Latest KFF Health News Stories
Hospitals, Insurers Invest Big Dollars to Tackle Patients’ Social Needs
Eager to control costs, health systems and insurers are trying to address patients’ social needs such as food insecurity, transportation and housing. Yet, after years of testing, there’s slim evidence these efforts pay off.
Many New Moms Get Kicked Off Medicaid 2 Months After Giving Birth. Illinois Will Change That.
Each year, hundreds of thousands of new mothers lose Medicaid coverage after 60 days when their income exceeds limits. But deadly childbirth complications persist months longer.
Pandemic Leads Doctors to Rethink Unnecessary Treatment
Covid-caused delays in medical treatments and surgeries are producing data for health care providers to take another look at what’s needed and what isn’t.
‘Kicking You When You’re Down’: Many Cancer Patients Pay Dearly for Parking
Patients often fork over payments comparable to valet rates to park while receiving care. A recent study found that some of the country’s most prestigious cancer centers charge nearly $1,700 over the course of treatment for some types of the disease.
Trouble Managing Money May Be an Early Sign of Dementia
Long before they receive a dementia diagnosis, many people begin to mismanage their finances as their memory, organizational skills and self-control falter.
Mental Health Services Wane as Insurers Appear to Skirt Parity Rules During Pandemic
A report from the Government Accountability Office paints a picture of an already strained behavioral health system struggling after the pandemic struck to meet the treatment needs of millions of Americans with conditions like alcohol use disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Indiana’s Medicaid Expansion — Designed by Pence and Verma — Panned in Federal Report
Indiana’s program seeks to give expansion enrollees “skin in the game,” requiring that they pay small monthly premiums and manage health savings accounts.
Dramática baja de enfermedades por virus comunes, ¿significa máscaras para siempre?
Algunos expertos, como los investigadores que intentan mejorar las máscaras, argumentan que más sociedades deberían adoptarlas, como lo han hecho algunos países asiáticos.
Dramatic Drop in Common Viruses Raises Question: Masks Forever?
Hospitalizations are down 62% for childhood respiratory illnesses, a study shows. Masking and social distancing are keeping a variety of viruses in check this flu season.
Did CDC Delays in Up-To-Date Masking Advice Cost Health Workers’ Lives?
Researchers say “very low”-quality research from the 2003 SARS outbreak drove guidelines on who got the best PPE, leaving those most at risk exposed.
Coronavirus Deranges the Immune System in Complex and Deadly Ways
Researchers are testing treatments to overcome autoimmune reactions that begin when the body’s defenses respond to the coronavirus.
Children’s Hospitals Are Partly to Blame as Superbugs Increasingly Attack Kids
A growing body of research shows that overuse and misuse of antibiotics in children’s hospitals is helping fuel superbugs, which typically strike frail seniors but are increasingly infecting kids. And the pandemic is making things worse.
Alzheimer’s Inc.: Colleagues Question Scientist’s Pricey Recipe Against Memory Loss
Dr. Dale Bredesen is a well-known, well-respected neurologist. But his colleagues think the comprehensive Alzheimer’s program he’s marketing through a private company is a mixture of free-for-the-asking common sense and unproven interventions.
Feds Look to Pharmacists to Boost Childhood Immunization Rates
Fears over COVID-19 have contributed to a slump in inoculations among children. Now the federal government is looking to pharmacists for help, but many of them do not participate in a program that offers free shots to half the kids in the U.S.
For Nurses Feeling the Strain of the Pandemic, Virus Resurgence Is ‘Paralyzing’
COVID-19’s toll weighs heavily on nurses, who can suffer stress and other psychological problems if they don’t believe they are able to help their patients sufficiently.
‘Breakthrough Finding’ Reveals Why Certain COVID Patients Die
Scientists have found that some people have antibodies against parts of their own immune system, allowing viruses to multiply rapidly.
They Work in Several Nursing Homes to Eke Out a Living, Possibly Spreading the Virus
An analysis of location data from 30 million smartphones found that facilities across the country that share the most workers also had the most COVID-19 infections. The “Kevin Bacon of nursing homes” in each state — the one with the most staffers working at other nursing homes — was likely to have the worst outbreaks of coronavirus contagion.
Lo que sabemos sobre la transmisión aérea del coronavirus
Aunque los CDC removieron la información de su sitio web, muchos incidentes y estudios apuntan hacia la idea de que las partículas en el aire juegan un papel más importante de lo que se pensaba.
What We Know About the Airborne Spread of the Coronavirus
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has gone back-and-forth on this issue. One thing remains clear: Though science is evolving, indications do point toward the potential for airborne transmission.
Reapertura de universidades generó 3,000 nuevos casos de COVID por día, según estudio
Los investigadores comprobaron que solo reabrir una universidad agregó 1.7 nuevas infecciones por día por cada 100,000 personas en un solo condado.
