Your Neighbor Has Backyard Chickens. Should You Be Worried?
The latest outbreak of bird flu has upended egg, poultry, and dairy operations, sickened dozens of farmworkers, and killed at least one person in the U.S. KFF Health News national public health correspondent Amy Maxmen explains why scientists are worried.
Human, Bird, or Dog Waste? Scientists Parsing Poop To Aid DC’s Forgotten River
A huge infrastructure project coupled with a new scientific review of microbes in the water could be bringing Washington, D.C., closer to a once-unimaginable goal — a safely swimmable Anacostia River.
Health Clinic Workers Brush Up on Constitutional Protections as Immigration Raids Loom
Clinic administrators describe anxiety about President Donald Trump’s move to allow immigration arrests inside health centers.
Desde el regreso de Donald Trump a la Casa Blanca, el temor a las deportaciones masivas llevadas a cabo por el Servicio de Inmigración y Control de Aduanas de Estados Unidos (ICE) se ha apoderado de las comunidades inmigrantes.
Wash, Dry, Enroll: Finding Medicaid Help at the Laundromat
State Medicaid and Affordable Care Act programs have long struggled to connect with lower-income Americans to help them access care. Now some are trying an alternative approach: meeting them at the laundromat.
Sports Betting Is Coming to Missouri. A Fund To Help Prevent Problem Gambling Will Follow.
Can a $5 million compulsive-gambling fund help Missouri avoid the mistakes of other states that have legalized sports betting?
Long-Covid Patients Are Frustrated That Federal Research Hasn’t Found New Treatments
The federal government has allocated $1.15 billion to long-covid research without any new treatments yet brought to market. Patients and scientists say it’s time to push harder for breakthroughs.
Dogs Paired With Providers at Hospitals Help Ease Staff and Patient Stress
Some hospitals are bringing in dogs to spend entire shifts with doctors and nurses. The trained canines help staffers cope with the stress of their work amid high levels of burnout.
Listen: NPR and KFF Health News Explore How Racism and Violence Hurt Health
KFF Health News Midwest correspondent Cara Anthony and Emily Kwong, host of NPR’s podcast “Shortwave,” talk about Black families living in the aftermath of lynchings and police killings.
Stimulant Users Are Caught in Fatal ‘Fourth Wave’ of Opioid Epidemic
The migration of fentanyl into illicit stimulants such as cocaine is especially dangerous for people who are not regular opioid users. That’s because they have a low tolerance for opioids, putting them at greater risk of an overdose. They also often don’t take precautions — such as not using alone and carrying the opioid reversal medication naloxone — so they’re unprepared if they overdose.
‘Bill of the Month’: The Series That Dissects and Slashes Medical Bills
Since 2018, readers and listeners sent KFF Health News-NPR’s “Bill of the Month” thousands of questionable bills. Our crowdsourced investigation paved the way for landmark legislation and highlighted cost-saving strategies for all patients.
Nursing Homes Fell Behind on Vaccinating Patients for Covid
Last winter, only 4 in 10 nursing home residents got an updated covid vaccine. The low uptake leaves a fragile population vulnerable. Some industry watchdogs say it could be a sign of eroding trust between nursing home residents and providers.
Listen: A Tussle With a Rattlesnake Can Take a Bite Out of Your Wallet
Listen to KFF Health News’ Jackie Fortiér recount how a backyard snakebite led to a harrowing hospitalization — and big bills — for a San Diego family.
Idaho Calls Abortion ‘Barbaric and Gruesome’ in Trial Challenging Strict Ban
Women with serious pregnancy complications who were denied abortion care have turned to state courts after appeals to state lawmakers to clarify medical exceptions have largely failed.
After Congress Ended Extra Cash Aid for Families, Communities Tackle Child Poverty Alone
The child tax credit passed by Congress at the height of covid has expired, but states and localities are trying to fill the gap with their own programs and funding. In Michigan, Rx Kids already covers every family with a new baby in Flint. Now, other communities aim to follow.
Maryland Is Training More Health Workers To Offer Abortion Care
After the fall of “Roe v. Wade,” thousands of out-of-state patients traveled to Maryland for abortion care. The state is trying to diversify who can offer that care. Providers in the first training class say their new skills are especially needed in rural areas.
¿Se puede confiar en una mamografía para identificar el riesgo de enfermedad cardíaca?
La enfermedad cardíaca es la principal causa de muerte en los Estados Unidos. Fue responsable de más de 300,000 —o aproximadamente 1 de cada 5— muertes de mujeres en 2021.
Can You Rely on Your Mammogram To Identify Heart Disease Risk?
Clinicians and researchers are searching for answers to whether an incidental finding on breast X-rays could improve the detection of cardiovascular disease risk among women.
Marylanders To Vote on Expansive ‘Right to Reproductive Freedom’
The Right to Reproductive Freedom amendment would enshrine in the state constitution a right “to make and effectuate decisions to prevent, continue, or end one’s own pregnancy.”
Watch: ‘Silence in Sikeston & The Effects of Racial Violence’
KFF Health News Midwest correspondent Cara Anthony talks about how racism affects health on Nine PBS’ “Listen, St. Louis with Carol Daniel,” stemming from her reporting for the “Silence in Sikeston” multimedia project, on the impact of a 1942 lynching and a 2020 police killing on a rural Missouri community.
