Latest News On North Carolina

Latest KFF Health News Stories

Medical Debt Sunk Her Credit. New Changes From the Credit Reporting Agencies Won’t Help.

KFF Health News Original

New policies to prevent unpaid medical bills from harming people’s credit scores are on the way. But the concessions made by top credit reporting companies may fall short for those with the largest debt — especially Black Americans in the South.

Listen: Medical Bills Upended Her Life and Her Credit Score

KFF Health News Original

Penny Wingard, 58, of Charlotte, North Carolina, worries she won’t ever get out from under her medical debt despite new policies that are supposed to prevent medical debt from harming people’s credit scores.

A Disability Program Promised to Lift People From Poverty. Instead, It Left Many Homeless.

KFF Health News Original

A federal disability program meant to provide basic income for people unable to work has left many of its recipients homeless. Advocates for the poor say the crisis is growing worse as rents rise and Congress decides whether to make changes to the program that would affect millions of people.

Social Media Posts Criticize the 988 Suicide Hotline for Calling Police. Here’s What You Need to Know.

KFF Health News Original

The July launch of the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline was celebrated by many mental health providers and advocates, but it triggered concerns, too, from people who say using the service could lead to increased law enforcement involvement or forced hospitalization.

Post-‘Roe,’ People Are Seeking Permanent Sterilizations, and Some Are Being Turned Away

KFF Health News Original

Doctors in states where abortion is or could be banned say more patients are seeking permanent sterilization procedures, but some patients are reporting that providers are unwilling to operate on people of childbearing age.

Medical Bills Can Shatter Lives. North Carolina May Act to ‘De-Weaponize’ That Debt.

KFF Health News Original

Medical debt is most prevalent in the Southeast, where states have not expanded Medicaid and have few consumer protection laws. Now, North Carolina is considering two bills that could change that, making the state a leader in protecting patients from high medical bills.

Covid Funding Pries Open a Door to Improving Air Quality in Schools

KFF Health News Original

Researchers say the billions in pandemic funding available for ventilation upgrades in U.S. schools provides a once-in-a-generation opportunity to combat covid-19, as well as making air more breathable for students living with allergies, asthma, and chronic wildfire smoke.

Meta de las escuelas de medicina: médicos que no discriminen a pacientes con obesidad

KFF Health News Original

La investigación ha demostrado durante mucho tiempo que es menos probable que los médicos respeten a los pacientes con sobrepeso u obesos, incluso cuando casi las tres cuartas partes de los adultos en los Estados Unidos ahora pertenecen a una de esas categorías.

‘Almost Like Malpractice’: To Shed Bias, Doctors Get Schooled to Look Beyond Obesity

KFF Health News Original

Research has long shown that doctors are less likely to respect patients who are overweight or obese — terms that now apply to nearly three-quarters of adults in the U.S. The Association of American Medical Colleges plans to roll out new diversity, equity, and inclusion standards aimed at teaching doctors, among other things, how to treat patients who are overweight with respect.

Few Eligible Families Have Applied for Government Help to Pay for Covid Funerals

KFF Health News Original

The Federal Emergency Management Agency will reimburse many families up to $9,000 in funeral expenses for loved ones who died of covid-19. But fewer than half of eligible families have applied, while others have run into application problems.

As Overdoses Soar, More States Decriminalize Fentanyl Testing Strips

KFF Health News Original

Georgia may soon join a growing list of states decriminalizing the use of fentanyl testing strips. Bans of the strips — on the books in about half of states, experts say — stem from laws criminalizing drug paraphernalia adopted decades ago. But the testing devices are now recommended to help prevent overdose deaths.

Profit Strategy: Psychiatric Facilities Prioritize Out-of-State Kids

KFF Health News Original

Nearly all psychiatric residential treatment centers for children in South Carolina operate as for-profit businesses — some backed by private equity — and many prioritize out-of-state kids because it’s better for the bottom line. The scramble to secure treatment for children and teenagers has become so competitive that South Carolina will spend millions more each year as of April 1 to keep out-of-state patients from flooding the state’s treatment facilities.