Latest News On Disparities

Latest KFF Health News Stories

Tackling Patients’ Social Problems Can Cut Health Costs

KFF Health News Original

Intense, “high touch” care that focuses on housing as well as health care brings down medical costs for the most expensive patients. But it’s been hard to replicate successful programs.

Helping Ex-Inmates Stay Out Of The ER Brings Multiple Benefits

KFF Health News Original

Each year, millions of Americans leave jail and prison. When they do, they’re likely to have a hard time managing their health. Some clinics are trying to provide ex-inmates with better, cheaper care.

Estudiantes de California ayudan a hispanos a estar sanos y en forma

KFF Health News Original

Estudiantes de Cal State son instructores en un programa de ejercicio gratuito ofrecido en parques en el Valle de San Fernando, el sur de Los Ángeles, San Francisco y el condado de Stanislaus. Participan latinos, y muchos sufren de diabetes o hipertensión.

Tighter Prescribing Rules: An Anti-Abuse Strategy That Could Hurt Patients In Pain

KFF Health News Original

Responding to a national epidemic, many state Medicaid programs are making the coverage rules for these opioid-based medicines tougher so that physicians will think twice before prescribing them. But some worry that legitimate pain patients could suffer.

For Seniors, Teeth Need Care — But Insurance Coverage Is Rare

KFF Health News Original

Traditional Medicare does not cover most dental needs and the private Medicare Advantage plans often have limited coverage, leaving most seniors struggling to pay for dental care out of pocket.

Geographic, Racial Disparities In Stroke Treatment Tracked In New Study

KFF Health News Original

Patients living in the Northeast are more than twice as likely to get a powerful drug than those in the Midwest or South and African-Americans were 26 percent less likely to get the medicine, a study in the journal Neurology finds.

Attending To The ‘Human Element’ Is Key To Keeping Patients Healthy

KFF Health News Original

Research to be published in full this fall details how medicine’s “implicit bias” — whether real or perceived — undermines the doctor-patient relationship and the well-being of racial and ethnic minorities as well as lower-income patients.