Latest News On Military Health

Latest KFF Health News Stories

Trabajadores de salud pública renuncian antes de ir a Guantánamo

KFF Health News Original

Oficiales del Servicio de Salud Pública que trabajaron en Guantánamo el año pasado describieron las condiciones en las que se encontraban los detenidos inmigrantes.

Public Health Workers Are Quitting Over Assignments to Guantánamo

KFF Health News Original

U.S. Public Health Service doctors and nurses are being deployed to Guantánamo and other detention centers as President Donald Trump escalates mass arrests in his campaign to curb immigration. Some have resigned in protest. Others offer a rare look into bleak conditions.

Trump Doesn’t Need Congress To Make Abortion Effectively Unavailable

KFF Health News Original

President-elect Donald Trump vowed on the campaign trail not to sign a nationwide abortion ban. But he wouldn’t need to do so to make abortion difficult, or illegal, writes KFF Health News’ chief Washington correspondent, Julie Rovner.

Exposed to Agent Orange at US Bases, Veterans Face Cancer Without VA Compensation

KFF Health News Original

The Department of Veterans Affairs has long given vets who served in Vietnam disability compensation for illness connected to Agent Orange harm. But those exposed at U.S. bases are still waiting for the same benefits.

VIP Health System for Top US Officials Risked Jeopardizing Care for Soldiers

KFF Health News Original

The historically troubled White House Medical Unit is just one part of a government health system that gives VIP care to top officials, military officers, military retirees, and families. Pentagon investigators say some were prioritized over rank-and-file soldiers.

US Military Says National Security Depends on ‘Forever Chemicals’

KFF Health News Original

PFAS chemicals are found in hundreds of products and weapons used by the U.S. military. Defense Department officials say a blanket ban on these man-made substances would threaten military readiness.

Pioneering Study Links Testicular Cancer Among Military Personnel to ‘Forever Chemicals’

KFF Health News Original

The military first documented health concerns surrounding chemicals known as PFAS decades ago yet has continued to use firefighting foam made with them. Despite scores of lawsuits by its personnel and high rates of testicular cancer among troops, it has been slow to investigate a connection.

Lawyer Fees Draw Scrutiny as Camp Lejeune Claims Stack Up

KFF Health News Original

The Camp Lejeune Justice Act, which became law last year, created a pathway for veterans and their families to pursue damage claims against the government for toxic exposure at the military base. Now, advocates and lawmakers worry high lawyer fees could shortchange those injured.

An Air Force Career Held up Because of Debt Owed for Medical Bills

KFF Health News Original

Emergency room care left Samaria Bradford with $5,000 in medical bills. Now she has to track down and pay that debt before she can hope to enlist in the military.

After ‘a Lot of Doors Shut in Our Face,’ Crusading Couple Celebrate Passage of Burn Pit Bill

KFF Health News Original

Le Roy and Rosie Torres founded the Burn Pits 360 group that advocated for years for Congress to help veterans suffering from injuries caused by the massive disposal sites on overseas bases. Le Roy came home from Iraq suffering from breathing problems.

Military Exposed to Toxic Fumes From Burn Pits Set to Get Bipartisan Boost

KFF Health News Original

Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and Republican Sen. Marco Rubio were set to roll out a bill Friday that could help unknown thousands of service members who are sick from toxic substances they were exposed to from burning garbage in Afghanistan, Iraq and other war zones.

Doctors Found Jet Fuel in Veteran’s Lungs. He Can’t Get Full Benefits.

KFF Health News Original

Sick with ailments similar to those suffered by 9/11 first responders, military service members exposed to toxic burning garbage in Iraq and Afghanistan may finally see Congress address their plight. President Joe Biden believes his son Beau’s brain cancer may have been caused by such exposure.

COVID-19 Brings Overhaul Of Military Health Care To A Halt

KFF Health News Original

The military is called to action to battle the pandemic, even as the numbers of people infected among its ranks and veterans climb amid a shortage of doctors and nurses.

Médicos militares aprenden el valor de los perros que ayudan a sanar

KFF Health News Original

Los perros que han estado en el Hospital Walter Reed desde 2007 ganan comisiones en el Ejército, la Armada, la Fuerza Aérea o los Marines. Sus chalecos designan su rango.

Sit, Heal: Dog Teaches Military Med Students The Merits Of Service Animals

KFF Health News Original

Although service dogs are commonly seen at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, a retriever mix is a clinical instructor in the Department of Medical and Clinical Psychology.

Supreme Court Declines To Hear Military Medical Malpractice Case

KFF Health News Original

Justices won’t alter the rule that prevents active-duty military members from suing the government for negligence. The challenge came from the family of Navy nurse Lt. Rebekah “Moani” Daniel, who died in 2014 after bleeding to death following childbirth.