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Latest KFF Health News Stories

Jimmy Carter Took on the Awful Guinea Worm When No One Else Would — And Triumphed

KFF Health News Original

The effort to end Guinea worm disease relies almost entirely on changes in people’s behavior. There is no cure, no vaccination. When the 39th president of the United States left office, Jimmy Carter campaigned to eradicate the disease.

Girls in Texas Could Get Birth Control at Federal Clinics, Until a Christian Father Objected

KFF Health News Original

A Donald Trump-appointed federal judge agreed that even the possibility that the father’s daughters might access contraception without his permission violated the tenants of his Christian faith.

California Offers Bipartisan Road Map for Protecting Kids Online Even as Big Tech Fights Back

KFF Health News Original

Last year, state lawmakers adopted the country’s toughest online privacy restrictions. The law offers Congress a path forward on federal protections even as it serves as a cautionary tale for taking on Big Tech.

Reentry Programs to Help Former Prisoners Obtain Health Care Are Often Underused

KFF Health News Original

More than 600,000 people are released from prisons every year, many with costly health conditions but no medications, medical records, a health care provider, or insurance.

Watch: Emergency Room Turns Simple Injury Into a Big Bill

KFF Health News Original

This installment of InvestigateTV and KHN’s “Costly Care” series looks at the case of a New Orleans woman whose thumb injury saddled her with a big ER bill for a tetanus shot and some minor care.

For Young People on Medicare, a Hysterectomy Sometimes Is More Affordable Than Birth Control

KFF Health News Original

While Medicare was designed as health insurance for those 65 and older, it also covers people with disabilities who are young enough to still get pregnant. Yet they often struggle to get their birth control covered and end up with large medical bills — or instead opt for hysterectomies or tubal ligations, which Medicare sometimes will cover.

Hospitales rurales aplican a nuevo programa federal para intentar sobrevivir

KFF Health News Original

Más de 140 hospitales rurales han cerrado en todo el país desde 2010, y observadores de políticas de salud no están seguros de cuántas de las más de 1,700 instalaciones rurales elegibles para la nueva designación aplicarán a un nuevo programa.

Despite Pharma Claims, Illicit Drug Shipments to US Aren’t Full of Opioids. It’s Generic Viagra.

KFF Health News Original

The FDA has long blocked the importation of cheap medicine, agreeing with pharmaceutical manufacturers that it opens the door to opioids. The agency’s own data shows that rarely happens.

Virtual or In Person: Which Kind of Doctor’s Visit Is Better, and When It Matters

KFF Health News Original

While there are no hard-and-fast rules about when to opt for a telehealth visit versus seeing a doctor face-to-face, physicians offer guidance about when it may make more sense to choose one or the other.

Struggling to Survive, the First Rural Hospitals Line Up for New Federal Lifeline

KFF Health News Original

Hospitals in New Mexico, Texas, and Oklahoma are among the first to apply for a new rural hospital payment model that shifts the focus of services away from overnight stays to outpatient and emergency care. Still, experts say the law needs to be amended to provide the right mix of care for rural communities.

Alto riesgo y máximas ganancias: reguladores se preocupan por el auge del levantamiento de glúteos en Florida

KFF Health News Original

El forense del condado de Miami-Dade ha documentado casi tres docenas de muertes de pacientes de cirugía estética desde 2009, de los cuales 26 fueron consecuencia de un levantamiento de glúteos brasileño.

Guns Are the Biggest Public Health Threat Kids Face. Why Aren’t They Getting the Message?

KFF Health News Original

Today’s public service announcements on gun safety feel somewhat sanitized. It’s time to act with the same kind of visceral public campaign that helped de-glorify smoking. Would filmmakers commit to making action movies without guns, just as filmmakers stopped making smoking glamorous in films?