Latest KFF Health News Stories
Journalists Discuss Medicaid Unwinding and Clawbacks
KHN and California Healthline staff made the rounds on national and local media this week to discuss their stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.
Temp Nurses Cost Hospitals Big During Pandemic. Lawmakers Are Now Mulling Limits.
Missouri is considering making it a felony to jack up temporary health care staffing prices during a statewide or national emergency. It’s one of at least 14 states looking to reel in travel nurse costs, after many hospitals struggled to pay for needed staffers earlier in the covid pandemic.
California’s Covid Misinformation Law Is Entangled in Lawsuits, Conflicting Rulings
A state law says giving false information to patients about covid-19 constitutes unprofessional conduct for which regulators can discipline doctors. Vaccine skeptics, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr., join civil liberties groups and others in arguing that it violates free speech.
Estados Unidos sigue siendo uno de los países con más partos prematuros. ¿Se puede solucionar?
Aproximadamente uno de cada 10 nacimientos vivos en 2021 ocurrió antes de las 37 semanas de gestación, según un informe de March of Dimes publicado en 2022. En comparación, investigaciones recientes citan tasas de nacimientos prematuros del 7,4% en Inglaterra y Gales, del 6% en Francia y del 5,8% en Suecia.
Listen to ‘Tradeoffs’: Medical Debt Delivers ‘A Shocking Amount of Misery’
Medical debt in America pushes families to the edge. Ariane Buck and his wife, Samantha, were denied care at their doctor’s office because of an unpaid bill of less than $100. A trip to the emergency room added thousands of dollars to their health care debt, which topped $50,000 by the time they filed for bankruptcy.
The US Remains a Grim Leader in Preterm Births. Why? And Can We Fix It?
American women are more likely to deliver their babies prematurely than women in most developed countries. It’s a distinction that coincides with high rates of maternal and infant death, billions of dollars in costs, and even lifelong disabilities for the children who survive.
¿Ayudan las nuevas guías sobre opioides a los pacientes con dolor crónico?
Las recomendaciones dejaron a muchos pacientes lidiando con las consecuencias para la salud mental y física de la reducción rápida de la dosis o la suspensión abrupta de los medicamentos que habían estado tomando durante años, lo que conlleva riesgos de abstinencia, depresión e incluso suicidio.
FDA Looks Into Dental Device After KHN-CBS News Investigation of Patient Harm
The FDA’s interest in the AGGA dental device follows a KHN-CBS News investigation, according to a former agency official.
Two Counties Square Off With California Over Mental Health Duties
The state wants to stop paying Kaiser Permanente for treating severely mentally ill Medi-Cal patients in Sacramento and Solano counties and force the counties to take on the task. The counties’ leaders say they can’t afford it.
New CDC Opioid Guidelines: Too Little, Too Late for Chronic Pain Patients?
In November, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new guidelines for prescribing opioids for pain, allowing physicians more flexibility. But doctors, patients, and advocates wonder if the updated standards will be too little, too late to help chronic pain patients in a country still focused on fighting the ongoing opioid crisis.
Estrés pandémico, pandillas y miedo impulsaron un aumento de tiroteos adolescentes
Investigaciones muestran que los adolescentes expuestos a la violencia armada tienen el doble de probabilidades que otros de cometer un delito violento grave dentro de los dos años luego del trauma, lo que perpetúa un ciclo difícil de romper.
Black Lung Resurgence Drives Push to Protect Coal Miners Against Silica Dust
Since 2005, central Appalachia has recorded a tenfold increase in cases of severe black lung disease among long-term coal miners. Now, federal regulators are expected to propose a new rule to protect against silica dust, which causes the most severe form of black lung, progressive massive fibrosis.
Pandemic Stress, Gangs, and Utter Fear Fueled a Rise in Teen Shootings
With their brains still developing and poor impulse control, teens who carry firearms might never plan to use them. But some do.
Feds Move to Rein In Prior Authorization, a System That Harms and Frustrates Patients
The federal government wants to change the way health insurers use prior authorization — the requirement that patients get permission before undergoing treatment. Designed to prevent doctors from deploying expensive, ineffectual procedures, prior authorization has become a confusing maze that denies or delays care, burdens physicians with paperwork, and perpetuates racial disparities. New rules may not be enough to solve the problems.
Colorado Bill Would Encourage, But Not Require, CPR Training in High Schools
Colorado is one of 10 states without a law requiring CPR training for high school students, but proposed legislation that recently passed the state House would only strongly urge schools to teach this lifesaving skill.
Pacientes negros visten elegante y hablan distinto para evitar prejuicios cuando van al médico
Estos comportamientos se recogen en una encuesta con 3,325 participantes como parte de un estudio cuyo objetivo fue llamar la atención sobre el esfuerzo que deben realizar los pacientes negros para obtener una atención médica de calidad.
Por qué los adultos mayores con ansiedad suelen no recibir ayuda
La ansiedad es el trastorno psicológico más común que afecta a los adultos en Estados Unidos. En las personas mayores, se asocia a una angustia considerable y a problemas de salud, disminución de la calidad de vida y elevadas tasas de discapacidad.
Montana Considers New Wave of Legislation to Loosen Vaccination Rules
Bills being considered by Montana lawmakers would allow people to refuse routine vaccinations based on their conscience, along with setting new rules for schools, courts, and businesses.
Black Patients Dress Up and Modify Speech to Reduce Bias, California Survey Shows
Many Black patients also try to be informed and minimize questions to put providers at ease. “The system looks at us differently,” says the founder of the African American Wellness Project.
Seniors With Anxiety Frequently Don’t Get Help. Here’s Why.
Older people often aren’t being screened for anxiety disorders, even though it is a common affliction — one masked by other problems when growing old.
