Latest News On West Virginia

Latest KFF Health News Stories

As the Vulnerable Wait, Some Political Leaders’ Spouses Get Covid Vaccines

KFF Health News Original

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.

Ex-West Virginia Health Chief Says Cuts Hurt Virus Response

KFF Health News Original

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.

Hace años, este doctor relacionó un misterioso mal pulmonar con el “vaping”

KFF Health News Original

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

KFF Health News Original

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

KFF Health News Original

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

KFF Health News Original

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

KFF Health News Original

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.

West Virginia Grapples With High Drug Costs

KFF Health News Original

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

KFF Health News Original

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.