.
Addiction Treatment Proponents Urge Rural Clinicians to Pitch In by Prescribing Medication
The number of U.S. health care providers certified to prescribe buprenorphine more than doubled in the past four years, and treatment advocates hope to see that trend continue.
Her Apartment Might Have Put Her Son’s Health at Risk. But ‘I Have Nowhere Else to Go.’
The United States is suffering from a severe shortage of affordable housing. But elected officials have done little to fix a problem that puts many Americans at greater risk for sickness and shortens lives.
Un nuevo uso de las aplicaciones de citas: perseguir infecciones sexuales
Con un surgimiento de las infecciones de transmisión sexual, trabajadores de salud pública encuentran en los apps de citas un espacio ideal para mensajes de prevención y rastreo de contactos.
Racial Disparities in Lung Cancer Start With Research
Improving lung cancer outcomes in Black communities will take more than lowering the screening age, experts say. Disparities are present in everything from the studies that inform when people should get checked to the availability of care in rural areas.
A New Use for Dating Apps: Chasing STDs
For contact tracers of sexually transmitted diseases, telephones and text messages have become ineffective. Dating apps increasingly are their best bet for informing people of their exposure risks.
Rural Colorado Tries to Fill Health Worker Gaps With Apprenticeships
A Grand Junction program is training and retaining nurse and personal care aides in areas where the aging population is creating a need for them. But challenges remain for these workers.
An Unexplained Injury Discovered After Eye Surgery. What Should Happen Next?
Some doctors and medical practices voluntarily give rebates on a bill if an injury occurs during a procedure, while others will not, an expert says. Here’s how patients can respond.
Cuando hay mala praxis en centros de salud comunitarios, pagan los contribuyentes
Los 1,375 centros de salud financiados con dinero federal, que atienden a 30 millones de estadounidenses de bajos ingresos, son en su mayoría organizaciones privadas. Sin embargo, reciben $6,000 millones anuales en subvenciones federales y, según la ley federal, sus responsabilidades legales están cubiertas por el gobierno
¿Deberían los adultos mayores someterse a cirugías invasivas? Nueva investigación ofrece guía
Casi 1 de cada 7 adultos mayores muere dentro del año después de someterse a una cirugía mayor, según un nuevo estudio que arroja luz sobre los riesgos que enfrentan las personas mayores cuando tienen procedimientos invasivos.
When Malpractice Occurs at Community Health Centers, Taxpayers Pay
Federally funded clinics and their doctors are protected against lawsuits by federal law, with taxpayers footing the bill. The health centers say that allows them to better serve their low-income patients, but lawyers say the system handcuffs consumers with a cumbersome legal process and makes it harder for the public to see problems.
Should Older Seniors Risk Major Surgery? New Research Offers Guidance
An important new study offers much-needed data to inform older Americans of the risks and benefits they must weigh when facing major surgery.
Readers and Tweeters Decry Medical Billing Errors, Price-Gouging, and Barriers to Benefits
KHN gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
A Work-From-Home Culture Takes Root in California
New U.S. Census Bureau data shows a large segment of Californians are working from home for part or all of the week. Researchers say the shift will ripple through the broader economy in ways big and small.
‘An Arm and a Leg’: When Insurance Won’t Pay, Abortion Assistance Funds Step In
Privacy concerns and coverage limits have long made insurance an unreliable option for abortion access. For decades, abortion funds have been stepping in to help people pay for what they see as essential health care.
Trickle of Covid Relief Funds Helps Fill Gaps in Rural Kids’ Mental Health Services
Only a sliver of the funding given to state, local, and tribal governments through the American Rescue Plan Act has been steered to mental health nationwide, but mental health advocates and clinicians hope the money it provides will help address gaps in care for children. In Appalachian Ohio, the funding is helping expand services.
Treating Long Covid Is Rife With Guesswork
With a dearth of evidence on effective treatments for long covid, patients and doctors in 400 clinics around the country still rely on trial and error.
California Aims to Maximize Health Insurance Subsidies for Workers During Labor Disputes
Workers who lose employer-based health coverage during a strike or lockout will have access to a full-subsidy plan through Covered California.
