Latest KFF Health News Stories
Did It Hurt Or Help? Researchers Analyze Ohio’s 2011 Abortion Law
A new study finds that women may have suffered more complications and needed more follow-up care as a result of the law. The law’s advocates question the findings.
Another Reason To Diet: Experts Find Additional Evidence Of Obesity-Cancer Link
A review by the International Agency for Research on Cancer reaffirms earlier findings that excess body fat increases the risks for certain cancers.
Preventive Care, Specialists Key To Controlling Kidney Failure Treatment Costs
These findings in JAMA Internal Medicine also note the importance of coordinating care and, some experts say, could provide a model for other diseases.
Insurance Doesn’t Ensure Children Get Needed Visual Exams, Study Says
Researchers estimate thousands of children suffer two debilitating eye conditions because they don’t get proper exams while young.
Survey: Millions More Californians Insured After Obamacare Launch, Medicaid Expansion
But the remaining uninsured are tough to reach.
Genetic Insights About Health Risks Limited By Lack Of Diversity, Study Finds
A study in the New England Journal of Medicine detailed how the diagnoses of risk for a common hereditary heart disease may have been skewed because studies have traditionally had low numbers of black participants.
Hidden Plan Exclusions May Leave Gaps In Women’s Care, Study Finds
The research finds that many plans don’t make details about what services are not covered readily apparent.
Race, Ethnicity Affect Kids’ Access To Mental Health Care, Study Finds
An analysis in the International Journal of Health Services finds disparities between white young people and their black and Hispanic counterparts in how often they receive mental health treatment.
Researchers Identify A Key Weapon of Zika Virus
University of Southern California scientists determined the virus uses certain types of protein to interrupt the brain development of fetuses. The finding is a step toward the possible development of an intervention that could prevent the infection from leading to microcephaly.
Teaching In-Home Caregivers Seems To Pay Off
Intensive training for such aides helps reduce repeated ER visits and hospitalizations of elderly disabled people, a pilot project suggests.
Assisted Living Residents With Dementia Prone To Abusing Others, Study Finds
Residents with dementia need to be monitored and increased training is needed for staff who care for them, said researchers who examined reported instances of abuse in assisted living facilities.
Big Companies Expect Moderate Increases In 2017 Employee Health Care Costs
Two surveys suggest these companies continue to try new ways to control the expense of employees’ coverage.
‘Lost In Translation:’ Hospitals’ Language Service Capacity Doesn’t Always Match Need
A study in Health Affairs finds that nationwide hospital-based language services are not available in a systematic way.
In Later Years, Disabilities End Blacks’ Active Lives Sooner Than Whites’
Elderly black women suffer most from shorter active life expectancy free of disabilities, showing no improvement since the early 1980s, Health Affairs study finds.
Syncing Up Drug Refills: A Way To Get Patients To Take Their Medicine
A study published in Health Affairs concludes that the idea of coordinating prescription refill timelines for people with multiple chronic conditions could improve their medication adherence and health outcomes.
Study Bodes Well For Biosimilars But Highlights Need For More Research
Some experts said the findings stemming from this systematic review of existing studies was reassuring, but not surprising.
Opioid Dependence Leads To ‘Tsunami’ Of Medical Services, Study Finds
Insurance claims for medical services related to opioid dependence diagnoses rose more than 3,000 percent between 2007 and 2014, an analysis finds.
Study: 30 Percent Of Children’s Readmissions To Hospitals May Be Preventable
In more than three-quarters of the cases that researchers said might have been preventable, factors at the hospital contributed to the child’s return, according to the researchers.
Seniors Who Live Alone Likeliest To Rate Their Health Highly, Study Says
Researchers say their study suggests solitary households may be markers for older adults in better health and with more functional independence.
Diabetes Linked To Risk Of Mental Health Hospitalization In Young Adults: Study
The rate of hospital treatment for mental health conditions or substance abuse problems was four times higher for people with diabetes aged 19 through 25 than for those without the disease.