Latest KFF Health News Stories
California enfrenta barreras al querer frenar redadas del ICE en entornos de salud
El gobernador demócrata Gavin Newsom promulgó el mes pasado la ley SB 81, que prohíbe a los centros médicos permitir el acceso de agentes federales a áreas privadas sin una orden judicial o de registro válidas.
California Faces Limits as It Directs Health Facilities To Push Back on Immigration Raids
California now has a law requiring hospitals and clinics to improve patient privacy and have clear protocols for handling requests by immigration agents. Legal experts say the state can’t fully protect immigrant patients, because federal authorities are allowed in public places, including hospital lobbies, general waiting areas, and parking lots.
So Your Insurance Dropped Your Doctor. Now What?
Patients sometimes find themselves scrambling for affordable care when a contract dispute causes a hospital — and most of the doctors and other clinicians who work there — to be dropped from an insurance network. Here are six things to know if that happens to you.
Doctor Tripped Up by $64K Bill for Ankle Surgery and Hospital Stay
A doctor in Colorado became the patient after an accident totaled her car and sent her to the operating room. The hospital kept her overnight, but her insurer stopped paying after she left the emergency room.
As Trump Denies Climate Change, At Least 170 Hospitals Face Major Flood Risk
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La escasez de enfermeras en California se agrava, y las trabajadoras culpan a los directivos
Según datos estatales, casi el 60% de los condados de California —que se extienden entre las fronteras con México y Oregon— enfrentan una falta importante de enfermeras.
Detrás del cobro de esas deudas hay todo tipo de proveedores médicos: grandes cadenas de salud, hospitales rurales pequeños, grupos de médicos, servicios públicos de ambulancia, entre otros.
California’s Nursing Shortage Is Getting Worse. Front-Line Workers Blame Management.
California’s nursing shortage is projected to worsen, and hospitals say funding cuts will only add strain. But front-line nurses blame heavy workloads, not a shortage, for driving workers away.
Workers’ Wages Siphoned To Pay Medical Bills, Despite Consumer Protections
Health care providers and debt collectors are biting from people’s paychecks to cover old medical bills. A KFF Health News investigation in Colorado shows that this aggressive collection practice is widespread even in a state considered to have strong consumer protections.
At Least 170 US Hospitals Face Major Flood Risk. Experts Say Trump Is Making It Worse.
As a warming climate intensifies storms, KFF Health News has identified more than 170 U.S. hospitals at risk of significant and potentially dangerous flooding. Climate experts warn that the Trump administration’s cuts leave the nation less prepared.
Readers Speak Up for Patients Who Can’t, and for Kids With Disabilities
KFF Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
Big Loopholes in Hospital Charity Care Programs Mean Patients Still Get Stuck With the Tab
Even if people qualify for financial help with their hospital bills, the care they receive may not be covered.
As Trump Punts on Medical Debt, Battle Over Patient Protections Moves to States
Some states are enacting medical debt laws as the Trump administration pulls back federal protections. Elsewhere, industry opposition has derailed legislation.
As the Trump Administration and States Push Health Data Sharing, Familiar Challenges Surface
Despite billions of tax dollars and two decades of effort invested in improving health care data sharing, Americans’ medical records often remain siloed, leading to duplicate testing, increased costs, and wasted time for patients and doctors.
Health Care Cuts Threaten Homegrown Solutions to Rural Doctor Shortages
In a rural, largely Republican region of California, homegrown efforts to bolster the medical workforce face an uphill battle, in part because of federal health care cuts approved by the GOP Congress and signed by President Donald Trump in July, as well as a state budget deficit.
An AI Assistant Can Interpret Those Lab Results for You
While patients wait to hear back from their doctors about test results, many turn to AI assistants for answers despite cautions over privacy and accuracy.
Programas de inteligencia artificial te ayudan a interpretar tus resultados de laboratorio
Muchos pacientes están utilizando programas como ChatGPT de OpenAI, Claude de Anthropic y Gemini de Google, para interpretar sus datos médicos
Journalists Talk New ‘MAHA’ Strategy, RFK Jr.’s Tack at HHS, and Plight of Rural Hospitals
KFF Health News journalists made the rounds on national and local media recently to discuss topical stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.
Collaborative Networks Become Popular Lifeline for Rural Hospitals
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A Surgical Team Was About To Harvest This Man’s Organs — Until His Doctor Intervened
A 22-year-old was shot in the head in St. Louis. As a surgical team prepared him for organ harvesting, his neurosurgeon raced to the operating room to stop it, saying that his patient had a chance at life. Today, the man is alive, sharing his story.