Latest KFF Health News Stories
Who Doesn’t Text in 2022? Most State Medicaid Programs
As states prepare for the end of the covid public health emergency, they are making plans to reevaluate each Medicaid enrollee’s eligibility. They will rely primarily on mail and email because not many states can text enrollees.
Inmates Who Died Asked for Release Before Falling Ill With Covid
Covid is running rampant through the Alderson women’s prison in West Virginia, in one of the deadliest outbreaks this year at a federal correctional facility. This comes as Bureau of Prisons officials take heat for how the agency has handled the pandemic.
West Virginia Sen. Manchin Takes the Teeth Out of Democrats’ Plan for Seniors’ Dental Care
In West Virginia, older residents often go without dental care, and a quarter of people 65 and older have no natural teeth, the highest rate of any state in the country. But a powerful senator from West Virginia, Joe Manchin, has rebuffed efforts to add a dental benefit to Medicare.
As Overdose Deaths Soar, DEA-Wary Pharmacies Shy From Dispensing Addiction Medication
A West Virginia pharmacy cleared a Drug Enforcement Administration investigation. But it shut down anyway, highlighting how the agency’s policies reduce the availability of buprenorphine, an important tool for recovery from opioid addiction.
Uninsured in South Would Win Big in Democrats’ Plan, but Hospitals Fear Funding Loss
The latest iteration of President Joe Biden’s social-spending package would close the health insurance gap for at least 2.2 million people, making a huge difference especially in the South, where political opposition has blocked Medicaid expansion.
Amid Covid Booster Debate, West Virginia to Check Immunity of Vaccinated Nursing Home Residents
The state says it will look at the levels of disease-fighting antibodies among nursing home residents vaccinated against covid, which could help indicate whether they need a booster shot.
Mientras los vulnerables esperan, cónyuges de políticos reciben la vacuna contra covid
Los políticos que recibieron la vacuna junto con sus cónyuges dijeron que querían dar el ejemplo y generar confianza. Pero algunos cuestionan esta razón.
As the Vulnerable Wait, Some Political Leaders’ Spouses Get Covid Vaccines
Spouses of governors and federal leaders are getting early access to scarce doses of covid-19 vaccines. Some officials have argued their inoculation sets an example for the public and shows the vaccines to be safe and effective. But critics say those doses should go to more vulnerable people first.
Distrusting Trump, States Plan to Vet COVID Vaccines Themselves. Bad Idea, Say Experts.
California and at least five other states have said they may independently vet any vaccines. Experts warn that could needlessly confuse the public.
Ex-West Virginia Health Chief Says Cuts Hurt Virus Response
The former West Virginia public health leader forced out by the governor says decades-old computer systems and cuts to staff over a period of years had made a challenging job even harder during a once-in-a-century pandemic.
COVID Tests Are Free, Except When They’re Not
Her doctor worried she had COVID-19 but couldn’t test her for it until she ruled out other things. That test cost a bundle.
Hace años, este doctor relacionó un misterioso mal pulmonar con el “vaping”
Este verano, funcionarios federales comenzaron a investigar un brote nacional de enfermedades pulmonares graves relacionadas con el vapeo que ha afectado a más de 150 pacientes en 16 estados.
Years Ago, This Doctor Linked A Mysterious Lung Disease To Vaping
In an exclusive interview, a West Virginia physician says that back in 2015 he had a sense a patient’s illness “probably wasn’t the first case ever seen nor would it be the last.” Was it a sentinel event?
Hospitals Accused Of Paying Doctors Large Kickbacks In Quest For Patients
Hospitals are eager to get particular specialists on staff because they bring in business that can be highly profitable. But those efforts, if they involve unusually high salaries or other enticements, can violate federal anti-kickback laws.
Podcast: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’ Let’s Talk Politics
In this episode of KHN’s “What the Health?” Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Alice Ollstein of Talking Points Memo and Rebecca Adams of CQ Roll Call talk about health care’s emergence as a possible voting issue in the coming midterm elections. Plus, Rovner interviews KHN’s Emmarie Huetteman about July’s “Bill of the Month”: a transgender woman’s “bait-and-switch” $92,000 surgical bill.
Unwieldy Health Costs Often Stand Between Teachers And Fatter Paychecks
Cash-strapped school boards, cities and legislatures scrounge to cover pay raises and pricey benefits and turn to teachers to fork over more of their shrinking take-home pay.
On Back Roads Of Appalachia’s Coal Country, Mental Health Services Are As Rare As Jobs
Long commutes and scarcity of providers make it hard for patients who need counseling or psychiatric care.
West Virginia Grapples With High Drug Costs
Climbing drug prices are taking a toll on West Virginia’s budget, some state legislators say. Expensive drugs fuel an increase in Medicaid spending, which leaves less money for schools and roads.
Few Young Doctors Are Training To Care For U.S. Elderly
Only about half of geriatric fellowships for medical residents in the U.S. are filled each year. Some students blame overwhelming medical school debt, which grows with every extra year of training.
