Latest KFF Health News Stories
Enfermedades “medievales” resurgen por el aumento de la población sin techo
El hacinamiento, la falta de higiene y la crisis de vivienda son una combinación explosiva para el resurgimiento de enfermedades como el tifus o la hepatitis A.
‘Medieval’ Diseases Flare As Unsanitary Living Conditions Proliferate
Outbreaks of infectious diseases such as typhus and hepatitis A are resurging in California and around the country, particularly among homeless populations. Public health officials warn that such diseases could spread broadly.
Measure To Cap Dialysis Profits Pummeled After Record Spending By Industry
The dialysis industry raised nearly $111 million in a successful bid to defeat the measure, which also was opposed by hospitals and doctors. The union that sponsored the measure collected about one-sixth that amount.
As Medicaid Costs Soar, States Try A New Approach
New programs, known as ACOs, reward hospitals and physician groups that hold down costs by keeping enrollees healthy. The health care providers are asked to address social issues — such as homelessness, lack of transportation and poor nutrition — that can cause and exacerbate health problems.
Hospitals Step In To Help House The Homeless. Will It Make A Difference?
They say it will help reduce unnecessary ER visits and ensure better follow-up care. It’s also good P.R., and helps them meet their obligations to provide benefits to the community in exchange for significant tax breaks.
Programa contra la tuberculosis en Texas podría reproducirse a nivel nacional
En 20 condados se están realizando pruebas a personas vulnerables, para saber si tienen tuberculosis latente, una condición que pone a la persona en un riesgo mucho mayor de desarrollar tuberculosis activa.
South Texas Fights Tuberculosis One Blood Test At A Time
A Medicaid-funded effort in San Antonio seeks to test vulnerable populations for latent TB infections.
To Save On Medi-Cal Costs, A Bid To Help Homeless Patients With Rent Money
California lawmakers consider a bill to use state money to help homeless Medi-Cal patients pay rent — shifting their focus from sheer survival to wellness. The move could save taxpayers millions, advocates say.
Mobile Team Offers Comfort Care To Homeless At Life’s End
A Seattle program pioneers palliative care that reaches dying patients on streets and in shelters.
California Hopes $3 Billion Experiment Will Improve Health Of Neediest
Pilot projects are being launched in 18 counties to reduce ER visits among Medi-Cal’s most costly patients.
New Funding Seeks To Help Clinics Swamped By Demand For Dental Care
HHS awarded $156 million to 420 health centers around the country in the first grants ever specifically geared to dental care.
Viejos moteles cobran nueva vida ayudando a las personas sin hogar a sanar
El uso de moteles deteriorados para cuidar y albergar temporalmente a personas sin hogar recientemente dadas de alta del hospital ayuda a estabilizarlos de manera económica, previniendo retornos innecesarios y costosos a las salas de emergencia y a los hospitales.
Old Motels Get New Life Helping Homeless Heal
Using run-down motels to care for and temporarily house homeless people recently discharged from the hospital helps stabilize them inexpensively, preventing unnecessary and costly returns to ERs and hospitals.
‘Digital Health’ Not Just For Well-Heeled Fitness Fiends
A small group of advocates and entrepreneurs is using mobile phones and digital scales to make a difference in the health of poor people, too.
A pioneering program in southern California provides ongoing care and housing to homeless people who are “super-utilizers” of hospital emergency rooms. The effort is reducing ER visits and saving a lot of money.
Boston’s Heroin Users Will Soon Get A Safer Place To Be High
A nonprofit group in Boston working with homeless people will convert a conference room and provide medical supervision for people after they have taken heroin.
Needle Exchanges Can Now Get Federal Funding
Proponents hail the change in policy but say it doesn’t go far enough because federal dollars cannot be used to buy syringes.
Aetna Breaks Ties To Man Who Sold Policies To Hundreds Of Homeless
Aetna is ending its relationship with a Charlotte insurance agent who used the Affordable Care Act to sell premium-free policies to hundreds of homeless people while the N.C. Department of Insurance continues its review of the arrangement. The state has scheduled a Sept. 3 “informal administrative conference” on the sales, which sparked questions and criticism […]
He says they’re better off having some insurance coverage, even if they have high deductibles. But advocates say they lose access to free clinics and can’t afford to use their coverage because of the deductibles.
California Sees Housing As Significant Investment In Health Care
The state is proposing to use federal Medicaid dollars to usher ill homeless people into housing, arguing the policy saves taxpayers money.
