JoNel Aleccia

JoNel Aleccia was a senior correspondent for KFF Health News until October 2022.

@JoNel_Aleccia

Sheltered At Home, Families Broach End-Of-Life Planning

KFF Health News Original

Barbara Dreyfuss died March 1 after contracting COVID-19 at a Seattle-area nursing home. Her earlier decision to document her final wishes may offer an example for families as the deadly virus spurs interest in end-of-life care.

Funerarias, y familias, reflexionan sobre las muertes en la era de COVID-19

KFF Health News Original

Se están promoviendo los funerales en internet, tomando precauciones extra al atender los cuerpos, y pidiendo que los servicios sean breves y con pocas personas. Un luto distinto.

How Intrepid Lab Sleuths Ramped Up Tests As Coronavirus Closed In

KFF Health News Original

Drs. Keith Jerome and Alex Greninger fast-tracked a test for the deadly new coronavirus weeks before it began spreading in the U.S. Their work has been key to detecting community transmission and ramping up the nation’s testing capacity.

Nursing Home Outbreak Spotlights Coronavirus Risk In Elder Care Facilities

KFF Health News Original

The spread of coronavirus disease to a skilled nursing facility in Washington state underscores the risk the deadly new virus poses in elder care facilities, where illnesses caused by more common pathogens, like seasonal influenza, often spread rapidly.

Brote de coronavirus en Washington revela riesgo en los centros de adultos mayores

KFF Health News Original

En los Estados Unidos, 2.2 millones de personas viven en entornos de atención a largo plazo y pueden estar en mayor riesgo debido a la edad y a condiciones de salud subyacentes.

How Lifesaving Organs For Transplant Go Missing In Transit

KFF Health News Original

Scores of organs — mostly kidneys — are trashed each year and many more become critically delayed while being shipped on commercial airliners, a new investigation finds.

Terminally Ill, He Wanted Aid-In-Dying. His Catholic Hospital Said No.

KFF Health News Original

Neil Mahoney had terminal cancer. He also had a legal right to aid-in-dying. But his faith-based hospital called it “morally unacceptable.” So he turned to a network of Colorado doctors to fulfill his last wish.

Diagnosed With Dementia, She Documented Her Wishes. They Said No.

KFF Health News Original

Across the U.S., people with early dementia are signing new advance directives to confirm their end-of-life wishes while they still have the ability to do so. But doctors say the documents may offer a false sense of security.

Pharma Sells States On ‘Netflix Model’ To Wipe Out Hep C. But At What Price?

KFF Health News Original

Manufacturers of lucrative drugs say they’re offering discounts off the high sticker prices ― but taxpayers footing the big bills might never know what the state is paying or if it’s getting a good deal.

Firing Doctor, Christian Hospital Sets Off National Challenge To Aid-In-Dying Laws

KFF Health News Original

In Colorado case, the right to aid a cancer patient’s death runs up against faith-based hospital policies. As more states have passed laws, about 1 in 6 acute care beds nationally is in a hospital that is Catholic-owned or -affiliated.

Kathy Brandt, A Hospice Expert Who Invited The World Into Her Own Last Days With Cancer, Dies

KFF Health News Original

Kathy Brandt and her wife, Kim Acquaviva, national experts in hospice and palliative care, shared intimate details of Brandt’s experience with terminal cancer before her death Sunday.

Creator Of Brain Exam That Trump Aced Demands New Training For Testers

KFF Health News Original

Geriatricians are outraged over a new requirement to pay for training in order to administer the MoCA test, a widely used tool to screen for cognitive problems. The test’s creator said he was worried about accuracy and liability.

A ‘No-Brainer’? Calls Grow For Medicare To Cover Anti-Rejection Drugs After Kidney Transplant

KFF Health News Original

Banking on new cost estimates, a bipartisan coalition in Congress is poised to try — once again — to end a three-year limit on coverage for lifesaving medication required to keep the organs functioning.

Por qué muchos médicos no pueden dar malas noticias a pacientes y familiares

KFF Health News Original

La palabra muerte parece estar prohibida en el vocabulario de muchos médicos que, justamente, deben lidiar con pacientes terminales. El resultado puede causar más dolor.

‘Stonewall Generation’ Confronts Old Age, Sickness — And Discrimination

KFF Health News Original

For a generation of LGBTQ people who lived through unprecedented social change, getting older poses new challenges — lack of services, discrimination, neglect and even abuse.