Latest News On Children’s Health

Latest KFF Health News Stories

El regreso de la poliomielitis y la vuelta a clases: lo que debes saber

KFF Health News Original

Ahora que la poliomielitis vuelve a aparecer décadas después de que se considerara eliminada en Estados Unidos, los que no están familiarizados con la temida enfermedad necesitan una guía para protegerse a sí mismos y a sus hijos

With Polio’s Return, Here’s What Back-to-Schoolers Need to Know

KFF Health News Original

Because polio has been vanishingly rare in the United States for nearly a half-century, doctors may not consider it when diagnosing patients with typical symptoms. Here are the signs and the science behind an infectious disease that is largely a mystery to modern society.

Newborns Get Routine Heel Blood Tests, but Should States Keep Those Samples?

KFF Health News Original

Shortly after birth, babies are pricked in the heel so their blood can be tested for life-threatening conditions. States generally save leftover blood from those samples, and parents and privacy experts are concerned that information could be used without consent years later.

California and New York Aim to Curb Diet Pill Sales to Minors

KFF Health News Original

California and New York would be the first states to require anyone under 18 to obtain prescriptions to purchase over-the-counter weight loss products, which some research has linked to eating disorders.

‘He Stood His Ground’: California State Senator Will Leave Office as Champion of Tough Vaccine Laws

KFF Health News Original

California state Sen. Richard Pan, who spearheaded some of the country’s most ambitious vaccine mandate legislation, is leaving office this year because of term limits. A pediatrician, he plans to practice medicine full time but has not ruled out a future run for office.

More Communities Are Giving Flavored Tobacco the Boot. Will California Follow?

KFF Health News Original

San Jose and Sacramento this summer joined scores of other California cities and counties that have banned the sale of flavored tobacco products such as menthol cigarettes and candy-flavored e-cigs. In November, California voters will decide whether to allow a statewide ban to take effect.

Cada vez más comunidades rechazan el tabaco aromatizado. ¿Es el turno de California?

KFF Health News Original

Aunque comunidades grandes y pequeñas de todo el estado ya han actuado, los californianos decidirán en noviembre si promulgan una de las prohibiciones estatales más completas del país sobre el tabaco aromatizado.

Citing a Mental Health Crisis Among Young People, California Lawmakers Target Social Media

KFF Health News Original

Legislators are considering two bills that address online addiction among children by taking aim at website features such as push notifications and targeted posts. But Big Tech is fighting the effort, saying companies are already taking steps to protect children.

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Manchin Makes a Deal

KFF Health News Original

In a rare surprise for official Washington, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) announced a deal to expand the planned health bill in the Senate to include provisions raising taxes and addressing climate change. The measure would include a third year of expanded subsidies for the Affordable Care Act, but not health care coverage for people left out of Medicaid in states that failed to expand the program. Meanwhile, the ACA goes back to court, and the Biden administration restores anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ+ people that were rolled back by the Trump administration. Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico, Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet, and Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Dr. Céline Gounder of KHN about the latest on the monkeypox outbreak.

‘So Rudderless’: A Couple’s Quest for Autism Treatment for Their Son Hits Repeated Obstacles

KFF Health News Original

Amparo and Victor Rios began searching for answers about their son’s development when he didn’t hit some milestones after turning 2. Three years later, they are still trying to get their insurance to pay for expensive therapy to help him.

Parents Become Drug Developers to Save Their Children’s Lives

KFF Health News Original

Families affected by ultra-rare diseases are starting their own companies to speed the development of treatments for their kids, venturing into territory that traditional drugmakers deem too risky.

Nurse Midwives Step Up to Provide Prenatal Care After Two Rural Hospitals Shutter Birthing Centers

KFF Health News Original

Dozens of Iowa hospitals have closed their birthing units. A team of University of Iowa nurse midwives can’t reopen them, but they’ve found a way to provide prenatal checkups and other crucial services in two towns.

Kids Want to Put Montana on Trial for Unhealthy Climate Policies

KFF Health News Original

Sixteen children and young adults are suing the state over energy policies they say are hurting their health and environment. The flooding that closed Yellowstone National Park may show they have a point.

The Search for Scarce Formula Is Worse for Rural Families on WIC

KFF Health News Original

Constraints imposed by the Special Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for Women, Infants, and Children, known as WIC, that prevent recipients from using benefits to buy formula across state lines weigh on families as the nationwide formula shortage drags on.