Latest News On Disparities

Latest KFF Health News Stories

In Lodge Grass, Montana, a Crow Community Works To Rebuild From Meth’s Destruction

KFF Health News Original

Meth is a problem most everywhere, but particularly in Indian Country. On the Crow Indian Reservation in Montana, new buildings serve as symbols of a town trying to rebuild after being devastated by addiction.

Montana Advocates Worry About Federal Impacts on Support for Students With Disabilities

KFF Health News Original

Montana has a waitlist for people with disabilities who need vocational training, even as schools and disability advocates are concerned about how federal cuts will affect those programs.

California Looked to Them To Close Health Disparities, Then It Backpedaled

KFF Health News Original

A statewide initiative to formalize the role of community health workers and expand their ranks was meant to improve the health of underserved communities, particularly Hispanic populations, who often experience higher rates of chronic illnesses. But years in, California has abandoned a certification program and rescinded public support.

‘We Dissent’: NIH Workers Protest Trump Policies That ‘Harm the Health of Americans’

KFF Health News Original

A letter signed by more than 300 National Institutes of Health workers — some still working, others who were fired this year — is an extraordinary public rebuke of actions taken under Director Jay Bhattacharya and health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Flawed Federal Programs Maroon Rural Americans in Telehealth Blackouts

KFF Health News Original

Taxpayers — through federal infrastructure programs — have paid billions of dollars to internet companies to hook up rural Americans. Some communities have nothing to show for it, leaving medically vulnerable rural patients disconnected and without access to telehealth.

Con el fin de las becas de diversidad, jóvenes científicos temen por el futuro de sus carreras

KFF Health News Original

Adelaide Tovar, científica de la Universidad de Michigan que investiga genes relacionados con la diabetes, solía sentirse como una impostora en el laboratorio. Tovar, de 32 años, creció en la pobreza y fue la primera de su familia en graduarse de la secundaria. Durante su primer año en la universidad, se dio cuenta de que […]

Rural Hospitals and Patients Are Disconnected From Modern Care

KFF Health News Original

Technological gaps handicap rural hospitals as billions in federal funding to modernize infrastructure lags. The reliance on outdated technology and piecemeal systems challenge staffs and erode patient care.

Hit Hard by Opioid Crisis, Black Patients Further Hurt by Barriers to Care

KFF Health News Original

The rate of overdose deaths from opioids has grown significantly among Black people. Yet, even after a nonfatal overdose, this group is half as likely to be referred to or get treatment compared with white people. Advocates and researchers cite implicit bias, insurance denials, and other systemic issues.

Trump Turns Homelessness Response Away From Housing, Toward Forced Treatment

KFF Health News Original

The Trump administration is moving to end the “Housing First” approach despite warnings from providers and homelessness experts that the shift won’t work. But with homelessness rising, President Donald Trump could find allies in blue cities and states as the public clamors for streets to be cleaned up.

Plan de Trump para las personas sin hogar: internar a la fuerza y menos fondos para viviendas

KFF Health News Original

Es un cambio agresivo en la principal política nacional contra el desamparo, que durante décadas ha dado prioridad al acceso a una vivienda como la forma más eficaz de combatir esta crisis.

Amid Plummeting Diversity at Medical Schools, a Warning of DEI Crackdown’s ‘Chilling Effect’

KFF Health News Original

Enrollment of underrepresented groups at medical schools fell precipitously this academic year after the Supreme Court’s 2023 ban on affirmative action. Education and health experts worry the Trump administration’s anti-DEI measures will only worsen the situation, even in states like California that have navigated bans on race-conscious admissions for years.

Millions in US Live in Places Where Doctors Don’t Practice and Telehealth Doesn’t Reach

KFF Health News Original

Nearly 3 million Americans live sicker, shorter lives in the hundreds of rural counties where doctor shortages are the worst and poor internet connections mean little or no access to telehealth services.

The Growing Inequality in Life Expectancy Among Americans

KFF Health News Original

To deliver on pledges from the new Trump administration to make America healthy again, policymakers will need to close gaps in longevity among racial and ethnic groups.

Journalists Examine Health Care for Native Americans and Recent Food Recalls

KFF Health News Original

KFF Health News and California Healthline staff made the rounds on national and local media in recent weeks to discuss topical stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.