Latest News On Missouri

Latest KFF Health News Stories

The Doctor Didn’t Show Up, but the Hospital ER Still Charged $1,012

KFF Health News Original

A St. Louis-area toddler burned his hand on the stove, and his mom took him to the ER on the advice of her pediatrician. He wasn’t seen by a doctor, and the dressing on the wound wasn’t changed. The bill was more than a thousand dollars.

Patient, Beware: Some States Still Pushing Ineffective Covid Antibody Treatments

KFF Health News Original

The top 12 states using antibody therapies produced by Regeneron and Lilly — which research shows don’t work against the omicron variant — include several Southern states with some of the nation’s lowest vaccination rates, but also California, which ranks among the top 20 for fully vaccinated residents.

As Covid Hits Nursing Homes’ Finances, Town Residents Fight to Save Alzheimer’s Facility

KFF Health News Original

Fear of covid has kept some adults from moving to nursing homes, and many facilities are in trouble financially. When Nevada, Missouri, officials announced they were planning to close a home specializing in dementia care, members of the community rose up in protest.

A Tale of Two Medicaid Expansions: Oklahoma Jumps In, While Missouri Lags

KFF Health News Original

Voters in Missouri and Oklahoma approved Medicaid expansion to begin in 2021. But while Oklahoma has enrolled over 200,000 people so far, Missouri has enrolled fewer than 20,000. Why are two such similar states handling the public insurance rollout so differently?

Missouri’s Thin Dental Safety Net Stretched Amid Medicaid Expansion

KFF Health News Original

An estimated 275,000 Missouri adults can get dental insurance now as the state has expanded who is eligible for Medicaid. But with so few dentists participating in the program, the state’s already-backlogged dental clinics are facing a glut of new clients.

If Congress Adds Dental Coverage to Medicare, Should All Seniors Get It?

KFF Health News Original

Health equity advocates see a once-in-a-generation opportunity to provide a dental benefit to millions of older Americans as Congress considers expanding Medicare services. But complicating that push is a debate over how many of the more than 60 million Medicare recipients should receive dental coverage.

Low Wages and Pandemic Gut Staffing Support for Those With Disabilities

KFF Health News Original

Group homes and facilities that serve people with intellectual and developmental disabilities were hurting for staffers before the pandemic. Now the nationwide job crunch and pandemic pressures are making it even worse.

Biosimilar Drugs Are Cheaper Than Biologics. Are They Similar Enough to Switch?

KFF Health News Original

Biologic drugs, made from living organisms, and the cheaper biosimilar drugs that mimic them are more complex than chemical drugs and their generic counterparts. The Food and Drug Administration says biosimilars are as safe and effective as the biologics, and doctors agree — but they are cautious about changing the treatment regimen of patients doing well.

Más de la mitad de los estados han revertido poderes de salud pública durante la pandemia

KFF Health News Original

Motivados por votantes enojados por los cierres y los mandatos sobre el uso de máscaras durante la pandemia, legisladores republicanos en más de la mitad de los estados de EE.UU. están quitando los poderes que los funcionarios estatales y locales usan para proteger al público contra las enfermedades infecciosas

Over Half of States Have Rolled Back Public Health Powers in Pandemic

KFF Health News Original

At least 26 states have passed laws to permanently limit public health powers, a KHN investigation has found, weakening the country’s ability to fight not only the current resurgence of the pandemic but other health crises to come.

Lack of a Vaccine Mandate Becomes Competitive Advantage in Hospital Staffing Wars

KFF Health News Original

After months of burnout from the pandemic, hospitals are scrambling to fill nursing and other jobs. Some administrators, particularly in rural areas, are afraid to implement vaccine mandates that alienate their short-handed staffs.

Concert Venues Are Banking on Proof of Vaccines or Negative Tests to Woo Back Fans

KFF Health News Original

Two days before hosting an outdoor Wilco concert, the St. Louis Music Park announced it would require proof of vaccination or a negative covid test for all ticket holders, sending some attendees scrambling and upending plans. Concertgoers, promoters and venues nationwide are all having to pivot quickly to find safer ways of enjoying live music amid the pandemic’s delta surge.

Covid Politics and Fatigue Work Against Contact-Tracing Foot Soldiers

KFF Health News Original

Local health officials find themselves once again behind the covid curve as the delta variant drives their case counts. With resources already stretched, along with the politicization of covid-19, county and state health departments in places like Missouri and Texas are making tough calls on whom to trace.

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Hot Covid Summer

KFF Health News Original

The summer that promised to let Americans resume a relatively normal life is turning into another summer of anxiety and face masks, as the delta variant drives covid caseloads up in all 50 states. Meanwhile, the Americans with Disabilities Act turns 35, and the Missouri Supreme Court orders the state to expand Medicaid after all. Mary Ellen McIntire of CQ Roll Call, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News and Rachana Pradhan of KHN join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also, Rovner interviews KHN’s Samantha Young, who reported and wrote the latest KHN-NPR “Bill of the Month” episode about an Olympic-level athlete with an Olympic-size medical bill.

As Holdout Missouri Joins Nation in Monitoring Opioid Prescriptions, Experts Worry

KFF Health News Original

Missouri is the last state to create a monitoring program to help spot the misuse of prescription drugs. But some public health experts warn that the nation’s programs are forcing people addicted to opioids to seek deadlier street options.