States Target Vaping With Bans. In California, The Action Is Local.
By Ana B. Ibarra
September 30, 2019
KFF Health News Original
Several states have adopted bans on vaping products, but California isn’t going that far. Instead, cities and counties in the Golden State are stepping in to prohibit the sale of flavored tobacco products within their jurisdictions — or ban the sale of e-cigarettes altogether.
Vapers Seek Relief From Nicotine Addiction In — Wait For It — Cigarettes
By Ana B. Ibarra
September 13, 2019
KFF Health News Original
Even though e-cigarette makers market their products as a safer alternative to cigarettes, a growing number of vapers are trying to quit— and they’re turning to cigarettes to help them.
Proveedores de Medicaid, al final de la lista para recibir fondos por COVID
By Julie Rovner
May 18, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Los directores estatales de Medicaid dicen que, sin financiamiento inmediato, muchas instalaciones de salud que atienden a pacientes de Medicaid podrían tener que cerrar de manera permanente.
As COVID Cuts Deadly Path Through Indiana Prisons, Inmates Say Symptoms Ignored
By Jake Harper, Side Effects Public Media
May 29, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Since the start of the pandemic, prisoners and their families have contradicted state officials about the conditions inside Indiana prisons. Many inmates report they’ve had no way to protect themselves from close contact with other inmates and staff members. They believe contracting the coronavirus is inevitable.
When Masculinity Turns ‘Toxic’: A Gender Profile Of Mass Shootings
By Phillip Reese
October 3, 2019
KFF Health News Original
Men are far more likely than women to commit deadly mass shootings, both in California and across the nation. We break down the numbers — and ask experts why gender would have a role in indiscriminate violence.
As Youth Suicides Climb, Anguished Parents Begin To Speak Out
By Sharon Jayson
March 10, 2020
KFF Health News Original
The suicide rate for children ages 10 to 14 almost tripled in a decade and is still rising. As parents grapple with loss, some turn to activism.
KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: Trump Takes Credit Where It Isn’t Due
January 16, 2020
KFF Health News Original
President Donald Trump says he “saved” popular protections for preexisting conditions, even though his administration is in court asking them to be struck down. Meanwhile, Democrats who want to run against Trump in the fall continue to argue among themselves over health issues. And Kansas may become the next state to expand Medicaid. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Tami Luhby of CNN and Shefali Luthra of Kaiser Health News join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss this and more.
COVID-Like Cough Sent Him To ER — Where He Got A $3,278 Bill
By Phil Galewitz
May 25, 2020
KFF Health News Original
A dad in Denver tried to do everything right when COVID symptoms surfaced. Still, he ended up with a huge bill from an insurer that had said it waived cost sharing for coronavirus treatment. What gives?
More Contagious Virus Variant Spreads To 10 States; Japan IDs New Mutation
January 12, 2021
Morning Briefing
Indiana and Minnesota join the list of states where health officials have confirmed cases of the B.1.1.7 strain, first identified in the United Kingdom. Meanwhile, Japan says that is has detected another coronavirus mutation in travelers arriving from Brazil.
KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: Elections Matter
November 7, 2019
KFF Health News Original
Key Democratic wins in 2019 state elections in Virginia and (probably) Kentucky could have big implications for health care in general and Medicaid in particular. And in the Democratic presidential primary, Elizabeth Warren is catching flak from all sides over her “Medicare For All” plan. This week, Joanne Kenen of Politico, Caitlin Owens of Axios and Kimberly Leonard of the Washington Examiner join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Plus, Rovner interviews KHN’s Laura Ungar, who wrote the latest KHN-NPR “Bill of the Month.” For “extra credit,” the panelists recommend their favorite health stories of the week.
Despite Supreme Court Win, Texas Abortion Clinics Still Shuttered
By Ashley Lopez, KUT
November 18, 2019
KFF Health News Original
Three years after winning a big legal battle, abortion providers still find themselves losing the war when it comes to keeping clinics open across the huge, populous state.
Pfizer Vaccine Likely Works Just As Well Against Variant Identified In UK: Studies
January 20, 2021
Morning Briefing
Two new studies find that the vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech should be effective against the more contagious B.1.1.7 strain that has already spread to many nations. Other news on how emerging mutations may respond to inoculations is reported as well.
De no creer: jóvenes buscan aliviar su adicción al “vapeo”… fumando cigarrillos
By Ana B. Ibarra
September 13, 2019
KFF Health News Original
Una unidad de Juul, que proporciona alrededor de 200 bocanadas, contiene tanta nicotina como un paquete de cigarrillos. Los jóvenes vuelven a fumar para frenar otra adicción.
Cancer Patients Face Treatment Delays And Uncertainty As Coronavirus Cripples Hospitals
By Will Stone
April 7, 2020
KFF Health News Original
As hospitals across the country are forced to delay or cancel certain medical procedures in response to the surge in patients with COVID-19, those hard choices are disrupting care for some people with serious illnesses.
CMS: Improper Medicare Payments Drop $15B Since 2016
November 18, 2020
Morning Briefing
CMS administrator Verma Selma said the decline was due in part to improvements in home health, including a $5.9 billion decrease in improper payments.
Drugmakers Push Boundaries On Challenging 340B Discounts
August 20, 2020
Morning Briefing
Testing new regulatory guidance, drugmakers step up efforts to restrict how 340B providers can contract with pharmacies, Modern Healthcare reports.
Paralyzed Mice That Received Cytokine Treatment Walked Again In Just Weeks
January 25, 2021
Morning Briefing
“With a relatively small intervention, we stimulate[d] a very large number of nerves to regenerate, and that is ultimately the reason why the mice can walk again,” the lead scientist from Germany’s Ruhr University Bochum told Reuters. Other news is on covid treatments, the 340B rule, lupus nephritis and more.
Hollowed-Out Public Health System Faces More Cuts Amid Virus
By Lauren Weber Laura Ungar Michelle R. Smith, The Associated Press Hannah Recht Anna Maria Barry-Jester
July 1, 2020
KFF Health News Original
The U.S. public health system has been starved for decades and lacks the resources necessary to confront the worst health crisis in a century. An investigation by The Associated Press and KHN has found that since 2010, spending for state public health departments has dropped by 16% per capita and for local health departments by 18%. At least 38,000 public health jobs have disappeared, leaving a skeletal workforce for what was once viewed as one of the world’s top public health systems. That has left the nation unprepared to deal with a virus that has sickened at least 2.6 million people and killed more than 126,000.
California, ¿firmará el gobernador una controversial ley sobre vacunas?
By Ana B. Ibarra
September 6, 2019
KFF Health News Original
La totalidad de los senadores republicanos votaron en contra de la medida y todos los demócratas votaron a favor, excepto uno que no votó.
Not Yesterday’s Cocaine: Death Toll Rising From Tainted Drug
By Laura Ungar
November 25, 2019
KFF Health News Original
While the U.S. continues to focus mainly on the opioid crisis, cocaine is quietly making a comeback and has become one of the biggest overdose killers of African Americans when tainted with fentanyl.
