Latest News On Disparities

Latest KFF Health News Stories

In Mental Health Crises, a 911 Call Now Brings a Mixed Team of Helpers — And Maybe No Cops

KFF Health News Original

More communities are creating teams of health care providers to respond to mental health crises instead of cops, a shift propelled by nationwide demonstrations against police brutality. But the shapes of those mobile crisis response teams vary because the movement is still in an experimental stage.

Farmworkers Recall Mistreatment as Colorado Aims to Guarantee Medical Access

KFF Health News Original

Agricultural workers living in employer-owned housing can have trouble getting health care. It’s symptomatic of bigger gaps in worker protections that the pandemic spotlighted, say proponents of a newly passed Colorado bill for farmworker rights.

Kidney Experts Say It’s Time to Remove Race From Medical Algorithms. Doing So Is Complicated.

KFF Health News Original

When estimating how well a patient’s kidneys are working, doctors frequently turn to an equation that depends on a question: Is the patient Black? Kidney experts are now debating how to remove the race adjustment and whether the question is a function of sound science. It’s considered just the first step in dismantling institutional racism in kidney care.

From Racial Justice to Dirty Air, California’s New AG Plots a Progressive Health Care Agenda

KFF Health News Original

In a candid interview, California’s newly appointed attorney general, Rob Bonta, reflects on his progressive roots and says he will pursue a health care agenda centered on the principle that quality medical care is a right, not a privilege.

Confronting Our ‘Frailties’: California’s Assembly Leader Reflects on a Year of Covid

KFF Health News Original

California Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon says covid exposed long-standing health care inequities that must be addressed. He told KHN he wants to get more people insured, boost broadband access so more patients can use telehealth and increase funding to local health departments.

Racism Derails Black Men’s Health, Even as Education Levels Rise

KFF Health News Original

Researchers who study health among various racial and ethnic groups, as well as the social factors that influence health outcomes, say the findings suggest that the power of discrimination to harm Black men’s health may be more resistant than previously understood.

Telemedicine Is a Tool — Not a Replacement for Your Doctor’s Touch

KFF Health News Original

The pandemic has demonstrated that virtual medicine is great for simple visits. But many new types of telemedicine promoted by start-ups more clearly benefit providers’ and investors’ pockets, rather than yielding more convenient, high-quality and cost-effective medicine for patients.

In Appalachia and the Mississippi Delta, Millions Face Long Drives to Stroke Care

KFF Health News Original

Across Appalachia and the Mississippi Delta, where death rates from stroke are above the national average, routing patients from rural areas to the right level of care can be an intricate jigsaw puzzle. The closest hospital might not offer the full scope of stroke treatments, but hospitals with more advanced care could be hours away.

En los Apalaches y el delta del Mississippi, millones deben viajar lejos para recibir atención por accidentes cerebrovasculares

KFF Health News Original

A lo largo de los Apalaches y del delta del Mississippi, donde las tasas de muertes por ataques cerebrales está por encima del promedio nacional, dirigir a los pacientes de áreas rurales al nivel adecuado de atención puede ser un rompecabezas intrincado. El hospital más cercano puede no ofrecer un espectro completo de tratamientos, y los centros de atención de avanzada pueden estar a horas de distancia.

La pandemia ha puesto más en peligro a los que no hablan inglés

KFF Health News Original

Al comienzo de la pandemia, médicos del Brigham and Women Hospital observaron lo que se sería una siniestra estadística: los pacientes que sabían poco o nada de inglés tenían un 35% más de posibilidades de morir.