Latest KFF Health News Stories
Jury’s In: Opioids Are Not Better Than Other Medicines For Chronic Pain
A new study followed patients with severe chronic pain for a year and found that opioids relieved pain and increased function no better than common drugs like acetaminophen and lidocaine. But the opioids carry the risk of more serious side effects, including addiction and death.
Estudio: los opioides no son mejores que otras medicinas para tratar el dolor crónico
Una nueva investigación revela que estos crontroversiales medicamentos no son eficaces para tratar el dolor de largo plazo.
States Strive To Curb Costs For A Crucial — But Exorbitant — Hemophilia Treatment
Saving the lives of people with the bleeding disorder can require high doses of expensive blood-clotting factor. Taxpayers foot much of the bill as manufacturers profit enormously.
Home Care Agencies Often Wrongly Deny Medicare Help To The Chronically Ill
Agencies sometimes turn away Medicare beneficiaries with chronic health problems by incorrectly claiming Medicare won’t pay for their services, say patient advocates.
If Poor Neighborhood = Poor Health, Relocation Is One Solution
Research shows that living in more affluent, less segregated neighborhoods can improve health problems like asthma and high blood pressure. Communities around the country are experimenting with moving some families to boost their health.
With CHIP Funds Running Low, Doctors And Parents Scramble To Cover Kids’ Needs
Doctors are advising patients to be sure to fill medication orders now or are giving away drugs to make sure children have enough if their insurance disappears.
Readers Have Bones To Pick, From Health System Flaws To Covering Pot Beat
Kaiser Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
Arthritis Drugs Show How U.S. Drug Prices Defy Economics
Drugs that treat rheumatoid arthritis started out costing about $10,000 a year. Ten years later, they list for more than $40,000.
Biosimilars, Biologics And New Legal Challenges For RA Treatments
As biosimilar products reach the market and rival more established RA treatments, the players are exploring legal challenges involving antitrust and anti-competitive behavior.
Empeora la salud de trabajadores agrícolas, a medida que la fuerza de trabajo envejece
Con una migración en baja, hoy en día la edad promedio del trabajador agrícola en California, 90 por ciento de ellos hispanos, es de 45 años. Enfrentan más problemas de salud.
Health Risks To Farmworkers Increase As Workforce Ages
Harvesting U.S. crops has been left to an aging population of farmworkers whose health has suffered from decades of hard labor. Older workers have a greater chance of getting injured and of developing chronic illnesses.
No dejes que la culebrilla te ataque… como me atacó a mí
Una nueva vacuna contra el herpes zoster puede ayudar a millones que portan el virus a evadir el dolor y los costosos tratamientos.
Shingles: Don’t Let It Get You The Way It Got Me
The painful condition caused by the chickenpox virus will strike 1 in 3 Americans during their lifetimes — most between ages 60 and 70, but those in their 50s have reason to arm themselves.
Tanta atención que duele: terapias y cirugías innecesarias agregan dolor y enfermedad
Las pruebas excesivas de cáncer de tiroides, próstata, seno y piel lleva a muchas personas mayores a someterse a tratamientos que no prolongarán sus vidas, pero que pueden causar dolor y sufrimiento innecesarios.
So Much Care It Hurts: Unneeded Scans, Therapy, Surgery Only Add To Patients’ Ills
Overtreatment of breast cancer and other diseases is pervasive, burdening patients and the health care system with enormous costs and needless suffering.
Hurricane’s Health Toll: A Texas Doctor Taps Lessons From Katrina
After weathering the catastrophe in New Orleans 12 years ago, Dr. Ruth Berggren moved to Texas, where she again finds herself in the center of a hurricane crisis. In a Q&A, she draws parallels between the harrowing events and pinpoints risks in Harvey’s aftermath.
Asthma, More Deadly With Age, Takes Heavy Toll On Older Adults
Death rates for older adults with asthma run five times higher than younger people, and serious complications are far more common.
Lag In Brain Donation Hampers Understanding Of Dementia In Blacks
A long history of racism and cruel experimentation in health care are among the reasons African-American families oppose donating patients’ brains for study.
Florida Law Will Let Patients Get All Their Drug Renewals At The Same Time
The new law will help people with chronic conditions that require multiple prescriptions cut down on their shuttles to the drug store and could improve adherence to their drugs.
Cuando las heridas no sanan, las terapias pueden costar hasta $5 mil millones
Cerca de 6,5 millones de personas en el país tienen heridas que tardan meses, y hasta años en sanar… si llegan a curarse. El costo, económico y psicológico, de estos padecimientos es astronómico.
