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Latest KFF Health News Stories

A Primer: How The Fight Against Zika Might Be Funded

KFF Health News Original

The Senate approved an amendment to a must-pass appropriations bill that provides $1.1 billion to combat the virus’s spread. A separate House proposal, which has drawn a veto threat from the White House, is also pending and it is not clear how they might compromise. But public health advocates say efforts are needed soon to fight the mosquito-based disease.

Politics Makes Abortion Training In Texas Difficult

KFF Health News Original

The hostile climate surrounding abortion in Texas has made it hard for doctors-in-training to learn to do abortions. Professors feel intimidated, and there are fewer clinics where residents can train.

Can Doctors Learn To Perform Abortions Without Doing One?

KFF Health News Original

Accredited medical residency programs have to teach doctors how to perform abortions. But interpretation of the requirement varies, especially in a state like Texas where training options are scarce.

Study Promotes Battlefields’ Lessons To Advance National Trauma Care

KFF Health News Original

A report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine calls for the White House to lead a national strategy to promote and continue advances in trauma care.

Death Talk Is Cool At This Festival

KFF Health News Original

How to make thinking about death less somber? Hold a festival! Indianapolis did. Through art, film and book talks, residents explored everything from bucket lists to advance directives and cremation.

Mosquito Hunters Set Traps Across Houston, Search For Signs Of Zika

KFF Health News Original

Harris County, Texas, operates one of the largest mosquito control operations in the country, with more than 50 people who trap, freeze and test mosquitoes for threats such as Zika.

Georgia Women Weigh Zika Risks As Mosquito Season Arrives

KFF Health News Original

The CDC is advising pregnant women, especially in the South, to take some precautions to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes that could carry the Zika virus. So far, Zika cases in Georgia are linked to travel, not bites.

FDA Retreats From Recall Of Scope-Cleaning Machines Tied To Outbreaks

KFF Health News Original

After a wave of sometimes-deadly superbug infections, the agency last year ordered a recall of Custom Ultrasonics machines used to disinfect medical scopes. Now, with little explanation, it is backing off.

FAQ: How The FDA’s New Tobacco Rule Affects Consumers

KFF Health News Original

The FDA expands its purview over all tobacco products — including e-cigarettes, cigars, pipe tobacco — but the new regulatory process could permit many products sold in the U.S. to remain so for up to three years.