Latest News On Disparities

Latest KFF Health News Stories

Why Black and Hispanic Seniors Are Left With a Less Powerful Flu Vaccine

KFF Health News Original

Federal health officials haven’t taken a clear position on whether a high-dose influenza vaccine — on the market since 2010 — is the best choice for people 65 and older. Many in that group already opt for the costlier enhanced shot. Those who get the standard vaccine are disproportionately members of ethnic and racial minorities.

Black Students Experiencing Racism on Campus Lack Mental Health Support

KFF Health News Original

Black students at many predominantly white colleges are speaking out about the racial hostility they’ve experienced, which contributes to depression, elevated stress levels, and anxiety. But the students are often not getting the mental health help they need on campus.

‘American Diagnosis’: ‘Water Warriors’ Tap Diné Resilience to Increase Access on Navajo Land

KFF Health News Original

Over decades, federal and state policies have left many tribal communities without access to clean, running water. This episode explores what separates some Diné and other Native people in the western United States from this critical resource.

Black Therapists Fight to Be Seen on TikTok. When They Are, They Find Solidarity.

KFF Health News Original

Black mental health therapists talk openly on TikTok about working in a predominantly white field, while at the same time making mental health care more accessible for people of color who might be shut out of the health care system.

Pandemic Medical Innovations Leave Behind People With Disabilities

KFF Health News Original

As the country enters Year 3 of the pandemic emergency, people with disabilities across the U.S. are still finding it difficult to use innovations in telemedicine, teleworking, and testing.

Charts Paint a Grim Picture 2 Years Into the Coronavirus Pandemic

KFF Health News Original

The on-off nature of the pandemic “has led to a lot of the confusion and grumpiness,” says one expert. Another compares it to the exhaustion of the American public when hearing body counts during the Vietnam War.

Watch: California’s Top Health Adviser on Learning to Live With Covid

KFF Health News Original

KHN Senior Correspondent Samantha Young joined California Health and Human Services Secretary Mark Ghaly for an engaging conversation about how California moves forward in an environment in which covid persists, but at more manageable levels.

Calls to Overhaul Methadone Distribution Intensify, but Clinics Resist

KFF Health News Original

The pandemic has shown that loosening the strict regulations on distributing methadone helps people recovering from addiction stay in treatment. But clinics with a financial stake in keeping the status quo don’t want to make permanent changes.

Para las personas con sistemas inmunes frágiles no hay retorno a la “normalidad”

KFF Health News Original

Personas con salud frágil y de alto riesgo denuncian que se les ignora. Mientras, el resto de la sociedad abandona las medidas de protección contra la pandemia, como el uso de la máscara y la distancia física.

Covid Still Threatens Millions of Americans. Why Are We So Eager to Move On?

KFF Health News Original

Those who are living with disabilities, chronic illnesses or are immunocompromised because of medications or cancer treatment feel that their needs are not being considered as states open back up and lift mask mandates.

Inmates Who Died Asked for Release Before Falling Ill With Covid

KFF Health News Original

Covid is running rampant through the Alderson women’s prison in West Virginia, in one of the deadliest outbreaks this year at a federal correctional facility. This comes as Bureau of Prisons officials take heat for how the agency has handled the pandemic.

State Constitutions Vex Conservatives’ Strategies for a Post-Roe World

KFF Health News Original

Conservative lawmakers may find their anti-abortion agendas complicated by state constitutions that explicitly grant citizens the right to privacy, regardless of what the U.S. Supreme Court does.

Biden Administration’s Rapid-Test Rollout Doesn’t Easily Reach Those Who Need It Most

KFF Health News Original

Two rapid-testing initiatives the Biden administration released in the past week are inaccessible to some residents of multifamily housing, people who don’t speak English well, or those without internet access.

El plan de Biden para entregar pruebas gratis para covid no llega fácilmente a los más vulnerables

KFF Health News Original

Desde el límite establecido en los pedidos de prueba hasta los idiomas disponibles en los sitios web, los programas pueden dejar fuera a muchas personas que no hablan inglés o no tienen acceso a Internet, así como a las que viven en hogares multigeneracionales.