Latest News On Children’s Health

Latest KFF Health News Stories

Despite A Birth By A Colorado Legislator, Paid Family Leave Bill Feels Labor Pains

KFF Health News Original

A Colorado lawmaker giving birth near the start of the state’s four-month legislative session highlighted the lack of comprehensive paid family leave. Yet a bill to add a statewide system that once seemed a sure thing is getting bogged down.

Maine Voters Consider U-Turn On Vaccine Exemptions

KFF Health News Original

States tried to tighten vaccine requirements last year in the midst of measles outbreaks, but a backlash against a tougher law in Maine put a referendum on the ballot there. Voters weigh in on Super Tuesday.

Tarea del día: deletrear y ponerse los anteojos

KFF Health News Original

Al menos el 20% de los niños en edad escolar en los Estados Unidos tienen problemas de visión. Pero según los CDC, menos del 15% tiene un examen de la vista antes de empezar el jardín.

Watch: One Father’s Fight Against ‘Predatory’ Drug Price

KFF Health News Original

“CBS This Morning” looks at the latest “Bill of the Month” installment. A drug implant for children has a price tag of $37,300, while one used in adults with the same active ingredient goes for $4,400.  

Hormone Blocker Shocker: Drug Costs 8 Times More When Used For Kids

KFF Health News Original

Two drug implants are nearly identical. The one for children has a list price of $37,300. For adults, the list price is $4,400. One dad fought for his daughter to be able to use the cheaper drug.

School Districts Grapple With Quarantines, Face Masks And Fear

KFF Health News Original

In the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, school districts, especially those with large Chinese student populations, are in uncharted territory as they apply new federal travel rules to their students. Some also are weighing requests from parents that are more about fear than science, such as whether to allow students with no travel history to stay home from school.

Call For FDA To Withdraw Preterm Birth Drug Divides Doctors and Insurers

KFF Health News Original

A study ordered by the Food and Drug Administration failed to prove that Makena, the only drug approved to prevent premature birth, is effective. While a panel of experts has recommended withdrawing the drug’s approval, many doctors are wary.

5 Things To Know As California Starts Screening Children For Toxic Stress

KFF Health News Original

California now will pay pediatricians to screen Medi-Cal patients for traumatic events known as adverse childhood experiences, or ACEs. The program is based on research showing that children who endure chronic stress have an increased risk of developing serious health problems. Here are five things to know about the new program.

One-On-One With Trump’s Medicare And Medicaid Chief: Seema Verma

KFF Health News Original

Seema Verma, the administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, sat down for a rare interview with KHN senior correspondent Sarah Varney. They discuss her views on President Donald Trump’s plan for sustaining public health insurance programs, how the administration would respond if Obamacare is struck down by the courts in the future and her thoughts on how the latest “Medicare for All” proposals would affect innovation and access to care.

Promising Greater Safety, A Tiny Widget Creates Chaos For Tube Feeders

KFF Health News Original

A standard connector for feeding tubes was supposed to improve patient safety by preventing accidental misconnections to equipment used for IVs or other purposes. But critics say the design instead could keep patients from real food and inadvertently creates a host of new risks, including for vulnerable premature infants.

In The Fight For Money For The Opioid Crisis, Will The Youngest Victims Be Left Out?

KFF Health News Original

The opioid epidemic is intergenerational, with tens of thousands of babies born every year dependent on opioids. Advocates worry that settlement dollars resulting from lawsuits against the drug industry might not benefit these children.