Rae Ellen Bichell

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rbichell@kff.org
@raelnb

Beyond Ivy League, RFK Jr.’s NIH Slashed Science Funding Across States That Backed Trump

KFF Health News Original

A KFF Health News analysis underscores how the terminations have spared no part of the country, politically or geographically. Of the organizations that had grants cut in the first month, about 40% are in states President Donald Trump won in November.

Families of Transgender Youth No Longer View Colorado as a Haven for Gender-Affirming Care

KFF Health News Original

Colorado was long considered a haven for gender-affirming care. But under this Trump administration, hospitals in the state have limited the treatments available for people under 19. Some services have been restored, but trans youth and their families say the state isn’t the rock they thought it was.

New Colorado Gun Law Aims To Shore Up Victim Services

KFF Health News Original

A new tax on guns and ammunition in Colorado is set to take effect in the spring. Voters approved the tax, with most of the proceeds going to support services for crime victims and other social programs.

Ex-Eye Bank Workers Say Pressure, Lax Oversight Led to Errors

KFF Health News Original

Corneas, the windshields of the eye, are the most transplanted part of the human body. But four former employees at Rocky Mountain Lions Eye Bank told of numerous retrieval problems, including damage to eyes and removal from the wrong body.

Thanks to Reddit, a New Diagnosis Is Bubbling Up Across the Nation

KFF Health News Original

Social media has helped spread the word about a treatment that involves getting Botox in the neck. It’s for a condition that’s gaining awareness but still often dismissed: the inability to burp.

With Only Gloves To Protect Them, Farmworkers Say They Tend Sick Cows Amid Bird Flu

KFF Health News Original

A Colorado picnic celebrated Farmworker Appreciation Day. But some dairy workers there said they aren’t feeling appreciated: They don’t have basic protective gear, even as bird flu spreads through area farms.

Colorado expulsó a beneficiarios de Medicaid como si fuera un estado republicano

KFF Health News Original

Es el único estado demócrata entre un grupo de estados republicanos con altas tasas de desafiliación, que incluye a Idaho, Montana, Texas y Utah, en un proceso de Medicaid que comenzó en la primavera de 2023.

FDA Urged To Relax Decades-Old Tissue Donation Restrictions for Gay and Bisexual Men

KFF Health News Original

Federal regulations prevent gay and bisexual men from donating tissue, such as corneas, ligaments, and blood vessels. Similar restrictions have been relaxed or lifted for donated blood and organs in recent years.

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.

How a Friend’s Death Turned Colorado Teens Into Anti-Overdose Activists

KFF Health News Original

High school students in Colorado are pushing for a change they say is necessary to combat fentanyl poisoning: ensuring students can’t get in trouble for carrying the overdose reversal drug naloxone wherever they go, including at school.

Is the Nation’s Primary Care Shortage as Bad as Federal Data Suggest?

KFF Health News Original

Federal policymakers have been trying for a long time to lure more primary care providers to understaffed areas. The Biden administration boosted funding in 2022 to address shortages and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) pushed sweeping primary care legislation in 2023. But when KFF Health News set out last year to map where the primary care workforce shortages really are — and where […]

¿Dónde están los proveedores de atención primaria del país? La respuesta no es fácil

KFF Health News Original

Expertos en el tema sienten una frustración persistente: es difícil saber si alguna política está funcionando porque los datos que recopila el gobierno federal sobre las áreas de escasez de atención primaria no han sido fidedignos durante mucho tiempo.