Latest KFF Health News Stories
Why Is Finding Covid Shots for Young Children Still So Hard?
In Los Angeles and elsewhere, some parents are having trouble finding the new pediatric covid shot, especially for young children. Not all pediatricians or pharmacies have it and can administer it, even if vaccines.gov says they can.
California Moves Ahead of the FDA in Banning Common Candy Additives
The legislation bans the use of four additives that are already prohibited in many other countries but remain in popular U.S. foods. Advocates say states need to act because the FDA has done little.
Let’s Have an Honest Conversation About What to Expect as You Age
A leading geriatrician says a lot of health information for older adults isn’t as useful as it should be. No person’s aging process looks exactly like another’s. So she’s written a guidebook.
Una charla necesaria: qué le ocurre al cuerpo y la mente a medida que se envejece
El envejecimiento altera a las personas por décadas, un largo período influenciado por circunstancias sociales y económicas, conductas, el lugar en donde se vive, y otros factores. E impacta en la fisiología, pero no de manera uniforme para todos.
Biden Pick to Lead NIH Finally Has Her Day, but Still Gets Caught Up in Drug Price Debate
Monica Bertagnolli, the president’s choice to head the National Institutes of Health, appeared before a Senate committee this week. Her confirmation has been held up by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who has demanded President Joe Biden work more aggressively to lower prescription drug prices.
Senators Demand Answers From Social Security on Clawbacks Tied to Covid Relief
Covid relief payments weren’t supposed to cost people their Social Security benefits, but some recipients say they did. Senators want to know why.
Health Care ‘Game-Changer’? Feds Boost Care for Homeless Americans
This month, the federal government started paying for treatments delivered outside hospitals and clinics, expanding funding for “street medicine” teams that treat homeless patients. California led the way on the change, which could help sick and vulnerable patients get healthy, sober, and, in some cases, into housing.
Feds Try to Head Off Growing Problem of Overdoses Among Expectant Mothers
Homicides, suicides, and drug overdoses have driven rising rates of pregnancy-related death in the U.S. This fall, six states received federal funding for substance use treatment interventions to prevent at least some of those deaths.
Under Fire, Social Security Chief Vows ‘Top-to-Bottom’ Review of Payment Clawbacks
Acting Commissioner Kilolo Kijakazi was pressed by a House Ways and Means subcommittee to explain why so many poor, disabled, or retired people are suddenly hit with demands that can reach tens of thousands of dollars or more.
Suzanne Somers’ Legacy Tainted by Celebrity Medical Misinformation
The popular actress and author, who died this week, also can be remembered as a progenitor of selling dubious medical information to a trusting public.
Abortion Coverage Is Limited or Unavailable at a Quarter of Large Workplaces
A KFF survey of employer health benefits shows that 28% of large U.S. companies have limited or no access to abortion under company health insurance.
Covid Relief Payments Triggered Feds to Demand Money Back From Social Security Recipients
Some Social Security beneficiaries say the government is clawing back benefits after they received covid stimulus payments that were supposed to be exempt from asset limits.
Pregnant and Addicted: Homeless Women See Hope in Street Medicine
As homelessness explodes across California, so does the number of expectant mothers on the streets. Street medicine doctors are getting paid more by Medicaid and offering some of those mothers-to-be a chance to overcome addiction and reverse chronic diseases so they can have healthy babies — and perhaps keep them.
Michigan Voters Backed Abortion Rights. Now Democrats Want to Go Further.
Michigan is one of the few remaining abortion havens in the Midwest. But getting an abortion in that state is still more difficult than it should be, providers say.
For People With Sickle Cell Disease, ERs Can Mean Life-Threatening Waits
When patients with sickle cell disease have a health crisis — crescent-shaped red blood cells blocking blood flow — their condition can quickly lead to a fatal stroke or infection. But, despite efforts to educate doctors, research shows that patients are waiting hours in ERs and are often denied pain medication.
Es el momento de revisar el plan de Medicare. Lo nuevo que hay que saber
Desde el 15 de octubre y hasta el 7 de diciembre, los afiliados al programa tradicional o a los planes de Medicare Advantage, que ofrecen aseguradoras privadas, pueden cambiar su cobertura.
Doctors Abandon a Diagnosis Used to Justify Police Custody Deaths. It Might Live On, Anyway.
The American College of Emergency Physicians agreed to withdraw its 2009 white paper on excited delirium, removing the only official medical pillar of support left for the theory that has played a key role in absolving police of culpability for in-custody deaths.
Medicare Enrollees Can Switch Coverage Now. Here’s What’s New and What to Consider.
Fall is the time when enrollees in the federal program for older people and people with certain disabilities can make changes to their health and drug plans. The decision can be complicated, but here are some key points to keep in mind.
Listen: Inroads for Women in California’s Health Care Workforce
KFF Health News senior correspondent Angela Hart leads a discussion about the role women play as California grapples with a shortage of health care providers.
A Third of Schools Don’t Have a Nurse. Here’s Why That’s a Problem.
School nurses treat children daily for a wide range of illnesses and injuries, and sometimes serve as a young patient’s only health provider. They also function as a point person for critical public health interventions. Yet many states don’t require them, and school districts struggle to hire them.
