Latest KFF Health News Stories
To Stem the Spread of Monkeypox, Health Departments Tap Into Networks of Those Most at Risk
Although the disease is currently spreading almost exclusively among men who have sex with men, some cases are turning up in other populations — and that number is likely to grow if public health officials don’t effectively nip the outbreak in the bud.
Nurse Midwives Step Up to Provide Prenatal Care After Two Rural Hospitals Shutter Birthing Centers
Dozens of Iowa hospitals have closed their birthing units. A team of University of Iowa nurse midwives can’t reopen them, but they’ve found a way to provide prenatal checkups and other crucial services in two towns.
As California Welcomes Ukrainian Refugees, Counties Fall Short on Interpreters
As Ukrainians settle in California, many are tapping Medi-Cal. But in some counties, particularly Sacramento, the health department doesn’t have enough interpreters.
‘An Arm and a Leg’: One ER Doctor Grapples With the Inequities of American Health Care
This episode is an interview with Dr. Thomas Fisher, author of “The Emergency: A Year of Healing and Heartbreak in a Chicago ER.”
Igual que con covid, atraso en pruebas y vacunas para la viruela del simio
Los casos de la viruela del simio siguen aumentando, pero la respuesta sanitaria es lenta: escasean las pruebas y las dosis de la vacuna que puede prevenir la infección.
Vaccine and Testing Delays for Monkeypox Echo Failures in Early Covid Response
Public health officials say monkeypox is not as dangerous as covid and can be handled well with current treatments and if those at risk use caution. But the rollout of vaccines has been slow and led to angst among some at-risk people.
El calor extremo puede causar calambres, agotamiento por calor e insolación. El calor extremo contribuyó a la muerte de unas 12,000 personas en Estados Unidos cada año entre 2010 y 2020, según un estudio de la Universidad de Washington. Es probable que esas cifras aumenten.
LA’s First Heat Officer Says Helping Vulnerable Communities Is Key to Achieving Climate Goals
Los Angeles taps Marta Segura, director of the city’s climate emergency mobilization office, as its first heat officer. Segura, the first Hispanic person to hold such a position in the country, will work across city departments on an early warning system while developing cooling strategies.
Journalists Investigate Private Equity, Medical Debt, and Mental Health Care
KHN and California Healthline staff made the rounds on national and local media this week to discuss their stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.
Medical Bills Can Shatter Lives. North Carolina May Act to ‘De-Weaponize’ That Debt.
Medical debt is most prevalent in the Southeast, where states have not expanded Medicaid and have few consumer protection laws. Now, North Carolina is considering two bills that could change that, making the state a leader in protecting patients from high medical bills.
Más de 100 millones de estadounidenses viven acosados por las deudas médicas
La investigación revela un problema mucho más extendido de lo que se había informado anteriormente. Esto se debe a que gran parte de la deuda que acumulan los pacientes figura como saldos de tarjetas de crédito, préstamos familiares o planes de pago a hospitales y otros proveedores médicos.
100 Million People in America Are Saddled With Health Care Debt
The U.S. health system now produces debt on a mass scale, a new investigation shows. Patients face gut-wrenching sacrifices.
Race Is Often Used as Medical Shorthand for How Bodies Work. Some Doctors Want to Change That.
Physicians have long believed it’s good medicine to consider race in health care. But recently, rather than perpetuate the myth that race governs how bodies function, a more nuanced approach has emerged: acknowledging that racial health disparities often reflect the effects of generations of systemic racism, such as lack of access to stable housing or nutritious food.
Grupos de base lideran el camino para cerrar la brecha de mortalidad infantil en Colorado
Aunque Colorado se encuentra entre los estados más saludables del país, las disparidades en salud entre distintos grupos raciales y étnicos son visibles. Y un indicador clave es la mortalidad infantil.
Grassroots Groups Lead Way on Closing Colorado’s Infant Mortality Gap
Colorado is among about 15 states that have met federal goals to reduce infant mortality, an important indicator of overall population health. Breaking down the data by race and ethnicity, though, makes clear that major gaps remain.
Long Wait for Justice: People in Jail Face Delays for Mental Health Care Before They Can Stand Trial
People in jail who have serious mental illness and cannot stand trial because of their condition are waiting months, or even more than a year, to get into their state psychiatric hospitals.
Miles de niños tienen problemas de vista que no se detectan a tiempo
Los Centros para el Control y la Prevención de Enfermedades (CDC) estiman que más de 600,000 niños y adolescentes son ciegos o tienen un trastorno de la vista. Muchos no reciben tratamiento a tiempo.
Children’s Vision Problems Often Go Undetected, Despite Calls for Regular Screening
Eye exams for children are required under federal law to be covered by most private health plans and Medicaid, and many states mandate school vision screenings. But a federal survey finds that a quarter of children and teens are still not getting the recommended tests.
Peligran transplantes para niña estadounidense de 11 años por burocracia migratoria
En un caso que refleja las fallas significativas y a menudo desgarradoras del sistema, los Espinosa se enfrentan no solo al complicado y costoso laberinto de la atención médica de la nación, sino también a un sistema de inmigración que el Congreso no ha reformado durante décadas.
Immigration Bureaucracy Threatens 11-Year-Old’s Spot on Transplant Lists
Julia Espinosa is a U.S. citizen who needs high-tech care and three transplants. But if the federal government won’t let her father work here, she could lose her insurance.
