Latest News On Children’s Health

Latest KFF Health News Stories

What Would a DeSantis Presidency Look Like for Health Care?

KFF Health News Original

Ron DeSantis’ record as Florida governor provides some clues to how he would change the health care landscape if elected president. In his five years as governor, DeSantis has promoted stricter abortion rules and emphasized individual freedom over the benefits of public health.

Watch: A Nation in Transition

KFF Health News Original

KFF Health News editor-at-large for public health Céline Gounder discusses how families of transgender youth are uprooting their lives due to anti-trans policies and their ripple effects.

It’s Getting Harder to Find Long-Term Residential Behavioral Health Treatment for Kids

KFF Health News Original

Intermountain Residential in Montana is one of the only facilities in the United States that offer long-term residential behavioral treatment for kids as young as four. Now, administrators say they’re not sure how long it can keep its doors open.

What One Expectant Mom’s Effort To Get an RSV Shot Says About Health Policy

KFF Health News Original

Today we bring you the story of a patient seeking the RSV vaccine — and how her frustrating journey illustrates why it can be so hard in the United States to get an important medicine recommended by federal regulators. Hannah Fegley of Silver Spring, Md., says she spent seven hours on the phone last month […]

A New RSV Shot Could Help Protect Babies This Winter — If They Can Get It in Time

KFF Health News Original

Supply problems, a high price tag, and bureaucratic obstacles are slowing the distribution of a therapy that can protect infants from the respiratory syncytial virus. That will leave them unnecessarily at risk of hospitalization this winter, pediatricians fear.

Children Who Survive Shootings Endure Huge Health Obstacles and Costs

KFF Health News Original

A new study finds that young people who have been injured by firearms are more prone to psychiatric diagnoses and developing a substance use disorder than kids who have not been shot — and their families also suffer long-term ill effects.

Science Says Teens Need More Sleep. So Why Is It So Hard to Start School Later?

KFF Health News Original

Sleep deprivation in adolescents is linked to mental health struggles, worse grades, traffic accidents, and more. That’s why states such as California and Florida have mandated later high school start times. But opposition to later times is less about the science than it is about logistics and costs.

States Reconsider Religious Exemptions for Vaccinations in Child Care

KFF Health News Original

Providers and health care advocates warn a proposed rule change in Montana would jeopardize immunity levels in child care centers and communities. Efforts to change vaccination exemption rules are underway in other states, too.

Medical Debt and Nurse Shortages Haunt Winning Halloween Haikus

KFF Health News Original

Entries for our fifth annual Halloween haiku contest left us terrified. Based on a review by our panel of judges, here’s the winner and runners-up — plus the original artwork they inspired.

Quick Genetic Test Offers Hope for Sick, Undiagnosed Kids. But Few Insurers Offer to Pay.

KFF Health News Original

A new, rapid genetic test shows promise in increasing diagnoses and improving treatment for some children with rare genetic conditions. Many insurers won’t cover it, but Florida’s Medicaid program is among those that see benefits — and, potentially, savings.

Pruebas genéticas rápidas a bebés pueden salvar vidas, pero muchas aseguradoras no las cubren

KFF Health News Original

Que Medicaid cubra la prueba puede expandir significativamente el acceso para los bebés; el programa de salud federal gerenciado por los estados que asegura a las familias de bajos ingresos y que cubre a más del 40% de los niños en su primer año de vida.

¿Por qué sigue siendo tan difícil encontrar vacunas contra covid para niños pequeños?

KFF Health News Original

Por primera vez desde el inicio de la pandemia, el gobierno federal no paga directamente a los fabricantes por las dosis de covid, un proceso que permitió a médicos y farmacéuticos recibir envíos de forma gratuita.

Why Is Finding Covid Shots for Young Children Still So Hard?

KFF Health News Original

In Los Angeles and elsewhere, some parents are having trouble finding the new pediatric covid shot, especially for young children. Not all pediatricians or pharmacies have it and can administer it, even if vaccines.gov says they can.

KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': The Open Enrollment Mixing Bowl

Podcast

Open enrollment for Medicare beneficiaries with private health plans began Oct. 15, to be followed Nov. 1 by open enrollment for Affordable Care Act plans. The selection for both is large — often too large to be navigated easily alone. And people who choose incorrectly can end up with unaffordable medical bills. Meanwhile, those on both sides of the abortion issue are looking to Ohio’s November ballot measure on abortion to see whether anti-abortion forces can break their losing streak in statewide ballot questions since the overturn of Roe v. Wade in 2022.

Feds Try to Head Off Growing Problem of Overdoses Among Expectant Mothers

KFF Health News Original

Homicides, suicides, and drug overdoses have driven rising rates of pregnancy-related death in the U.S. This fall, six states received federal funding for substance use treatment interventions to prevent at least some of those deaths.

A Third of Schools Don’t Have a Nurse. Here’s Why That’s a Problem.

KFF Health News Original

School nurses treat children daily for a wide range of illnesses and injuries, and sometimes serve as a young patient’s only health provider. They also function as a point person for critical public health interventions. Yet many states don’t require them, and school districts struggle to hire them.