Latest KFF Health News Stories
Worlds Apart: Vast Disparities In Treatment Separate Americans With HIV
Poverty and mental illness are among problems keeping about two-thirds of those infected — mainly minorities — from receiving treatment.
Pharmacists Prescribing Birth Control And What It Means For Wider Access To The Pill
Two western states — California and Oregon — have passed laws allowing pharmacists to prescribe birth control. Public health advocates see it as a way to expand access to the pill, and many doctors say it’s safe. But others argue these measures don’t go far enough.
Learning Soft Skills In Childhood Can Prevent Harder Problems Later
There’s more to learn at school than reading and math. Duke researchers find that teaching kids to control their emotions, solve problems and work well with others can help keep them out of trouble in their teen years.
Broader Strategies Necessary To Counter Painkiller Over Prescribing, Researchers Say
A research letter published Monday in JAMA Internal Medicine says opioid-prescribing practices are consistent with that of other medications.
Where Are STDs Rampant? Google Wants To Help Researchers Find Out
Google is sharing search data with academic teams and other public health researchers to try to fight the spread of infectious diseases.
Drug Cocktails Fuel Massachusetts’ Overdose Crisis
A state analysis reveals that the majority of overdose deaths in 2014 came from heroin or prescription opioids taken in combination with cocaine, anti-anxiety medications or alcohol.
NIH Isn’t Ensuring That Clinical Trials Account For Different Outcomes By Sex
Clinical trials should look at whether men and women are affected differently, but the NIH isn’t holding researchers accountable, a new report says.
After 3 Years Of Decline, Hospital Injury Rates Plateau, Report Finds
The federal report estimates that 12 of every 100 hospital stays included an infection or other avoidable complication in 2014, about the same rate as 2013. Still, that was 17 lower than 2010.
Testing For Hepatitis C In Prisons Could Save Many Lives On The Outside
Treating Hep C is expensive, but new drugs can quickly cure the disease, ultimately saving money.
Most Americans See Personal Tie To Rising Prescription Painkiller Abuse
A new Kaiser Family Foundation tracking poll reports 16 percent say they know someone who died from a prescription painkiller overdose.
Deficiencies In End-Of-Life Care Extend Across Ethnicities
A small study in the San Francisco Bay area suggests that various ethnicities share some of the same goals when it comes to end-of-life care. Often, though, they don’t get what they want.
Using A Weight-Loss App? Study Says It Doesn’t Help Much
Duke University researchers wanted to see if a smartphone weight-loss app would help tech-savvy young adults lose more weight. It didn’t.
The Last Decade’s Culture Wars Drove Some States To Fund Stem Cell Research
When the Bush administration choked federal funding for research involving cells taken from human embryos, some states opted to start their own programs.
Feds Issue Proposed Rule On Health Information Collected By Workplace Wellness Programs
This proposal allows these workplace wellness programs to set financial incentives for participation as high as 30 percent of the cost of family coverage. A separate draft rule pegs this amount to the cost of employee-only coverage.
In Tracking Outbreaks Of Food Poisoning, Can Yelp Help?
During a recent, widespread food poisoning outbreak in San Jose, some of the most detailed accounts surfaced on the popular consumer review site.
Biking Behind Bars: Female Inmates Battle Weight Gain
Women in prison often eat to relieve stress or boredom. The resulting weight gain can make other physical and emotional problems worse. In one prison, spinning helps keep the pounds and rage at bay.
Birth Centers Boost Deliveries While Easing Labor Pains
Staffed by midwives and bolstered by Obamacare, low-tech birth centers away from hospitals are up almost 60 percent since 2010.
California Gov. Brown Signs Aid-in-Dying Bill Into Law
Brown said that he weighed the controversial issue carefully, and in the end decided that it would be a comfort to know the option was available if he were facing a painful, prolonged death.
Kids With Ebola? Texas Children’s Hospital Is Ready If It Happens In U.S.
One of the 55 hospitals nationwide that the CDC named as future “Ebola treatment centers” is Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston. One year after the first confirmed case of Ebola in the U.S., the hospital is about to open a new eight-bed biocontainment wing — the only one of its kind for children in the country.
Airports’ Backscatter Security Scanners Easily Meet Radiation Standards, Panel Says
The National Academies of Science panel, however, did not address the question of whether these X-ray machines, which are currently not in use because of privacy concerns, are safe.
