Latest KFF Health News Stories
‘When It Starts Getting Into Your Local Hospital, It Becomes Real’
Located about 45 minutes from New Orleans in one of the hardest-hit counties nationally, the 25-bed rural St. James Parish Hospital has hunkered down as staffers became infected, patient intake numbers have doubled, and intubations have skyrocketed. This is what it looks like inside a rural hospital when COVID-19 hits.
Pandemic-Stricken Cities Have Empty Hospitals, But Reopening Them Is Difficult
In Philadelphia, New Orleans and Los Angeles, former safety-net hospitals sit empty in the middle of the city. But reopening a closed hospital, even in the midst of a pandemic when health resources are scarce, is not easy or cheap.
High Court Revisits Abortion Law Akin To One Struck Down In 2016
The justices will hear a case Wednesday involving a Louisiana law requiring abortion providers to be able to admit patients to a nearby hospital. But four years ago, the court said a similar Texas law was unconstitutional.
With Fate Of Roe V. Wade Unsure, Abortion Fight Shifts To New Territory
The Supreme Court in March will hear a Louisiana case that tests whether the new five-member conservative majority is willing to overturn the 1973 decision that made abortion legal nationwide. Even if the court does not go that far, it could hasten the procedure’s demise by saying abortion providers cannot sue on behalf of their patients.
Pharma Sells States On ‘Netflix Model’ To Wipe Out Hep C. But At What Price?
Manufacturers of lucrative drugs say they’re offering discounts off the high sticker prices ― but taxpayers footing the big bills might never know what the state is paying or if it’s getting a good deal.
KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: Trump Merges Health And Immigration
President Donald Trump has ordered that legal immigrants obtain health insurance within 30 days of arriving or prove they can pay for any possible medical need ― another policy certain to be challenged in court. Meanwhile, health issues continue to play a major role in campaign 2020. This week, Paige Winfield Cunningham of The Washington Post, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico and Julie Appleby of Kaiser Health News join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more.
Abuelos que pasan hambre: el país fracasa en alimentar a los más vulnerables
Millones de adultos mayores en todo el país pasan hambre en silencio, mientras la red de seguridad diseñada para ayudarlos se desmembra.
Starving Seniors: How America Fails To Feed Its Aging
One out of every 13 older Americans struggles to find enough food to eat while the federal program intended to help hasn’t kept pace with the graying population.
A Mumps Quarantine In La. May Encroach On Rights Of Detained Immigrants
A recent outbreak at a Louisiana center triggered public health protections, but some immigration lawyers are crying foul.
Cuarentena por paperas en Louisiana puede violar los derechos de inmigrantes detenidos
Un brote de paperas y una cuarentena en el Centro de Procesamiento de Inmigración y Control de Aduanas de Pine Prairie, en Louisiana, impidió que los inmigrantes obtuvieran recursos legales, incluidos sus representantes legales.
As States Target High Drug Prices, Pharma Targets State Lawmakers
In Louisiana, the wining and dining of lawmakers by scores of pharma lobbyists proves a valuable lesson on how to win statehouse votes and influence profits.
Hurricane’s Health Toll: A Texas Doctor Taps Lessons From Katrina
After weathering the catastrophe in New Orleans 12 years ago, Dr. Ruth Berggren moved to Texas, where she again finds herself in the center of a hurricane crisis. In a Q&A, she draws parallels between the harrowing events and pinpoints risks in Harvey’s aftermath.
Will Louisiana’s Medicaid Expansion Be A Harbinger For Georgia?
Louisiana’s decision to accept the federal health law program to provide coverage to more low-income residents is being watched around the South, including in Georgia, where deep-seated opposition is showing some small signs of cracks.
Why Some Prisoners With HIV Get Better Treatment Than Others
A new report says care varies widely between Louisiana’s jails and prisons.
States Simplify Medicaid Sign-Ups
Forty-nine states now take Medicaid applications by phone and 49 also accept online applications, reports the Kaiser Family Foundation.
Slipping Between Medicaid And Marketplace Coverage Can Leave Consumers Confused
KHN’s consumer columnist answers questions about how people can handle moving between the government health plan for low-income residents and the private plans offered on the federal health law’s exchanges.
Katrina Shut Down Charity Hospital But Led To More Primary Care
When Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005, many health facilities were destroyed or shut down, including urgent care centers, nursing homes, pharmacies and hospitals. But a new network of renovated and newly built primary care health clinics has opened, which many hope will bring stability to the health care of the city’s low-income residents.
