Latest KFF Health News Stories
Over Half of States Have Rolled Back Public Health Powers in Pandemic
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.
Delta Cutting ‘Like a Buzzsaw’ Through Oregon-California Border Counties
Zoom in on states with overall good vaccination rates and you see a checkerboard effect, with rural areas far lagging urban zones. That’s allowed the pandemic to rage in places like Jackson County, Oregon, overwhelming hospitals.
Little-Known Illnesses Turning Up in Covid Long-Haulers
A significant number of post-covid patients suffer from syndromes that few doctors understand.
Covid Vaccine Websites Violate Disability Laws, Create Inequity for the Blind
A KHN investigation found covid vaccine registration and information websites at the federal, state and local levels are flouting disability rights laws and limiting the ability of people who are blind or visually impaired to sign up for shots.
Black Americans Are Getting Vaccinated at Lower Rates Than White Americans
Black Americans are receiving covid vaccines at a much lower rate than their white peers due to a combination of mistrust and access issues, leaving them behind in the mission to vaccinate the nation’s population.
Geography Is Destiny: Dentists’ Access to Covid Shots Depends on Where They Live
A handful of states are making dentists a lower priority than other health professionals for inoculations, even though they have their hands in people’s mouths and are exposed to aerosols that spray germs in their faces.
Only a Smokescreen? Big Tobacco Stands Down as Colorado and Oregon Hike Cigarette Taxes
After spending tens of millions of dollars to oppose past efforts, Altria didn’t oppose Colorado’s tobacco tax initiative and could benefit from the law’s minimum-price provision.
Trump’s Lame-Duck Status Leaves Governors to Wing It on COVID
As coronavirus cases surge, state officials can’t afford to wait for a new president to take office before taking action. But some governors’ initiatives seem to be little more than policy tweaks or symbolic gestures.
Distrusting Trump, States Plan to Vet COVID Vaccines Themselves. Bad Idea, Say Experts.
California and at least five other states have said they may independently vet any vaccines. Experts warn that could needlessly confuse the public.
Wildfires’ Toxic Air Leaves Damage Long After the Smoke Clears
As fires burn longer and closer to cities throughout the West, researchers are trying to understand the lasting health impacts by studying a Montana town previously smothered by wildfire smoke.
With COVID Vaccine Trial, Rural Oregon Clinic Steps Onto World Stage
A small allergy clinic in Medford, Oregon, might seem an unlikely place to recruit hundreds of volunteers to test the Moderna vaccine against COVID-19. But its steward has a record of leading hundreds of clinical trials.
¿Cómo prevenir suicidios? Busca pistas en moteles, consultorios y refugios de animales
Un programa en un condado de Oregon ha logrado reducir la tasa de suicidios investigando las decisiones que toman las personas que piensan en el suicidio días antes de cometerlo.
Want To Reduce Suicides? Follow The Data — To Medical Offices, Motels And Even Animal Shelters
An Oregon epidemiologist is using data to find patterns in suicides, then offering prevention training at the motels where people keep taking their lives, the animal shelter where they give away their pets, the pain clinics where patients struggle. Her model is spreading to New York, California and elsewhere.
Mired In Medical Debt? Federal Plan Would Update Overdue-Bill Collection Methods
More than half of Americans contacted about an overdue bill said it related to medical debt. A federal agency has proposed new guidance for what debt collectors are allowed to do when pursuing many types of overdue consumer bills, including medical debt. But some consumer advocates have panned the effort.
Estados debaten prohibir popular pesticida que afectaría el desarrollo infantil
Varios estudios han relacionado la exposición prenatal al clorpirifos con disminución de peso al nacer, bajo coeficiente intelectual, déficit de atención y otros problemas de desarrollo en niños.
States Weigh Banning A Widely Used Pesticide Even Though EPA Won’t
The pesticide chlorpyrifos has been linked to developmental problems in children. Some state and federal lawmakers want the chemical banned, but federal regulators are fighting to keep it on the market.
How Easy Are Vaccine Exemptions? Take A Look At The Oregon Model
About 95% of parents in Oregon who skip vaccines opt to use the state’s online education tool to print their own exemption certificates.
¿Cuán fácil es eximir a los niños de sus vacunas? Solo hay que mirar a Oregon
A medida que continúan los brotes de sarampión en el noroeste y se extienden a todo el país, registros de salud de Oregon sugieren lo fácil que que es optar por no recibir las vacunas requeridas en ese estado, como en muchos otros.
State Laws Ban Surprise Medical Bills. She Got One for $227K And Fought Back.
No one told a Washington state woman she was racking up massive out-of-pocket charges during a month-long emergency stay in an Oregon hospital. For six months, she and her husband were haunted by looming debt — and bill collectors.
Measles Outbreak Sends Vaccine Demand Soaring, Even Among The Hesitant
The number of health clinic orders and shots administered rose sharply in January compared with last year, Washington county officials say.
