Latest KFF Health News Stories
Médicos de atención primaria asumen tareas de dentista para ayudar a pacientes vulnerables
En Denver, la inestabilidad de la vivienda, las barreras del idioma, la falta de transporte y el “costo astronómico” de la odontología sin seguro hacen que la atención dental sea inaccesible para muchos nuevos inmigrantes.
End of Internet Subsidies for Low-Income Households Threatens Telehealth Access
A federal program that helped pay for more than 23 million low-income households’ internet access runs out of money soon. The end of the subsidy launched earlier in the pandemic could have profound impacts on health care access.
Medical Debt Affects Much of America, but Colorado Immigrants Are Hit Especially Hard
Colorado is ahead of the curve on policies to prevent medical debt, but the gap between the debt load in places inhabited primarily by people of color versus non-Hispanic white residents is greater than the national average.
La deuda médica afecta a gran parte de EE.UU., pero en especial a inmigrantes en Colorado
Las luchas del área reflejan una paradoja sobre Colorado. En general, la carga de deuda médica del estado es más baja que la de la mayoría. Pero las disparidades raciales y étnicas son más amplias.
Hospitals Cash In on a Private Equity-Backed Trend: Concierge Physician Care
Hospitals are increasingly stretching a velvet rope, offering “concierge service” to an affluent clientele. Critics say the practice exacerbates primary care shortages.
As money flows to abortion rights initiatives in states, some donors focus on where anger over the “Dobbs” ruling could propel voter turnout and spur Democratic victories up and down the ballot, including in key Senate races and the White House.
Toxic Gas That Sterilizes Medical Devices Prompts Safety Rule Update
The Environmental Protection Agency is tightening regulation of ethylene oxide, a carcinogenic gas used to sterilize medical devices. The agency is trying to balance the interests of the health care industry supply chain with those of communities where the gas creates airborne health risks.
The Colonoscopies Were Free. But the ‘Surgical Trays’ Came With $600 Price Tags.
Health providers may bill however they choose — including in ways that could leave patients with unexpected bills for “free” care. Routine preventive care saddled an Illinois couple with his-and-her bills for “surgical trays.”
New York Joins Local Governments in Erasing Billions in Medical Debt
New York City is the latest jurisdiction to buy and forgive a backlog of unpaid medical bills for its residents. Local governments across the country, including in the Chicago area, are doing the same to reduce debt burdens for lower-income residents.
Estados utilizan dinero de Medicaid para combatir la violencia con armas de fuego
Una inyección de financiamiento federal confiable podría permitir que organizaciones sin fines de lucro amplíen su alcance para llegar a más residentes con mayor riesgo de ser víctimas de disparos, o de disparar a alguien.
Federal Program to Save Rural Hospitals Feels ‘Growing Pains’
Fewer than two dozen rural hospitals were converted into Rural Emergency Hospitals in the program’s first year. Now, advocates and lawmakers say tweaks to the law are necessary to lure more takers and keep health care in rural communities.
Rising Malpractice Premiums Price Small Clinics Out of Gender-Affirming Care for Minors
Even in states where laws protect minors’ access to gender-affirming care, malpractice insurance premiums are keeping small and independent clinics from treating patients.
States Begin Tapping Medicaid Dollars to Combat Gun Violence
The Biden administration is allowing states to use money from the insurance program for low-income and disabled residents to pay for gun violence prevention. California and six other states have approved such spending, with more expected to follow.
Woman Petitions Health Insurer After Company Approves — Then Rejects — Her Infusions
Even people with good insurance aren’t guaranteed affordable care, as this KFF Health News follow-up to one patient’s saga shows.
¿Pueden los médicos de familia salvar a las zonas rurales de la crisis de obstetras?
El número de bebés que murieron antes de cumplir su primer año aumentó el año pasado; y más de la mitad de los condados rurales no tienen servicios hospitalarios para partos.
Can Family Doctors Deliver Rural America From Its Maternal Health Crisis?
Family medicine doctors already deliver most of rural America’s babies, and efforts to train more in obstetrics care are seen as a way to cope with labor and delivery unit closures.
Encuesta revela que persiste la discriminación racial en la atención médica
Casi la mitad de los pacientes hispanos, los Indio americanos y los nativos de Alaska sienten que no se los respeta.
Grassroots College Networks Distribute Emergency Contraceptives on Campus
Peer-to-peer efforts can meet a clear need among students whose colleges may not make sexual health products accessible or affordable.
Many People of Color Worry Good Health Care Is Tied to Their Appearance
Many people from racial and ethnic minority groups brace themselves for insults and judgments before medical appointments, according to a new survey of patients that reaffirms the prevalence of racial discrimination in the U.S. health system.
“Peor de lo que la gente cree”, cambios en Medicaid crean caos en los estados
Tanto beneficiarios como defensores de pacientes dicen que los funcionarios de Medicaid enviaron formularios de renovación obligatoria a direcciones viejas, calcularon mal los niveles de ingresos e hicieron malas traducciones de los documentos.
