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Latest KFF Health News Stories

El tipo de alimentación está vinculado a tasas más altas de preeclampsia en latinas

KFF Health News Original

No hay una forma de curar o predecir la preeclampsia. La enfermedad puede dañar el corazón y el hígado, y causar otras complicaciones tanto para la madre como para el bebé, incluido el parto prematuro e incluso la muerte.

Dietary Choices Are Linked to Higher Rates of Preeclampsia Among Latinas

KFF Health News Original

Researchers at the USC Keck School of Medicine found that Latinas who ate vegetables, fruits, and healthy oils-based foods had fewer incidences of preeclampsia. More research is needed to determine the exact diet that could be beneficial.

Biden Is Right About $35 Insulin Cap but Exaggerates Prior Costs for Medicare Enrollees

KFF Health News Original

Most Medicare enrollees likely were not paying a monthly average of $400 — as President Joe Biden stated — before the insulin cap took effect. However, because costs and other factors result in widely varying prices, some Medicare enrollees might have paid that much in a given month.

Unauthorized Sign-Ups Cast Shadow on Obamacare’s Record Enrollment

KFF Health News Original

The Biden administration faces what looks like a growing problem for the federal Affordable Care Act’s insurance exchange: disreputable insurance brokers enrolling people who don’t need coverage or switching them to new plans without their authorization. It happened to Michael Debriae, a restaurant server who lives in Charlotte. Unbeknownst to him, an agent in Florida […]

Feds Join Ranks of Employers with Generous Fertility Benefits

KFF Health News Original

Starting this year, federal employees can choose plans that cover a broad menu of fertility services, including up to $25,000 annually for in vitro fertilization procedures. At the same time, politics around IVF and reproductive health have become a central issue in the current election-year debate.

End of Internet Subsidies for Low-Income Households Threatens Telehealth Access

KFF Health News Original

A federal program that helped pay for more than 23 million low-income households’ internet access runs out of money soon. The end of the subsidy launched earlier in the pandemic could have profound impacts on health care access.

The GOP Keeps Pushing Medicaid Work Requirements, Despite Setbacks

KFF Health News Original

Work requirements in Medicaid expansion programs are back on the agenda in many statehouses — despite their lackluster track record. In Mississippi, the idea has momentum from GOP lawmakers advancing legislation to expand Medicaid. In Kansas, the Democratic governor proposed work requirements to try to soften Republican opposition to expansion. (She’s had little luck, so […]

Heat Protections for California Workers Are in Limbo After Newsom Abandons Rules

KFF Health News Original

Proposed rules to protect millions of workers from potentially dangerous heat inside workplaces are dead after Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration refused to sign off. Labor advocates and state regulators are calling for emergency regulations before temperatures soar this summer.

Medical Debt Affects Much of America, but Colorado Immigrants Are Hit Especially Hard

KFF Health News Original

Colorado is ahead of the curve on policies to prevent medical debt, but the gap between the debt load in places inhabited primarily by people of color versus non-Hispanic white residents is greater than the national average.

Attacks on Emergency Room Workers Prompt Debate Over Tougher Penalties

KFF Health News Original

In California, assaulting paramedics or other emergency medical workers in the field carries stiffer fines and jail time than assaulting emergency room staffers. State lawmakers are considering a measure that would standardize the penalties.

ACA Plans Are Being Switched Without Enrollees’ OK

KFF Health News Original

Insurance agents say it’s too easy to access consumer information on the Affordable Care Act federal marketplace. Policyholders can lose their doctors and access to prescriptions. Some end up owing back taxes.

More Patients Are Losing Their Doctors — And Trust in the Primary Care System

KFF Health News Original

A shortage of primary care providers is driving more people to seek routine care in emergency settings. In Rhode Island, safety-net clinics are under pressure as clinicians retire or burn out, and patients say it’s harder to find care as they lose connections to familiar doctors.

For-Profit Companies Open Psychiatric Hospitals in Areas Clamoring for Care

KFF Health News Original

State institutions and community hospitals have closed inpatient mental health units, often citing staffing and financial challenges. Now, for-profit companies are opening psychiatric hospitals to fill the void.