Latest KFF Health News Stories
Trump Voters Wanted Relief From Medical Bills. For Millions, the Bills Are About To Get Bigger.
Moves by the Trump administration to pare back Medicaid, rescind medical debt rules, and loosen vaccine requirements threaten to increase medical bills for millions of Americans.
Fearing Medicaid Coverage Loss, Some Parents Rush To Vaccinate Their Kids
Worried parents are hurrying to get their children vaccinated, fearing future federal policy changes will limit access to free immunizations. Pediatricians worry that any changes to the childhood vaccine schedule will leave families without affordable options for essential shots.
Por temor a perder la cobertura de Medicaid, padres se apresuran a vacunar a sus hijos
A lo largo del país, pediatras dicen que padres ansiosos están preocupados por si continuará habiendo acceso a las vacunas infantiles de rutina.
Watch: What Are Medicaid Work Requirements?
KFF Health News’ Renuka Rayasam breaks down what you need to know about Medicaid work requirements.
Tribal Health Officials Work To Fill Vaccination Gaps as Measles Outbreak Spreads
Native American tribes and health organizations are hosting clinics and calling patients to counteract low measles vaccination rates and limited access to health care as the disease spreads across the country.
Republicans Call Medicaid Rife With Fraudsters. This Man Sees No Choice but To Break the Rules.
Congressional Republicans successfully pushed to add hurdles to qualify for Medicaid by saying they would eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse. This is the story of a Montana man who explains why he said he is breaking the rules to keep his health insurance and his job.
States Pass Privacy Laws To Protect Brain Data Collected by Devices
Colorado, California, and Montana have passed neural data privacy laws meant to prevent the exploitation of brain information collected by consumer products.
Colorado, California y Montana están entre los estados que recientemente han exigido la protección de los datos neurales recopilados por dispositivos fuera del ámbito médico.
Are 5 Million Nondisabled Medicaid Recipients Watching TV All Day? That’s Unsupported
CNN pundit Scott Jennings said almost 5 million nondisabled Medicaid recipients “simply choose not to work” and “spend six hours a day socializing and watching television.” But a recent analysis found only about 300,000 cited a lack of interest in working as the reason they were unemployed.
Cuts to Food Benefits Stand in the Way of RFK Jr.’s Goals for a Healthier National Diet
The Trump administration has said improving American nutrition is a priority, but deep cuts to federal food assistance could lead people to forgo healthy food in favor of cheaper alternatives.
Amid PFAS Fallout, a Maine Doctor Navigates Medical Risks With Her Patients
A doctor doing environmental health research in rural Maine is working to establish the best practices to treat patients exposed to “forever chemicals,” potentially leading the way for practitioners across the nation.
$50B Rural Health ‘Slush Fund’ Faces Questions, Skepticism
Lawmakers added a $50 billion program for rural health to President Donald Trump’s massive tax and spending package with promises it would help plug the hole left by Medicaid cuts. Rural hospital and clinic leaders worry the infusion won’t reach the right places.
Georgia Shows Rough Road Ahead for States as Medicaid Work Requirements Loom
President Donald Trump signed legislation that requires many Medicaid recipients to prove they’re working to qualify for health care coverage, allocating $200 million for states that expanded Medicaid to prepare systems to verify people’s eligibility. Georgia’s program, which has been expensive and difficult to administer, has had limited enrollment.
Louisiana Upholds Its HIV Exposure Law as Other States Change or Repeal Theirs
State lawmakers unsuccessfully attempted to extend the law this year to cover the intentional exposure of other sexually transmitted infections.
Journalists Dig Into Megabill’s Slashing of Medicaid. Plus, How To Avoid Tick Bites.
KFF Health News journalists made the rounds on national and local media recently to discuss topical stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.
Medical Rehab Hospital Inspections Go Unpublicized by Federal Officials
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Insurers and Customers Brace for Double Whammy to Obamacare Premiums
Consumers face both rising premiums and falling subsidies next year in Obamacare plans, with insurers seeking increases to cover not only rising costs but also some policy changes advanced by President Donald Trump and the GOP.
Surprise Medical Bills Were Supposed To Be a Thing of the Past. Surprise — They’re Not.
The No Surprises Act, which was signed in 2020 and took effect in 2022, was heralded as a landmark piece of legislation that would protect people who had health insurance from receiving surprise medical bills. And yet bills that take patients by surprise keep coming.
Los Angeles Weighs a Disaster Registry. Disability Advocates Warn Against False Assurances.
Amid increasingly frequent natural disasters, several states have turned to registries to prioritize help for vulnerable residents. But while some politicians see these registries as a potential solution to a public health problem, many disability advocates say they endanger residents with mobility problems by giving a false sense of security.
Maybe It’s Not Just Aging. Maybe It’s Anemia.
Significant numbers of older people have the condition. Many find relief with an effective treatment that is being more widely prescribed.
