Latest KFF Health News Stories
For Nursing Home Patients, Breast Cancer Surgery May Do More Harm Than Good
A new study of 6,000 older patients shows little gain from surgeries for breast cancer.
Hurricane Maria’s Official Death Toll In Puerto Rico Now Stands At Nearly 3,000
A report, commissioned by officials in the American territory, finds initial estimates were far too low, and mortality rates in the six months after the storm were 20 percent higher than normal.
Suicide By Opioid: New Research Suggests Overdoses Should Be Classified As Self-Harm
Researchers combined the number of suicide deaths with those associated with drug overdoses in an effort to better grasp the overlap between these two public health epidemics.
Los pediatras son claros: no se debe mezclar marihuana y embarazo
La Academia Americana de Pediatría cita creciente evidencia del daño potencial de la marihuana para el desarrollo a largo plazo de los niños.
Pediatricians Put It Bluntly: Motherhood And Marijuana Don’t Mix
Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding should not use marijuana because of serious concerns about neurological consequences for children, the American Academy of Pediatrics said on Monday.
Financial Ties That Bind: Studies Often Fall Short On Conflict-Of-Interest Disclosures
A new study in JAMA Surgery finds that a large sample of published medical research failed to disclose details on the financial relationships between medical device makers and physicians. Changes in the disclosure process could close this loop.
Medicaid Expansion Making Diabetes Meds More Accessible To Poor, Study Shows
The number of diabetes drug prescriptions filled for low-income people enrolled in Medicaid rose sharply in states that expanded eligibility for the program under the Affordable Care Act, according to a new study.
Expansión de Medicaid facilita el acceso de los más pobres a drogas anti diabetes
El estudio revela que las recetas para drogas contra la diabetes aumentaron un 40% en los estados que expandieron Medicaid bajo ACA. También lo hicieron los diagnósticos.
Trying To Pinpoint Hurricane’s True Toll, Researchers Say 1,139 Died In Puerto Rico
The estimate, published in the journal JAMA, dwarfs the government’s toll of 64 but is far lower than another highly touted analysis.
Esperanza y cautela por una vacuna de bajo costo contra la diabetes tipo 1
La vacuna, conocida como BCG, se utiliza en varios países para prevenir la tuberculosis y durante mucho tiempo se ha sabido que también estimula el sistema inmunitario.
Retooled Vaccine Raises Hopes As A Lower-Cost Treatment For Type 1 Diabetes
The vaccine, BCG, is relatively cheap. But experts caution the therapy could be overhyped and, if proven effective, wind up overpriced.
Luego de una sobredosis de opioides, solo el 30% recibe tratamiento contra la adicción
Solo 3 de cada 10 pacientes revividos tras sufrir una sobredosis de opioides reciben el tratamiento de seguimiento que puede evitar una futura tragedia.
After Opioid Overdose, Only 30 Percent Get Medicine To Treat Addiction
Patients revived from an opioid overdose who get methadone or Suboxone treatment for addiction afterward are much more likely to be alive a year later, says a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Listen: Disrupted Lives, Delayed Care And A Revised Death Toll In Puerto Rico
KHN senior correspondent Sarah Varney, who has seen firsthand how devastation wrought by Hurricane Maria has harmed residents of Puerto Rico, discusses the new statistics on the number who perished in the storm.
Study: Nearly Three-Quarters Of Commonly Used Medical Scopes Tainted By Bacteria
The ‘scary’ findings show a discouraging lack of progress in cleaning the devices, despite more vigorous efforts in the wake of deadly superbug outbreaks, experts say.
‘Nightmare Bacteria’ Stalk U.S. Hospitals
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found antibiotic-resistant bacteria whose spread has “outpaced” efforts to contain them.
Omissions On Death Certificates Lead To Undercounting Of Opioid Overdoses
Standards for how to investigate and report on overdoses vary widely across states and counties. As a result, opioid overdose deaths often go overlooked in the data reported to the federal government.
‘Peanut Butter Cup’ Vape: Is This Dessert Or An E-Cigarette Flavor?
Research out Monday offers evidence that advertising for e-cigarettes and other new tobacco products, which aren’t subject to the same restrictions that apply to the marketing traditional cigarettes, is stoking use among adolescents and young-adult smokers.
For Aspiring Doctors With Disabilities, Many Medical Schools Come Up Short
A national survey finds that medical schools should do more to help doctors with disabilities thrive. Although some schools do make needed accommodations, others need to take basic steps to help.
Use Of HIV-Prevention Drug Grows, But Lags Among Non-Whites
The pill, known as PrEP, can reduce the risk of contracting the virus that causes AIDS by 90 percent. Its use has expanded sharply in recent years — but primarily among a white demographic.
