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Latest KFF Health News Stories

In Rush To Satisfy Trump, GOP Delivers Blow to Health Industry

KFF Health News Original

The health industry couldn’t persuade GOP lawmakers to oppose big Medicaid cuts in President Donald Trump’s tax and spending bill for many reasons. A big one: Congressional Republicans were more worried about angering Trump than a backlash from hospitals and low-income constituents back home.

Vested Interests. Influence Muscle. At RFK Jr.’s HHS, It’s Not Pharma. It’s Wellness.

KFF Health News Original

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. lambasted federal agencies he accused of being overly influenced by the pharmaceutical industry. But he and other “Make America Healthy Again” notables have their own financial ties to the vast and largely unregulated $6.3 trillion global wellness industry that ethicists say raise red flags.

Who’s Policing Opioid Settlement Spending? A Crowdsourced Database Might Help

KFF Health News Original

Billions in opioid settlement money was meant to be spent on treating and preventing addiction — but what happens if it’s misspent? Some advocates say attorneys general need to pay closer attention. If they don’t, a new tool might empower the public.

The Foster Care System Has a Suicide Problem. Federal Cuts Threaten To Slow Fixes.

KFF Health News Original

Children and young adults in the U.S. foster care system suffer from mental health disorders and die by suicide at far higher rates than the general population, yet the system doesn’t uniformly screen and treat children who are at risk.

Watch: She’s at High Risk of Breast Cancer. She Moved, and Her Screening Costs Soared.

KFF Health News Original

This installment of InvestigateTV and KFF Health News’ “Costly Care” series explores how the type of medical facility where a patient seeks care can affect the cost of that care — particularly when that facility is a hospital.

Doulas, Once a Luxury, Are Increasingly Covered by Medicaid — Even in GOP States

KFF Health News Original

Even as states brace for significant reductions in federal Medicaid funding over the next decade, conservative legislatures across the country are passing laws that grant doula access to Medicaid beneficiaries.

World’s Premier Cancer Institute Faces Crippling Cuts and Chaos

KFF Health News Original

After spearheading a 34% cut in cancer mortality, the National Cancer Institute at the NIH is bleeding resources and staff and could see its budget cut by nearly 40%.

Insurers Fight State Laws Restricting Surprise Ambulance Bills

KFF Health News Original

A Colorado bill banning surprise billing for ambulance rides passed unanimously in both legislative chambers, only to be met with a veto from the governor. As more states pass such legislation, some are hitting the same snag — concerns about raising premiums.

Workplace Mental Health at Risk as Key Federal Agency Faces Cuts

KFF Health News Original

Efforts to decrease alarmingly high rates of suicide among construction workers and prevent burnout in health care workers are in jeopardy after the firing of hundreds of employees at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.

In a Nation Growing Hostile Toward Drugs and Homelessness, Los Angeles Tries Leniency

KFF Health News Original

A new care center for homeless people on Los Angeles’ infamous Skid Row embraces the principle of harm reduction, a more lenient approach to drug use and addiction. County officials say criminalization only worsens homelessness.

Peligran servicios de salud mental en lugares de trabajo por recortes federales

KFF Health News Original

El lugar de trabajo es la nueva zona cero para abordar la salud mental. Esto significa que las empresas, tanto empleados como supervisores, deben hacer frente a crisis que van desde la adicción hasta el suicidio.

GOP Governors Mum as Congress Moves To Slash Medicaid Spending for Their States

KFF Health News Original

In 2017, when President Donald Trump tried to repeal Obamacare and roll back Medicaid coverage, Republican governors helped turn Congress against it. Now, as Trump tries again to scale back Medicaid, Republican governors — whose constituents stand to lose federal funding and health coverage — have gone quiet on the health consequences.

To Keep Medicaid, Mom Caring for Disabled Adult Son Faces Prospect of Proving She Works

KFF Health News Original

A proposed work requirement would make Medicaid expansion enrollees prove they’re working or meet other criteria. Most already work, but millions are expected to lose coverage if the provision passes, many from red tape. A Missouri mother who cares for her disabled son would probably be subject to the rule.