20 Years After Katrina, Louisiana Still Struggles With Evacuation Plans That Minimize Health Risks

KFF Health News Original

As the climate changes, hurricanes are intensifying more quickly, leaving Louisiana’s current mass evacuation plan in limbo. But transportation officials say the price is too high to switch to methods used in Florida and Texas.

As the Trump Administration and States Push Health Data Sharing, Familiar Challenges Surface

KFF Health News Original

Despite billions of tax dollars and two decades of effort invested in improving health care data sharing, Americans’ medical records often remain siloed, leading to duplicate testing, increased costs, and wasted time for patients and doctors.

States Are Cutting Medicaid Provider Payments Long Before Trump Cuts Hit

KFF Health News Original

North Carolina and Idaho are cutting their Medicaid programs to bridge budget gaps, raising fears that providers will stop taking patients and that hospitals will close even before the brunt of a new federal tax-and-budget law takes effect.

Ticks Are Migrating, Raising Disease Risks if They Can’t Be Tracked Quickly Enough

KFF Health News Original

Doctors need to know when to screen for tick-borne diseases in their communities. But it’s getting harder for local health departments to get funding for tick surveys as federal public health grants from agencies like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention dry up.

Health Care Cuts Threaten Homegrown Solutions to Rural Doctor Shortages

KFF Health News Original

In a rural, largely Republican region of California, homegrown efforts to bolster the medical workforce face an uphill battle, in part because of federal health care cuts approved by the GOP Congress and signed by President Donald Trump in July, as well as a state budget deficit.

Las garrapatas migran y aumentan los riesgos de enfermedades si no se las rastrea con rapidez

KFF Health News Original

El cambio climático provocado por los humanos ha acortado los inviernos, lo que hace que las garrapatas pasen menos tiempo en hibernación y tengan más meses de actividad para engancharse a animales y personas.

Projected Surge in Uninsured Will Strain Local Health Systems

KFF Health News Original

In South Texas’ Rio Grande Valley, many people go without health insurance, and the health system struggles as a result. Similar communities dot the nation, and more could face such difficulties under President Donald Trump’s tax-and-spending law.

When I Go, I’m Going Green

KFF Health News Original

In a survey by the National Funeral Directors Association, more than 60% of respondents said they would be interested in exploring green and natural burial alternatives.

Do Pediatricians Recommend Vaccines To Make a Profit? There’s Not Much Money in It

KFF Health News Original

Four pediatricians said evidence-based science and medicine and a desire to keep kids healthy drive doctors’ childhood vaccination recommendations. And while pediatric practices might make money immunizing privately insured children, most practices likely break even or lose money from providing the shots.

Blue States That Sued Kept Most CDC Grants, While Red States Feel Brunt of Trump Clawbacks

KFF Health News Original

The Trump administration’s cuts of public health funds to state and local health departments had vastly uneven effects depending on the political leanings of where someone lives, a new KFF Health News analysis shows.

As Measles Exploded, Officials in Texas Looked to CDC Scientists. Under Trump, No One Answered.

KFF Health News Original

Trump officials sowed fear and confusion among CDC scientists, slowing their response to the measles outbreak in West Texas. Cases surged and sparked new outbreaks across the U.S. and Mexico. Together, these linked outbreaks have sickened more than 4,500 and killed at least 16 in the U.S. and Mexico.

Native Americans Want To Avoid Past Medicaid Enrollment Snafus as Work Requirements Loom

KFF Health News Original

As states prepare to implement changes to Medicaid required by President Donald Trump’s recent tax-and-spending law, tribal leaders say they are concerned Native American enrollees could lose their coverage, despite exemptions made by Congress.

Optum Rx Invokes Open Meetings Law To Fight Kentucky Counties on Opioid Suits

KFF Health News Original

In a Goliath-versus-David fight, UnitedHealth Group’s pharmacy benefit manager, Optum Rx, has filed lawsuits in five counties to stop them from including the company in national opioid litigation.

Guns, Race, and Profit: The Pain of America’s Other Epidemic

KFF Health News Original

Firearm violence is killing Americans at the scale of a public health epidemic. The suffering is concentrated in Black neighborhoods damaged by segregation, disinvestment, hate crimes, and other forms of racial discrimination.