Latest KFF Health News Stories
In the Vast Expanses of Indian Country, Broadband Gaps Create Health Gaps, Too
On Idaho’s remote Fort Hall Reservation, thousands live without reliable high-speed internet, which supports health care, education, and daily life. Facing delays and wavering federal policy, Frances Goli is determined to spend more than $22 million in federal grant money before she runs out of time.
Republicans Left Tribes Out of Their $50B Rural Fund. Now It’s Up to States To Share.
The Trump administration has championed its Rural Health Transformation Program as an investment in American families who have been left behind. But Native American tribes, whose communities have a significant presence in rural America and have some of the greatest health needs, are ineligible to apply directly for funding.
Feds Promised ‘Radical Transparency’ but Are Withholding Rural Health Fund Applications
Proposals from states that have shared their applications to a new $50 billion rural health program include using drones to deliver medication, installing refrigerators to expand access to healthy produce, and bringing telehealth to libraries, day cares, and senior centers.
Gobierno prometió “transparencia radical”, pero oculta solicitudes de fondos para la salud rural
Drones que entregan medicamentos y telesalud en bibliotecas locales son algunas de las ideas que líderes estatales acaban de presentar para gastar su parte de un programa federal de salud rural de $50.000 millones.
Caída de las tasas de vacunación y de la inmunidad alimentan brotes de tos convulsa
Texas registró 1.928 casos de tos convulsa en 2024. Para octubre de 2025, el estado ya superaba los 3.500. A nivel nacional, las cifras son igual de alarmantes.
Waning Immunity and Falling Vaccination Rates Fuel Pertussis Outbreaks
New details from health officials suggest the whooping-cough surge may be part of a national pattern driven by slipping vaccine coverage and waning immunity, with infants bearing the brunt of the consequences.
A Ticking Clock: How States Are Preparing for a Last-Minute Obamacare Deal
Even if Congress strikes a deal soon to extend more generous Affordable Care Act subsidies, the prices and types of ACA plans available could change dramatically. Unprecedented uncertainty and upheaval could cloud this year’s open enrollment season, which begins in most states on Saturday.
Doctors With Troubled Pasts Are Performing Cosmetic Surgeries Tied to Crippling Pain and Injury
Some injured patients say they wish they had tried harder to check the backgrounds of doctors and clinics they trusted, but those records are hard to find.
Estados apuntan a los alimentos ultraprocesados con iniciativas bipartidistas
Ahora los republicanos piden alimentos sanos en las escuelas, pero antes criticaban las iniciativas que sobre el tema presentaban los demócratas.
States Target Ultraprocessed Foods in Bipartisan Push
States are taking aim at chemicals and additives in foods as Republicans and Democrats alike embrace at least one aspect of the Trump administration’s “Make America Healthy Again” push. It’s a shift for Republicans, who had vilified past Democratic efforts to impose government will on what people eat and drink.
States Are Cutting Medicaid Provider Payments Long Before Trump Cuts Hit
North Carolina and Idaho are cutting their Medicaid programs to bridge budget gaps, raising fears that providers will stop taking patients and that hospitals will close even before the brunt of a new federal tax-and-budget law takes effect.
Native Americans Want To Avoid Past Medicaid Enrollment Snafus as Work Requirements Loom
As states prepare to implement changes to Medicaid required by President Donald Trump’s recent tax-and-spending law, tribal leaders say they are concerned Native American enrollees could lose their coverage, despite exemptions made by Congress.
Experts Say Rural Emergency Rooms Are Increasingly Run Without Doctors
Some doctors and the groups that represent them say physicians’ extensive training leads to better emergency care, and that some hospitals are trying to save money by not hiring them. They support new laws in Indiana, Virginia, and South Carolina that require physicians to be on-site 24/7.
Watch: Millions of Americans Live Where Telehealth Is Out of Reach
In this video report, InvestigateTV and KFF Health News take viewers to Alabama, Idaho, and West Virginia to explore how gaps in internet connectivity and telehealth access cause residents to live sicker and die younger on average than their peers in well-connected regions.
New Medicaid Federal Work Requirements Mean Less Leeway for States
More than a dozen states are seeking their own versions of Medicaid work requirements. But the incoming federal standards pose questions around how much leeway states have to design their rules.
Medicaid: nuevo requisito federal de trabajo deja a estados sin mucho margen de maniobra
Algunos buscan modificaciones específicas a las nuevas normas para cada estado. Otros pretenden implementar los requisitos laborales antes de que la ley federal entre en vigencia a finales de 2026.
Tribal Groups Assert Sovereignty as Feds Crack Down on Gender-Affirming Care
Native American groups declare that tribal sovereignty trumps state and federal efforts to restrict or ban gender-affirming care for two-spirit and LGBTQ+ tribal citizens. Tribes are analyzing the risk of opposing Trump’s policies, advocates say.
Cuts to Food Benefits Stand in the Way of RFK Jr.’s Goals for a Healthier National Diet
The Trump administration has said improving American nutrition is a priority, but deep cuts to federal food assistance could lead people to forgo healthy food in favor of cheaper alternatives.
GOP Governors Mum as Congress Moves To Slash Medicaid Spending for Their States
In 2017, when President Donald Trump tried to repeal Obamacare and roll back Medicaid coverage, Republican governors helped turn Congress against it. Now, as Trump tries again to scale back Medicaid, Republican governors — whose constituents stand to lose federal funding and health coverage — have gone quiet on the health consequences.
Meet the Florida Group Chipping Away at Public Benefits One State at a Time
The Trump administration’s “Make America Healthy Again” platform has boosted the agenda of a conservative think tank that’s been working for more than a decade to reshape the nation’s public assistance programs.
