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Latest KFF Health News Stories

Optum Rx Invokes Open Meetings Law To Fight Kentucky Counties on Opioid Suits

KFF Health News Original

In a Goliath-versus-David fight, UnitedHealth Group’s pharmacy benefit manager, Optum Rx, has filed lawsuits in five counties to stop them from including the company in national opioid litigation.

The National Suicide Hotline For LGBTQ+ Youth Shut Down. States Are Scrambling To Help.

KFF Health News Original

LGBTQ+ youth lost dedicated support on the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline in July at a critical time. Advocates say mental health issues are rising in that population amid hostility from the Trump administration.

Guns, Race, and Profit: The Pain of America’s Other Epidemic

KFF Health News Original

Firearm violence is killing Americans at the scale of a public health epidemic. The suffering is concentrated in Black neighborhoods damaged by segregation, disinvestment, hate crimes, and other forms of racial discrimination.

It’s Almost Flu Season. Should You Still Get a Shot, and Will Insurance Cover It?

KFF Health News Original

Doctors and public health leaders, including at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, recommend that most people 6 months old and older get the 2025-26 flu vaccine — and it’s still covered by most insurance plans.

‘A Fear Pandemic’: Immigration Raids Push Patients Into Telehealth

KFF Health News Original

With intensified immigration enforcement in California, community clinics serving Latino and immigrant populations say they’ve noticed an increase in appointment cancellations and telehealth usage. But, as the covid-19 pandemic showed, accessing the necessary technology can be a challenge and virtual appointments can take a person’s health care only so far.

Pandemia de miedo: redadas de inmigración empujan a pacientes a la telemedicina

KFF Health News Original

Los pacientes que necesitan atención médica tienen cada vez más miedo de buscarla después que Trump derogara una política de la era Biden que prohibía redadas en zonas “sensibles” como escuelas, iglesias y hospitales.

Medicaid Cuts Could Have Vast Ripple Effects in This Rural Colorado Community

KFF Health News Original

In rural Colorado and across rural America, Medicaid is a lifeline, especially for people who wouldn’t otherwise have easy access to health care. That includes low-income seniors who need supplemental coverage in addition to Medicare, and people of all ages with disabilities.

Experts Say Rural Emergency Rooms Are Increasingly Run Without Doctors

KFF Health News Original

Some doctors and the groups that represent them say physicians’ extensive training leads to better emergency care, and that some hospitals are trying to save money by not hiring them. They support new laws in Indiana, Virginia, and South Carolina that require physicians to be on-site 24/7.

Considering a Life Change? Brace for Higher ACA Costs

KFF Health News Original

Consumers contemplating an early retirement or starting a business should calculate how Trump administration and congressional policy changes could increase their health insurance costs — and plan accordingly.