Latest KFF Health News Stories
Social Security Praises Its New Chatbot. Ex-Officials Say It Was Tested but Shelved Under Biden.
Social Security, under the leadership of a tech enthusiast, rolled out an artificial intelligence-powered chatbot to answer calls. But as beneficiaries complain about glitches, lawmakers and former officials ask whether it’s a preview of a less human agency at which rushed-out AI takes the place of pushed-out government workers.
Blue States That Sued Kept Most CDC Grants, While Red States Feel Brunt of Trump Clawbacks
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.
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
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.
Planned Parenthood Bets on Redistricting To Push Back Against GOP Funding Cuts
Alarmed at Republicans’ deep cuts to health care and restrictions on reproductive rights, advocates are supporting California’s effort to counter a mid-decade gerrymander by the Texas GOP to pad their party’s fragile U.S. House majority.
Even in States That Fought Obamacare, Trump’s New Law Poses Health Consequences
GOP lawmakers in 10 states have refused for a decade to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. But when President Donald Trump got another whack at Obamacare, these holdout states went unrewarded.
Deep Staff Cuts at a Little-Known Federal Agency Pose Trouble for Droves of Local Health Programs
The workforce of a federal agency that oversees billions in grants for primary health care, HIV/AIDS, maternal and child health services, and workforce training has been slashed, sparking fears of what’s to come.
Immigrant Kids Detained in ‘Unsafe and Unsanitary’ Sites as Trump Team Seeks To End Protections
President Donald Trump’s Justice Department seeks to terminate the Flores Settlement Agreement, which since 1997 has required U.S. immigration officials to hold migrant children in facilities that are safe and sanitary, among other protections. Even with the consent decree in place, court records show unsafe conditions for immigrant kids.
Entre marzo y junio, abogados de menores inmigrantes recopilaron estos testimonios, y otros de jóvenes y familias detenidas, en lo que describen entornos “con apariencia carcelaria” en distintos puntos de Estados Unidos.
Cosmetic Surgeries Led to Disfiguring Injuries, Patients Allege
A joint investigation by KFF Health News and NBC News found that cosmetic surgery chains have been the target of scores of medical malpractice and negligence lawsuits, including 12 wrongful death cases.
Fearing Medicaid Coverage Loss, Some Parents Rush To Vaccinate Their Kids
Worried parents are hurrying to get their children vaccinated, fearing future federal policy changes will limit access to free immunizations. Pediatricians worry that any changes to the childhood vaccine schedule will leave families without affordable options for essential shots.
Por temor a perder la cobertura de Medicaid, padres se apresuran a vacunar a sus hijos
A lo largo del país, pediatras dicen que padres ansiosos están preocupados por si continuará habiendo acceso a las vacunas infantiles de rutina.
Tribal Health Officials Work To Fill Vaccination Gaps as Measles Outbreak Spreads
Native American tribes and health organizations are hosting clinics and calling patients to counteract low measles vaccination rates and limited access to health care as the disease spreads across the country.
Los Angeles Weighs a Disaster Registry. Disability Advocates Warn Against False Assurances.
Amid increasingly frequent natural disasters, several states have turned to registries to prioritize help for vulnerable residents. But while some politicians see these registries as a potential solution to a public health problem, many disability advocates say they endanger residents with mobility problems by giving a false sense of security.
Even Grave Errors at Rehab Hospitals Go Unpenalized and Undisclosed
For-profit hospitals provide most inpatient physical therapy but tend to have worse readmission rates to general hospitals. Medicare doesn’t tell consumers about troubling inspections.
Journalists Tally State and Local Health Care Implications of GOP Megabill
KFF Health News journalists made the rounds on national and local media recently to discuss topical stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.
The Foster Care System Has a Suicide Problem. Federal Cuts Threaten To Slow Fixes.
Children and young adults in the U.S. foster care system suffer from mental health disorders and die by suicide at far higher rates than the general population, yet the system doesn’t uniformly screen and treat children who are at risk.
As Mosquito Season Peaks, Officials Brace for New Normal of Dengue Cases
In recent years, locally acquired dengue cases have appeared in California, Florida, and Texas, parts of the U.S. where the disease isn’t endemic. Health and vector control officials worry that with climate change and the lack of a vaccine, dengue will take hold in a larger swath of North America.
Con el verano hay más mosquitos y, temen oficiales, más casos de dengue
El año pasado se reportaron alrededor de 3.700 nuevas infecciones por dengue en Estados Unidos, frente a las 2.050 de 2023, según los Centros para el Control y Prevención de Enfermedades.
HHS Eliminates CDC Staff Who Made Sure Birth Control Is Safe for Women at Risk
The Trump administration eliminated the CDC team that developed national guidelines for prescribing contraception safely for millions of women with underlying medical conditions.
