Latest KFF Health News Stories
Houston Hospital Checking To See If Patients’ Cupboards Are Bare
Starting in fall 2015, Houston-based Memorial Hermann Health System began to examine the food struggles among patients at four medical sites and found that 11 percent to 30 percent said they had run out of food in the prior month or thought that they would.
Texas Braces For Medicaid Cuts Under GOP Health Plan
Texans on both sides of the political spectrum say the Lone Star State is not going to fare well under GOP plans to replace the Affordable Care Act.
Change In Texas Medicaid Payments Helps Cut Number Of Premature Births
Texas has reduced unnecessary early deliveries by 14 percent since refusing to pay doctors who performed C-sections that weren’t medically necessary.
What Made Obamacare Succeed In Some States? Hint: It’s Not Politics
A study of five states looks at the market conditions that make or break the health insurance marketplaces set up by the Affordable Care Act.
As Non-Medical Vaccine Exemptions Grow, Texas Parents Seek Transparency In Schools
Although the state has an overall high level of vaccinations, some people are concerned about growing pockets with high numbers of children who are not immunized.
To Curb Unintended Pregnancy, States Turn To IUDs — In The Delivery Room
States are contemplating whether access to IUD through post-delivery procedures could be an important step in curbing unintended pregnancies.
Despite Federal Directive, Texas Denies Medicaid Coverage For An Autism Therapy
The state’s Medicaid program quit covering the expensive therapy, called applied behavioral analysis, leaving some families scrambling to afford the treatment.
5 Things To Know About The Supreme Court’s Texas Abortion Decision
It was a big win for pro-abortion rights advocates, but abortion opponents are not daunted. Stay tuned for how it will affect presidential politics and the next generation of women voters.
Supreme Court Strikes Down Key Restrictions In Texas Anti-Abortion Law
The 5-to-3 decision could impact similar laws in about two dozen other states.
Gaps In Women’s Health Care May Derail Zika Prevention In Texas, Florida
In these two high-risk states, public health workers face challenges in educating women about the virus and minimizing its impact.
Legal Medical Abortions Are Up In Texas, But So Are DIY Pills From Mexico
Women seeking an abortion in restrictive Texas now often pick the medical version, thanks to FDA rules making it easier. Others seek cheaper pills in Mexico, and aren’t getting guidance from a doctor.
Mosquito Hunters Set Traps Across Houston, Search For Signs Of Zika
Harris County, Texas, operates one of the largest mosquito control operations in the country, with more than 50 people who trap, freeze and test mosquitoes for threats such as Zika.
Pregnant Women In Houston And Their Doctors Weigh Risks Of Zika
The U.S. Gulf Coast has the right weather conditions and mosquitoes for the Zika virus, which has been linked to birth defects. But the level of risk is unknown in this country so doctors are advising caution to their patients who are pregnant or trying to have a baby.
Back From The Brink, A Rural Texas Hospital Shines
One family’s tragedy inspired a radical change at a struggling rural hospital in Texas.
Supreme Court Vacancy Creates Muddle For Future Of Reproductive Rights
Scalia’s death throws cases on abortion, contraception coverage into doubt.
Narrow Marketplace Plans In Texas Pose Problems For Autistic Children
The move away from policies that allow families to seek out-of-network care is forcing many parents with autistic children to consider covering therapy costs themselves.
Hispanic Children’s Uninsured Rate Hits Record Low, Study Finds
About 300,000 Hispanic children gained insurance in 2014 from 2013, dropping the number of uninsured to 1.7 million, researchers said, and two-thirds of 1.7 million uninsured Hispanic kids live in five states.
Musicians Struggle To Buy Insurance In A City That Thrives On Music
The music industry generates $1.6 billion a year for Austin, Texas. But many musicians can’t afford the basics, including health insurance. The Health Alliance for Austin Musicians steps in to help.
Texas’ Changing Relationship To Obamacare
For the moment, Texas Republicans still consider the Affordable Care Act to be political kryptonite, but the story on the local level is different: many moderates want the money that would come with expanding Medicaid, the state-federal health care program for the poor.
Kids With Ebola? Texas Children’s Hospital Is Ready If It Happens In U.S.
One of the 55 hospitals nationwide that the CDC named as future “Ebola treatment centers” is Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston. One year after the first confirmed case of Ebola in the U.S., the hospital is about to open a new eight-bed biocontainment wing — the only one of its kind for children in the country.
