Latest News On Iowa

Latest KFF Health News Stories

How the Anti-Vaccine Movement Pits Parental Rights Against Public Health

KFF Health News Original

Framed in the rhetoric of choice, Tennessee’s new law governing childhood vaccinations is among more than a dozen recently passed or pending nationwide that set parental freedom against community and children’s health.

Avanzan en varios estados proyectos de ley extremos sobre el uso de baños por género

KFF Health News Original

Al menos uno de los proyectos de ley es tan extremo como para proponer que se considere delito que una persona transgénero entre en una instalación que no coincida con el sexo indicado en su acta de nacimiento.

Bathroom Bills Are Back — Broader and Stricter — In Several States

KFF Health News Original

State lawmakers are resurrecting and expanding efforts to prohibit transgender people from using public restrooms and other spaces that match their gender. Some have sought to ban trans people from “sex-designated spaces,” including domestic violence shelters and crisis centers, which experts say could violate anti-discrimination laws and jeopardize federal funding.

Federal Program to Save Rural Hospitals Feels ‘Growing Pains’

KFF Health News Original

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.

‘They See a Cash Cow’: Corporations Could Consume $50 Billion of Opioid Settlements

KFF Health News Original

As opioid settlement dollars land in government coffers, a swarm of businesses are positioning themselves to profit from the windfall. But will their potential gains come at the expense of the settlements’ intended purpose — to remediate the effects of the opioid epidemic?

Ohio votó a favor del aborto. Podrían seguir otros 11 estados el próximo año

KFF Health News Original

El impulso para llevar el polémico tema a los votantes llega después de la serie de victorias en las votaciones del año pasado a favor del derecho al aborto en seis estados: California, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Montana y Vermont.

Iowa’s Governor Opposes Abortion — And Has Final Say on Whether Medicaid Pays for It

KFF Health News Original

The federal government requires state Medicaid programs to pay for abortions in limited circumstances, but Iowa hasn’t done so for years. No providers seek Medicaid payments, which require the approval of the governor, an anti-abortion Republican.

Feds Try to Head Off Growing Problem of Overdoses Among Expectant Mothers

KFF Health News Original

Homicides, suicides, and drug overdoses have driven rising rates of pregnancy-related death in the U.S. This fall, six states received federal funding for substance use treatment interventions to prevent at least some of those deaths.

As Covid Infections Rise, Nursing Homes Are Still Waiting for Vaccines

KFF Health News Original

“People want covid-19 to be in the rearview mirror,” one nursing home official says. Faced with a slow rollout of the updated covid vaccines, and without state mandates for workers to get vaccinated, most skilled nursing facilities are relying on persuasion to boost vaccination rates among staff and residents.

Mental Health Respite Facilities Are Filling Care Gaps in Over a Dozen States

KFF Health News Original

As three years of pandemic stress accelerated an ongoing nationwide mental health crisis, peer respite programs diverted patients from overburdened emergency rooms, psychiatric institutions, and behavioral therapists. Now, more “respites” are opening.

More States Drop Sales Tax on Disposable Diapers to Boost Affordability

KFF Health News Original

Last month, Florida joined a growing number of states in banning sales taxes on diapers to make them more affordable for older adults and families with young children. Though diapers are essential for many, they are not covered by food stamps. Nor are incontinence products for older adults typically covered by Medicare. The cost can easily add up on a fixed income.