Latest News On Disparities

Latest KFF Health News Stories

Montana Sticks to Its Patchwork Covid Vaccine Rollout as Eligibility Expands

KFF Health News Original

Montana’s overstretched counties and tribal governments have developed a mishmash of policies and plans that require ingenuity and mutual support to work. A reporting project by KHN, Montana Free Press and the University of Montana School of Journalism finds the biggest test of that disparate system looms as vaccine eligibility expands. Plus: a county-by-county guide to vaccine availability in Montana.

De auto en auto y de puerta en puerta para vacunar a los más desprotegidos

KFF Health News Original

El 15 de abril, todos los adultos de California serán elegibles para inscribirse para recibir una vacuna y, a principios del verano, el objetivo es tener suficientes dosis para cualquier adulto que la quiera.

Beating the Pavement to Vaccinate the Underrepresented — And Protect Everyone

KFF Health News Original

In poor neighborhoods and desert towns, community activists — some unpaid — are signing up hard-to-reach people for vaccination appointments. Experts say these campaigns are key to building the country’s immunological armor against new outbreaks.

Stop Blaming Tuskegee, Critics Say. It’s Not an ‘Excuse’ for Current Medical Racism.

KFF Health News Original

The Tuskegee syphilis study is often cited as a reason Black Americans might hesitate to take the covid-19 vaccine. But many people say that current racism in health care and lack of access deserve more attention to move more Black Americans toward vaccine protection.

Without a Pandemic Safety Net, Immigrants Living Illegally in US Fall Through the Cracks

KFF Health News Original

Many undocumented immigrants are essential workers at high risk of exposure to the virus — and the pandemic’s economic crash — with no direct access to federal financial lifelines available to U.S. citizens.

‘Into the Covid ICU’: A New Doctor Bears Witness to the Isolation, Inequities of Pandemic

KFF Health News Original

Dr. Paloma Marin-Nevarez graduated from medical school during the pandemic. We follow the rookie doctor for her first months working at a hospital in Fresno, California, as she grapples with isolation, anti-mask rallies and an overwhelming number of deaths.

Covid Vaccine Websites Violate Disability Laws, Create Inequity for the Blind

KFF Health News Original

A KHN investigation found covid vaccine registration and information websites at the federal, state and local levels are flouting disability rights laws and limiting the ability of people who are blind or visually impaired to sign up for shots.

With GOP Back at Helm, Montana Renews Push to Sniff Out Welfare Fraud

KFF Health News Original

Montana is one of the latest states looking to aggressively check welfare eligibility to cut costs. Supporters of such steps say it’s about what’s fair — weeding out those who don’t qualify for assistance — while opponents say it will cut loose enrollees who actually need help.

Spurred by Pandemic, Little Shell Tribe Fast-Tracks Its Health Service Debut

KFF Health News Original

As the newest federally recognized tribe, the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians of Montana is starting from scratch to deliver health care to members. While covid-19 has been devastating, it has sped up the tribe’s ability to build a clinic. Yet, lacking a reservation, the tribe faces challenges reaching its scattered members.

Anti-Immigrant Vitriol Complicates Vaccine Rollout in Southern States

KFF Health News Original

Inoculating the millions of undocumented workers who produce America’s agricultural bounty will be key to achieving herd immunity against covid-19. But garnering the trust of these workers is proving complicated, particularly in the South, where the last four years have been marked by workplace raids and anti-immigrant vitriol.