Latest KFF Health News Stories
Gun Safety ‘Wrapped in a Mental Health Bill’: A Look at Health Provisions in the New Law
The bulk of the funds provided in the gun reform law known as the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act are for expanding mental health services. Will it help improve mental health outcomes and stem violence?
Skirmishes Over Medication Abortion Renews Debate on State vs. Federal Powers
The Biden administration may have authority to allow the use of abortion pills even in states where the practice could be outlawed, say legal experts.
Should You Worry About Data From Your Period-Tracking App Being Used Against You?
After a leaked Supreme Court draft opinion was published May 2 suggesting that Roe v. Wade would soon be overturned, social media users started worrying that their use of period-tracking apps could lead to trouble if they sought an abortion and lived in a state with strict limits or bans on the procedure.
A Guide to Help You Keep Up With the Omicron Subvariants
How different are the seemingly endless stream of emerging omicron subvariants from one another and how protected are we?
US Rep. Gaetz’s Diagnosis of What’s Driving Insulin Costs Misses the Root Cause
A diabetes diagnosis is not always related to a person’s weight or overall health, especially for those with Type 1 diabetes, who are dependent on insulin treatment for life.
The CDC’s New Guidelines on Covid Risk and Masking Send Confounding Signals
The agency’s updated recommendations lower the level of covid risk for most of the country and therefore the need to mask. But some experts question the strategy.
Charts Paint a Grim Picture 2 Years Into the Coronavirus Pandemic
The on-off nature of the pandemic “has led to a lot of the confusion and grumpiness,” says one expert. Another compares it to the exhaustion of the American public when hearing body counts during the Vietnam War.
Fact Check: Biden Sets High Bar in 1st State of the Union Speech
What a difference a year makes. The speech was delivered to a largely unmasked crowd of lawmakers, justices, and Cabinet members in the House chamber.
Biden’s Blanket Statement — ‘No More Surprise Billing’ — Doesn’t Quite Cover It
The president used broad language to say that Americans no longer needed to worry about surprise bills, but there are exceptions to the new law that could cost unsuspecting consumers.
Ask KHN-PolitiFact: Is My Cloth Mask Good Enough? The 2022 Edition
With the omicron variant surging throughout the U.S., many experts warn that a single-layer cloth mask is not enough protection. Instead, they recommend an upgrade: layering wardrobe masks with surgical masks or wearing an N95 or KN95 respirator.
The Vaccine Rollout Was a Success. But Events Within and Beyond Biden’s Control Stymied Progress.
There were variants, vaccine hesitancy and messaging mix-ups. And, despite campaign promises, Biden and his administration sometimes took actions or made statements without waiting for full scientific evidence to back them up.
Oncology Doctors Say the Build Back Better Act Will Slash Cancer Care Funding — A Skewed Argument
The Community Oncology Alliance is targeting the prescription drug provisions of the Build Back Better Act, saying they will trigger deep cuts in oncologists’ pay, causing clinics to close and health care costs to rise. But it leaves out some important details.
Omicron and Other Coronavirus Variants: What You Need to Know
This new variant has set off alarm bells in the public health community, but much remains to be learned about it.
Florida Sen. Rick Scott Off Base in Claim That Rise in Medicare Premiums Is Due to Inflation
The Republican senator says President Joe Biden’s “inflation crisis” caused Medicare to raise monthly premiums, which will add hundreds of dollars to beneficiaries’ costs. But Medicare experts say inflation was not to blame and most beneficiaries will shoulder a much smaller increase than what Rick Scott claims.
What Do We Really Know About Vaccine Effectiveness?
Reports of waning effectiveness and mixed messages about booster shots fuel the politicization of vaccination.
Democrats’ Plans to Expand Medicare Benefits May Pinch Advantage Plans’ Funding
As lawmakers weigh new spending provisions to cover dental, hearing and vision services for Medicare beneficiaries, a group supporting Medicare Advantage plans is airing commercials that raise concerns about the funding for those private plans.
An Ad’s Charge That Price Haggling Would ‘Swipe $500 Billion From Medicare’ Is Incorrect
The ad, advanced by a right-leaning seniors advocacy organization, mischaracterizes proposals to bargain on drug prices, regarding both the effects on the Medicare program and on beneficiaries.
Ask KHN-PolitiFact: Is My Cloth Mask Good Enough to Face the Delta Variant?
Public health experts increasingly urge people to upgrade to surgical masks, but also maintain that cloth masks still offer protection.
Biden Releases a New Plan to Combat Covid, but Experts Say There’s Still a Ways to Go
There’s agreement that the plan includes important action items but also elements that will trigger political opposition.
V-Safe: How Everyday People Help the CDC Track Covid Vaccine Safety With Their Phones
V-safe is a new safety monitoring system that lets anyone who has been vaccinated against covid-19 report possible side effects directly to federal health officials. Experts believe the smartphone tool has so far helped demonstrate the vaccines are safe.
