Latest News On Illinois

Latest KFF Health News Stories

Travel Nurses See Swift Change of Fortunes as Covid Money Runs Dry

KFF Health News Original

Travel nurse contracts that were plentiful and paid the temporary nurses far more than hospital staff nurses are vanishing. Hospitals nationwide are turning their energies to recruiting full-time people.

Refurbished Walkers and Wheelchairs Fill Gaps Created by Supply Chain Problems

KFF Health News Original

Loan closets are playing an important role as supply chain issues and the rising price of aluminum have led to shortages in medical equipment such as wheelchairs, walkers, crutches, and knee scooters.

Doctors Trying to Prescribe Abortion Pills Across State Lines Stymied by Legislation

KFF Health News Original

Some doctors are getting licensed in multiple states so they can use telemedicine and mail-order pharmacies to provide medication abortions to more women. At the same time, states are cracking down on telemedicine abortions, blunting the efforts of out-of-state doctors.

Patients’ Perilous Months-Long Waiting for Medicaid Coverage Is a Sign of What’s to Come

KFF Health News Original

The pandemic crisis has overwhelmed understaffed state Medicaid agencies, already delaying access to the insurance program in Missouri. As the public health emergency ends, low-income people nationwide could find it even harder to have coverage.

Pandemic Funding Is Running Out for Community Health Workers

KFF Health News Original

Illinois used federal pandemic money to hire community health workers who connect people with food banks and rental assistance programs, just like public health officials have long hoped to do. What will happen to the community trust that has been built up when the federal money runs out and the workers disappear?

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.

Officials Struggle to Regulate Pop-Up Covid Testing Sites — And Warn Patients to Beware

KFF Health News Original

High demand for covid screening and scarce supply have opened the door to bad actors, and officials in some states are sounding the alarm about dubious street testing operators that could put people’s personal data, their health or wallets at risk.

Deep Roots Help This Chicago Pharmacist Avoid Creating Another Drugstore Desert

KFF Health News Original

Predominantly Black and Hispanic urban areas are more likely than white neighborhoods to see local pharmacies close and are more likely to be pharmacy deserts. In Chicago, one pharmacist is bucking the trend, operating the drugstore his father opened in the 1960s in a Black neighborhood.

How One Health Center Is Leading Chicago on Kid Covid Shots

KFF Health News Original

A health center with clinics on Chicago’s southwest side that serves mostly Hispanic patients has provided the most covid shots to kids in the city by being accessible, (literally) speaking the language of the community and setting up pop-up clinics at schools and parks. It provides a few lessons as the nation gears up to vaccinate 5- to 11-year-olds.

‘Drinking Through a Lead Straw’ — $15B Approved to Fix Dangerous Water Pipes

KFF Health News Original

The infrastructure bill passed Friday funnels $15 billion into lead pipe remediation. Water quality experts say the cost of getting rid of all lead pipes could ultimately cost $60 billion. Still, some health advocates say the new funding will be transformative in allowing communities such as Houston’s Fifth Ward to fix its pipes.

Hygienists Brace for Pitched Battles With Dentists in Fights Over Practice Laws

KFF Health News Original

In a battle reflecting turf wars around the country, Illinois dentists defeated legislation that would have allowed hygienists to practice in nursing homes and prisons where dental care can be scarce.

These Schools Use Weekly Testing to Keep Kids in Class — And Covid Out

KFF Health News Original

Coronavirus outbreaks have shuttered K-12 classrooms across the U.S., affecting tens of thousands of K-12 students. To avoid the same fate, some school districts are tapping federal dollars to set up testing programs and step up their vigilance against the virus.

Pandemia revela una creciente crisis de suicidios en comunidades de color

KFF Health News Original

Entrevistas con una docena de investigadores del suicidio, datos recopilados de todos los estados, y una revisión de décadas de investigación revelaron que el suicidio es una crisis creciente para las comunidades de color, que ya estaba impactando antes de la pandemia, y que se ha agravado desde entonces.

To Stoke Rural Vaccination Rates, Trusted Farmers Are Asked to Spread Word

KFF Health News Original

Rural health experts are calling on trusted agricultural leaders — like farmers and ranchers — to use their understanding of science and nudge vaccine-hesitant neighbors to roll up their sleeves for a covid shot. But some farmers say they doubt they can change anyone’s mind.

In Rural America, Twisting Arms to Take a Covid Vaccine First Takes Trust

KFF Health News Original

In communities across the country, the Cooperative Extension System, the same organization that supports 4-H clubs nationally, is tapping its roots in rural communities to promote vaccines. But its approach to getting people vaccinated in many communities, including Cairo, Illinois, must be nuanced.

Pharmacies Face Extra Audit Burdens That Threaten Their Existence

KFF Health News Original

Pharmacy benefit managers have curtailed in-person audits of pharmacy claims during the pandemic, switching to virtual audits done by computer. That has markedly increased the number of claims they can review — and the chances for payment denials — squeezing pharmacies and bringing in more cash for the benefit companies.