Historic Numbers of Americans Live by Themselves as They Age
Longer life spans, rising rates of divorce, widowhood, and childlessness, and smaller, far-flung families are fueling a “gray revolution” in older adults’ living arrangements. It can have profound health consequences.
In Montana, 911 Calls Reveal Impact of Heat Waves on Rural Seniors
State and local governments are struggling to keep up with the increasing burden of heat-related illness as summers get hotter because of climate change. In Missoula County, Montana, officials are working with researchers to understand trends in heat-related 911 calls.
Watch: Tips on Finding a Good Nursing Home
KFF Health News’ Jordan Rau explains how to tell the good nursing homes from the bad ones.
Feds Killed Plan To Curb Medicare Advantage Overbilling After Industry Opposition
A private 2014 decision by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services faces new scrutiny in a multibillion-dollar Justice Department fraud case against UnitedHealth Group.
For Pharma, Trump vs. Harris Is a Showdown Between Two Industry Foes
Vice President Kamala Harris is seen as more aggressive than former President Donald Trump in taking on pharmaceutical companies, but Trump allies say he would also make lowering drug costs a top priority.
Trump Drastically Inflates Annual Fentanyl Death Numbers
The former president’s claim of 300,000 annual opioid deaths contradicts government statistics.
Harris Did Not Vote To ‘Cut Medicare,’ Despite Trump’s Claim
Former President Donald Trump’s claim that Vice President Kamala Harris voted to “cut Medicare” is false, experts say.
Exercise Is Key for Parkinson’s Relief. But Bias, Underdiagnosis Hold Black Patients Back.
Exercise is considered fundamental treatment for Parkinson’s disease, a progressive condition that attacks the central nervous system. But there’s a huge equity gap, researchers say, with Black people missing from popular treatment programs.
‘Scared to Death’: Nurses and Residents Confront Rampant Violence in Dementia Care Facilities
Clashes between residents — verbal, physical, and sexual — can be spontaneous and too unpredictable to prevent. But the chance of an altercation increases when memory care homes admit and retain residents they can’t manage, according to a KFF Health News examination of inspection and court records and interviews with researchers.
Urgent Care or ER? With ‘One-Stop Shop,’ Hospitals Offer Both Under Same Roof
Hospitals in several states are partnering with a private equity-backed company to offer combined emergency and urgent care in a single building. But patients may not realize prices vary between the two services — often by a lot.
Florida’s RSV Season Has Started, and It’s Coming Soon to the Rest of US. Here’s a Primer.
Florida’s RSV season begins earlier and runs longer than anywhere else in the U.S., according to the University of Florida’s Emerging Pathogens Institute. New vaccines can help, but most older adults, who are vulnerable to RSV, haven’t gotten them yet.
Harris, Once Biden’s Voice on Abortion, Would Take an Outspoken Approach to Health
If she grabs the baton from President Joe Biden to become the new presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, Kamala Harris would widely be expected to take an aggressive stance in support of abortion access — hitting former President Donald Trump on an issue that could undermine his chances of victory.
At Trump’s GOP Convention, There’s Little To Be Heard on Health Care
Republicans were once the party of Obamacare repeal and abortion opposition. They’ve said little about either issue in Milwaukee.
Trump Is Wrong in Claiming Full Credit for Lowering Insulin Prices
Though the Trump administration established a voluntary, temporary program lowering insulin costs for some older Americans on Medicare, the mandatory price caps implemented through Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act go significantly further.
Despite Past Storms’ Lessons, Long-Term Care Residents Again Left Powerless
Even after multiple massive power outages — including one from a 2021 winter storm in Texas that prompted a U.S. Senate investigation — little has changed for older Americans in senior living facilities when natural disasters strike.
Rural Hospitals Built During Baby Boom Now Face Baby Bust
Fewer than half of rural U.S. hospitals offer labor and delivery services. In some areas, births have dropped by three-quarters since the baby boom’s peak.
The Biden administration set stringent new federal staffing rules. But for years, nursing homes have failed to meet the toughest standards set by states.
Lack of Affordability Tops Older Americans’ List of Health Care Worries
Rising health care costs are fueling anxiety among older Americans covered by Medicare. They’re right to be concerned.
1st Biden-Trump Debate of 2024: What They Got Wrong, and Right
A debate marked by President Joe Biden’s faltering performance featured clashes over insulin costs, inflation, abortion, immigration, and Jan. 6.
Battleground Wisconsin: Voters Feel Nickel-and-Dimed by Health Care Costs
In the swing state of Wisconsin, the cost and availability of health care have emerged as key issues. Voters there say prescriptions, procedures, and health insurance policies are too expensive, and must be addressed by the next president, whether Republican or Democrat.
