Latest News On Disparities

Latest KFF Health News Stories

Native American Public Health Officials Are Stuck in Data Blind Spot

KFF Health News Original

For decades, state and federal agencies have restricted or delayed tribes and tribal epidemiology centers from accessing public health data, a blackout that leaves health workers in Native American communities cobbling together information to guide their work, including tracking devastating disease outbreaks.

Maternity Care in Rural Areas Is in Crisis. Can More Doulas Help?

KFF Health News Original

Rural communities are losing access to maternity care, raising the risk of pregnancy complications, especially for Black women, who face higher rates of maternal mortality. Now, a Georgia medical school is trying to help by training doulas, practitioners who offer patients extra support before, during, and after childbirth.

Mississippi Lacks Black Doctors, Even as Lawmakers Increasingly Target Diversity Programs

KFF Health News Original

Administrators at the University of Mississippi School of Medicine are trying to recruit more Black students — and more Hispanic and Choctaw Nation students, for that matter. But they face several obstacles, including a recent swell of Republican opposition to diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.

Clean Needles Save Lives. In Some States, They Might Not Be Legal.

KFF Health News Original

As billions of dollars from settlements with opioid manufacturers and distributors go to state and local governments, efforts to reduce the epidemic’s harm can be hamstrung by drug paraphernalia laws. Health authorities say distributing clean syringes to users can save lives, but in states like Pennsylvania, it may be illegal.

Medicaid ‘Unwinding’ Decried as Biased Against Disabled People

KFF Health News Original

People with disabilities say they are abruptly losing their Medicaid home health benefits and are being advised incorrectly when they call state offices for more information. “Every day the anxiety builds,” one beneficiary told KFF Health News.

California propone ampliar subsidios de seguros de salud a todos los inmigrantes adultos

KFF Health News Original

California es el primer estado en ampliar Medicaid a todos los adultos que reúnan los requisitos, independientemente de su estatus migratorio, una medida celebrada por los activistas de la salud y por líderes políticos de todo el estado.

California Floats Extending Health Insurance Subsidies to All Adult Immigrants

KFF Health News Original

The legislature is considering taking the first steps to make Covered California plans available to immigrants without permanent legal status. The state has already extended Medi-Cal coverage to low-income immigrants.

Toxic Gas Adds to a Long History of Pollution in Southwest Memphis

KFF Health News Original

People across the nation claim cancer-causing emissions from local sterilizing plants are making them sick. It’s an example of environmental racism, say residents of one predominantly Black area in southwest Memphis, Tennessee, where life expectancy is much shorter than county and state averages.

En Colorado, reevalúan leyes formuladas para proteger a los menores

KFF Health News Original

Hay esfuerzos en Colorado y otros estados para revertir las leyes que obligan a informar sobre sospechas de abuso o negligencia, argumentando que el resultado ha sido demasiados informes infundados, que perjudican desproporcionadamente a las familias que son pobres, negras, indígenas o tienen miembros con discapacidades.

Genetics Studies Have a Diversity Problem That Researchers Struggle To Fix

KFF Health News Original

Researchers in Charleston, South Carolina, are trying to build a DNA database of 100,000 people to better understand how genetics affects health risks. But they’re struggling to recruit enough Black participants.

Para frenar las muertes por fentanilo, reparten kits para revertir las sobredosis puerta por puerta

KFF Health News Original

En Philadelphia, funcionarios esperan que este enfoque proactivo transforme a la naloxona en un artículo que esté en los botiquines, para evitar que las personas mueran por sobredosis, especialmente los residentes negros.

To Stop Fentanyl Deaths in Philadelphia, Knocking on Doors and Handing Out Overdose Kits

KFF Health News Original

Facing widening racial disparities in overdose deaths, Philadelphia officials are sending workers and volunteers to knock on doors across the city, aiming to equip households with naloxone and other drug overdose prevention supplies. City officials hope a proactive approach will normalize naloxone as an everyday item in people’s medicine cabinets and prevent overdoses, especially among Black residents.

End of Internet Subsidies for Low-Income Households Threatens Telehealth Access

KFF Health News Original

A federal program that helped pay for more than 23 million low-income households’ internet access runs out of money soon. The end of the subsidy launched earlier in the pandemic could have profound impacts on health care access.

Rapid Rise in Syphilis Hits Native Americans Hardest

KFF Health News Original

With U.S. syphilis rates climbing to the worst level in seven decades, public health experts and the federal Indian Health Service are scrambling to detect and treat the disease in Native American communities, where babies are infected at a higher rate than in any other demographic.

Many People of Color Worry Good Health Care Is Tied to Their Appearance

KFF Health News Original

Many people from racial and ethnic minority groups brace themselves for insults and judgments before medical appointments, according to a new survey of patients that reaffirms the prevalence of racial discrimination in the U.S. health system.