Stranded in the ER, Seniors Await Hospital Care and Suffer Avoidable Harm
By Judith Graham
May 6, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Many older adults who need hospital care are getting stuck in emergency room limbo — sometimes for more than a day. The long ER waits for seniors who are frail, with multiple medical issues, lead to a host of additional medical problems.
California Offers Lifeline to 17 Troubled Hospitals
By Bernard J. Wolfson
August 24, 2023
KFF Health News Original
California’s new lending program for distressed hospitals will provide Madera Community Hospital with interest-free loans of up to $52 million if it can agree on a viable reopening plan with Adventist Health. The state will offer an additional $240.5 million in interest-free loans to 16 other troubled hospitals.
A Striking Gap Between Deaths of Black and White Babies Plagues the South
By Lauren Sausser
May 22, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Infant mortality rates across the South are by far the worst in the U.S. A look at South Carolina — where multimillion-dollar programs aimed at improving rates over the past 10 years have failed to move the needle — drives home the challenge of finding solutions, especially in rural communities.
A Law Was Meant to Free Sick or Aging Inmates. Instead, Some Are Left to Die in Prison.
By Fred Clasen-Kelly
February 21, 2023
KFF Health News Original
The First Step Act was supposed to help free terminally ill and aging federal inmates who pose little or no threat to public safety. But while petitions for compassionate release skyrocketed during the pandemic, judges denied most requests.
Surge in Syphilis Cases Leads Some Providers to Ration Penicillin
By Catherine Sweeney, WPLN
February 1, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Injectable penicillin is the go-to treatment for syphilis and the only treatment considered safe for pregnant people with the disease. But as rates of syphilis increase across the U.S., a shortage of the injectable has prompted some public health agencies to ration it.
How to Find a Good, Well-Staffed Nursing Home
By Jordan Rau
July 12, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Here are the telltale signs to look for in nursing homes to avoid, and resources that can point to better places.
Pain Doesn’t Belong on a Scale of Zero to 10
By Elisabeth Rosenthal
July 2, 2024
KFF Health News Original
A popular scale for measuring pain doesn’t work, but medicine still has no better alternative.
What’s It Really Like to Be HHS Secretary? Three Who’ve Done It Spill the Beans
By Julie Rovner Emmarie Huetteman
June 22, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Three secretaries of Health and Human Services, who served under Presidents Joe Biden, Donald Trump, and Barack Obama, gathered this week for a rare, candid conversation hosted by the Aspen Ideas Festival and KFF Health News’ “What the Health?” about the experience of being the nation’s top health official.
TV’s Dr. Oz Invested in Businesses Regulated by Agency Trump Wants Him To Lead
By Darius Tahir
November 21, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz recently held broad investments in health care, tech, and food companies. Were he confirmed to run the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, his job would involve interacting with giants of the industry that have contributed to his wealth.
Most People Dropped in Medicaid ‘Unwinding’ Never Tried to Renew Coverage, Utah Finds
By Phil Galewitz
January 4, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Medicaid officials in Utah conducted a survey to answer a burning question in health policy: What happened to people dropped from the program in the post-pandemic “unwinding”?
A Boy’s Bicycling Death Haunts a Black Neighborhood. 35 Years Later, There’s Still No Sidewalk.
By Renuka Rayasam Fred Clasen-Kelly
October 8, 2024
KFF Health News Original
John Parker was in first grade when he was struck by a pickup truck driving on Durham’s Cheek Road, which lacks sidewalks to this day. Neighborhoods with no sidewalks, damaged walkways, and roads with high speed limits are concentrated in Black neighborhoods, research finds.
After a Child’s Death, California Weighs Rules for Phys Ed During Extreme Weather
By Samantha Young
May 15, 2024
KFF Health News Original
A California lawmaker wants the state to craft guidelines for how and when schoolchildren can play or exercise during extreme weather, including heat waves. The bill comes after a 12-year-old boy died after a physical education instructor told him to run as the temperature topped 90 degrees.
The New Covid Vaccine Is Out. Why You Might Not Want To Rush To Get It.
By Arthur Allen Eliza Fawcett, Healthbeat Rebecca Grapevine, Healthbeat
Updated September 5, 2024
Originally Published August 26, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Although public health officials recommend the newly approved covid vaccine for everyone 6 months and older, it may make more sense to wait until closer to the holiday season.
Georgia’s Work Requirement Slows Processing of Applications for Medicaid, Food Stamps
By Andy Miller Renuka Rayasam Sam Whitehead
December 5, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Georgia’s ability to process applications for Medicaid and other public benefits has lagged since the launch of Republican Gov. Brian Kemp’s “Pathways” Medicaid work requirement, leaving Georgia with persistently slow Medicaid application processing times.
Older Americans Living Alone Often Rely on Neighbors or Others Willing To Help
By Judith Graham
November 12, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Diverse networks of friends, former co-workers, neighbors, and extended family are often essential sources of support for older adults living alone. Often it is the elderly caring for the elderly.
What’s at Stake: A Pivotal Election for Six Big Health Issues
By Arthur Allen Phil Galewitz Julie Rovner Daniel Chang
November 1, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Health care has ebbed and surged as an election issue throughout the presidential campaign. Here are the ways some of the most consequential changes in health policies could hinge on whether Vice President Kamala Harris or former President Donald Trump wins.
How a Proposed Federal Heat Rule Might Have Saved These Workers’ Lives
By Amy Maxmen
Updated October 29, 2024
Originally Published October 28, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Laborers have suffered in extreme heat triggered by climate change. Deaths aren’t inevitable, researchers say: Employers can save lives by providing ample water and breaks.
Beyond Insulin: Medi-Cal Expands Patient Access to Diabetes Supplies
By Angela Hart
November 17, 2023
KFF Health News Original
California’s Medicaid program is making it easier for people with diabetes to obtain the supplies and equipment they need to manage their blood sugar, partly by relaxing preauthorization requirements that can cause life-threatening delays.
Mammography AI Can Cost Patients Extra. Is It Worth It?
By Michelle Andrews
January 10, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Artificial intelligence software to aid radiologists in detecting problems or diagnosing cancer has been moving rapidly into clinical use, where it shows great promise. But it’s a turnoff for some patients asked to pay out-of-pocket for technology that’s not quite ready for prime time.
A New Era of Vaccines Leaves Old Questions About Prices Unanswered
By Elisabeth Rosenthal
October 27, 2023
KFF Health News Original
The CDC’s RSV vaccination recommendations beg the question: How much should an immunization that will possibly be given to millions of Americans cost to be truly valuable?
