Latest KFF Health News Stories
Oregon Medical Students Face Tough Test: Talking About Dying
Starting this spring, aspiring doctors at the Oregon Health & Science University must prove they can communicate about difficult subjects ranging from admitting medical mistakes to notifying families about a patient’s death.
Oregon Couple’s Final Days Captured In Intimate Aid-In-Dying Video
Dr. Charles Emerick and his wife, Francie, died together last spring after both being diagnosed with terminal illnesses. First, they let their daughter turn on the camera.
Dementia Patient At Center of Spoon-Feeding Controversy Dies
Nora Harris, 64, who had early-onset Alzheimer’s disease, raised questions about the power — and limits — of an advance directive to withdraw care.
In Oregon, End-of-Life Wishes Are Just A Click Away
A new link creates two-way access to the state registry that documents the type of medical care sick and frail patients want — or refuse.
Oregon, Texas Are Latest States To Put Down Markers On Abortion Coverage
The governors of both states signed abortion legislation last week. Texas will restrict insurance coverage while Oregon will require that it be covered.
Despite Advance Directive, Dementia Patient Denied Last Wish, Says Spouse
Oregon court says Alzheimer’s patient Nora Harris must be spoon-fed. But her husband says she never wanted to live like this.
Drop In Sudden Cardiac Arrests Linked To Obamacare
A study published by the Journal of the American Heart Association showed that sudden cardiac arrests dropped by 17 percent in one Oregon county after people gained health insurance through the Affordable Care Act.
Where You Live May Determine How You Die. Oregon Leads The Way.
A state with integrated systems for end-of-life care offers better treatment for the seriously ill, according to a new study.
Colorado Wrestles With Ethics Of Aid-In-Dying As Vote Looms
Proposition 106, on Colorado’s ballot next month, would allow doctors to prescribe a lethal dose of medication to people who have less than six months to live. A recent poll shows strong support for the measure.
Emergency Room Use Stayed High In Oregon Medicaid Study
A new study on Oregon’s famed Medicaid experiment eight years ago shows no decline in emergency room care even after two years of coverage.
Election Buzz: Critics Of Legal Pot Say Addiction Becomes ‘A Disease Of The Family’
As more states consider legalizing recreational marijuana, families consider what messages to present to young people about using pot. Should it be avoidance, moderation or acceptance? Differing views from Arizona and Oregon.
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.
State Obamacare Exchanges ‘Sustainable’ Without Federal Aid, Official Tells Congress
But CMS Acting Administrator Andy Slavitt declines to predict fate of the 13 remaining state exchanges in congressional testimony.
California’s Right-To-Die Law Sparks Reaction
Scott Shafer of KQED and The California Report hosted a special radio broadcast on California’s landmark aid-in-dying law, and talked to reporter April Dembosky, advocates and critics of the law, and the husband of the woman whose lobbying — and death — sparked the debate.
Stemming The Cycle Of Toxic Stress – For The Kids’ Sake
An Oregon pediatrician is among a growing number of doctors nationally trying to help families whose kids are at risk of experiencing trauma with lifelong health consequences.
From Pills To Pins: Oregon Is Changing How It Deals With Back Pain
Alternative therapies aren’t proven to work any better than drugs — and they may even cost more. But Oregon hopes paying for them will reduce costs of hospitalizing for, and treatment of, opioid abuse.
As Legal Marijuana Expands, States Struggle With Drugged Driving
As more states make medical and recreational marijuana use legal, they increasingly are grappling with what constitutes DUID, or driving under the influence of drugs, and how to detect and prosecute it. And they’re finding it is more difficult than identifying and convicting drunken drivers.
The Great Fluoride Debate In Portland
Portland, Ore., is the largest American city that doesn’t add fluoride to its drinking water. Activists have been vocal, for and against a proposal to change that. The science shows that fears of side effects from small amounts of fluoride to protect teeth are unfounded.
