Heidi de Marco

Heidi de Marco was a reporter and producer for KFF Health News until March 2023.

@HeidideMarco

Zika en América: la saga de una mamá hispana

KFF Health News Original

Lo primero que hizo María Ríos cuando nació su beba es chequear el tamaño de su cabeza. Fue entonces cuando supo que sus miedos se habían hecho realidad: la niña había nacido con microcefalia, una consecuencia del zika.

Zika In America: One Mother’s Saga

KFF Health News Original

So far, 72 affected babies have been born in the continental U.S. One young mother, infected in Mexico last year, and her infant face an uncertain future in rural Washington.

Going For $1 An Ounce: The Burgeoning Trade In Mothers’ Milk

KFF Health News Original

As a fountain of nonprofit milk banks emerge, one woman’s abundant supply can fill another’s yawning demand. But critics fear that poor women will sell start selling their milk for survival, depriving their own babies of vital nutrients.

‘Pre-Hospice’ Saves Money By Keeping People At Home Near The End Of Life

KFF Health News Original

A San Diego program helps chronically ill people avoid the hospital by teaching them how to better manage their diseases and telling them what to expect in their final years. Other health providers and insurers around the country are trying similar approaches.

In Deep-Blue State, Millions in Reddish Heartland Are Counting On Medicaid

KFF Health News Original

The prospect of cutbacks has led to agitation and activism in California’s largely agricultural Central Valley, with relatively high poverty rates and a significant number of Trump voters.

Spike In Syphilis Among Newborns Driven By Broader Epidemic

KFF Health News Original

Sexually transmitted diseases are at an all-time high across the United States. Syphilis among women and babies is a particularly serious problem in Louisiana, California and Georgia.

Sky-High Prices For Orphan Drugs Slam American Families And Insurers

KFF Health News Original

Orphan drugs for rare diseases have helped or saved hundreds of thousands of patients like 2-year-old Luke Whitbeck, but families and insurers are picking up the astronomical cost.

Early Alzheimer’s Gene Spells Tragedy For Patients, Opportunity For Science

KFF Health News Original

Researchers are studying families from the U.S. and Mexico for clues to how Alzheimer’s develops in young patients, with the hope of finding treatments and even cures for the more common form of the disease.