Latest KFF Health News Stories
Campus Voices: Should Student Health Centers Offer Abortion Pills?
California lawmakers are considering a bill that would require student health centers at all of the state’s four-year public universities to carry the abortion pill. Students at campuses across the state sounded off on the proposal.
At New Health Office, ‘Civil Rights’ Means Doctors’ Right To Say No To Patients
The HHS civil rights division refocuses on the rights of health care providers who have moral objections to treatments such as abortion or sterilization, alarming critics.
As Marijuana Laws Relax, Doctors Say Pregnant Women Shouldn’t Partake
Some mothers who smoke pot see it as a harmless remedy for everything from pain to postpartum depression. But doctors say the active ingredients in marijuana can be passed onto the baby and may affect developing nervous systems.
In Trump’s First Year, Anti-Abortion Forces Make Strides Despite Setbacks
As a candidate, the president promised a ban on abortions that take place after 20 weeks and federal funding to Planned Parenthood, but Congress has not obliged. Still, other anti-abortion policy goals have been realized.
A Poor Neighborhood In Chicago Looks To Cuba To Fight Infant Mortality
Infant mortality in some of the poorest ZIP codes in the United States rivals that of countries like war-torn Syria. Cuba, meanwhile, does a good job of keeping babies healthy on a tight budget. A team of Cuban health professionals recently spent time in Chicago helping peers there tackle the daunting problem.
Medicaid Proves A Lifeline For Clients Of Crisis Pregnancy Centers
For pregnant women in the United States, Medicaid is less a safety net than a building block of the maternity care system.
In Puerto Rico, The Joy Of Pregnancy Is Tempered By Fear Of Zika
Because of the fears about devastating birth defects, carrying a child to term can be daunting for women in the commonwealth.
To Curb Unintended Pregnancy, States Turn To IUDs — In The Delivery Room
States are contemplating whether access to IUD through post-delivery procedures could be an important step in curbing unintended pregnancies.
Covered California Resolves Pregnancy Snafu
Officials at the state exchange say they have fixed their computer system to stop switching some low-income pregnant women into Medi-Cal without their approval.
States Urged To Reduce Pregnancy-Related Deaths
States are being asked to collect data on the deaths of pregnant women and new mothers to determine how to reduce maternal mortality rates.
Pregnancy – A Touchy Subject In Employee Wellness Health Assessments
Pregnancy questions included in many wellness program questionnaires hit a nerve, and advocates are asking the Obama administration to ban these types of queries as part of a pending Equal Employment Opportunity Commission rule.
Long-Acting Contraceptives Help Reduce Teen Pregnancy Rates, Study Finds
Teenage girls who are given access to long-acting contraceptives such as IUDs or hormonal implants at no cost are less likely to become pregnant, according to a study in the New England Journal of Medicine released Wednesday. The findings come just two days after the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended that health providers should consider […]
Does My Insurance Have To Cover Pregnancy Benefits For My Dependents?
Michelle Andrews answers a question from a reader about whether the health law requires employer-sponsored insurance to cover maternity benefits for an employee’s dependents.
Advocacy Group Seeks To Force Employers To Give Pregnancy Coverage To Dependents
The National Women’s Law Center files complaints with HHS alleging that five institutions discriminate against women by excluding pregnancy coverage from the health insurance benefits that they provide to employees’ daughters.
Some Plans Deny Pregnancy Coverage For Dependent Children
Although group health plans must cover workers or their spouses if they become pregnant, they don’t have to extend that insurance to children.
Q&A: Can You Be Denied Insurance Due To Pregnancy?
Losing employment and group coverage during a pregnancy narrows consumers’ health insurance options.
Q&A: Is It Legal For Insurers To Deny Coverage Because Of A Pregnancy?
KHN’s “Insuring Your Health” columnist Michelle Andrews answers a question from a reader about whether or not insurers are required to cover maternity care on the individual market.
Many Individual Health Policies Do Not Cover Pregnancy
Families buying insurance on their own often find that the plans do not cover any of the usual expenses associated with having a baby.
Preventing Pregnancy: Should Patients Get Contraceptives From Health Plans At No Cost?
The new overhaul law says health plans should provide certain preventive services at no cost to patients. Women’s advocates say that free contraceptives would reduce unwanted pregnancies, but opponents say birth control doesn’t belong on the list of services, which is being developed by federal officials.
