At This Summer Camp, Struggling With A Disability Is The Point
By Blake Farmer, Nashville Public Radio
August 13, 2019
KFF Health News Original
At a camp for kids in Nashville, physical therapists use “constraint-induced movement therapy.” It makes life tougher, temporarily, in hopes of strengthening the campers’ ability to navigate the world.
Cuba Bets Big On An Old Antiviral As It Tries To Find Its Place Amid Global Treatment, Vaccine Race
May 14, 2020
Morning Briefing
The treatment has long been used internationally to treat dengue fever, cancer and hepatitis B and C. Studies during the SARS epidemic in 2003 suggested interferons might also be useful against coronaviruses. In other pharma news: patents, global remdesivir use, and hope from doctors.
Dems Launch Inquiry Into Administration’s Small-Business Aid Distribution After Watchdogs Sound Alarm
June 16, 2020
Morning Briefing
“The administration should release the names of all P.P.P. borrowers — as the S.B.A. routinely does for similar loan programs,” the lawmakers demanded after inspectors general warned Congress that previously unknown Trump administration legal decisions could substantially block their ability to oversee more than $1 trillion in spending related to the coronavirus pandemic.
KHN’s ‘What The Health’: Who Will Pay To Fix Problem Of Surprise Medical Bills?
June 13, 2019
KFF Health News Original
Lawmakers and patients want to eliminate “surprise” out-of-network medical bills. Hospitals, doctors and insurers say they want to eliminate them, too, but their opposition to one another’s proposals could complicate legislative efforts. Stephanie Armour of The Wall Street Journal, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico and Kimberly Leonard of the Washington Examiner join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss this, plus the latest in news about reproductive health and health care sharing ministries.
Doctors Concerned Rural Health Care Will Be Affected By Trump’s Visa Freeze
June 24, 2020
Morning Briefing
“You need these H-1B physicians who are willing to go to Alabama, Georgia, you know, parts of the beltway that just don’t have enough doctors,” said Mahsa Khanbabai, an attorney with the American Immigration Lawyers Association. The health care worker exemption in the order only applies to people who are caring for COVID patients or doing research on the coronavirus.
‘Stonewall Generation’ Confronts Old Age, Sickness — And Discrimination
By JoNel Aleccia Melissa Bailey
May 22, 2019
KFF Health News Original
For a generation of LGBTQ people who lived through unprecedented social change, getting older poses new challenges — lack of services, discrimination, neglect and even abuse.
¿Sola? ¿Ansioso? ¿Deprimido? Tal vez tu dentista puede ayudarte
By Ana B. Ibarra
February 27, 2019
KFF Health News Original
Una dentista de Oakland decidió incorporar una consultoría de salud mental en su práctica al observar que los pacientes hablaban de sus problemas de salud mental.
Lonely? Anxious? Depressed? Maybe Your Dentist Can Help
By Ana B. Ibarra
February 27, 2019
KFF Health News Original
An Oakland dental clinic has started screening its patients for depression, and referring them to a mental health counselor down the hall for immediate care if necessary. The program at Asian Health Services could be replicated elsewhere, and make help for mental health problems more accessible to hard-to-reach populations.
Must-Reads Of The Week From Brianna Labuskes
By Brianna Labuskes
October 11, 2019
KFF Health News Original
Newsletter editor Brianna Labuskes wades through hundreds of health care policy stories each week, so you don’t have to.
Hill Hodgepodge: Pelosi Draws From Democrats, GOP And Trump For Drug Plan
By Emmarie Huetteman
September 20, 2019
KFF Health News Original
The House speaker announced her plan for lowering drug prices, which includes negotiations between drugmakers and federal health officials.
In Rural Utah, Preventing Suicide Means Meeting Gun Owners Where They Are
By Erik Neumann, KUER
August 28, 2019
KFF Health News Original
In Utah, 85% of deaths from firearms are suicides. To help people who might be vulnerable, outreach workers are discussing suicide prevention at gun shows and firearms classes.
Listen: Reporter Describes Breakdowns In Electronic Medical Records
March 18, 2019
KFF Health News Original
KHN senior correspondent Fred Schulte describes a KHN-Fortune investigation into the massive push to track and share patient health care records.
Hey, Hey! Ho, Ho! Is Striking For School Nurses The Way To Go?
By Ana B. Ibarra
February 21, 2019
KFF Health News Original
Inspired by Los Angeles teachers, who were promised 300 more school nurses after striking last month, unions in Denver, Oakland, Calif., and beyond are demanding more school nurses or better compensation for them.
UnitedHealth To Offer Modest Relief For Plan Members With $1.5B Worth Of Premium Credits
May 7, 2020
Morning Briefing
Insurers are weathering the pandemic better than expected, since their costs for elective procedures plummeted. “People are hurting right now,” said UnitedHealth CEO David Wichmann when announcing the insurance company’s decision.
Heavy Rains, End Of Drought Could Help Keep West Nile Virus Subdued — For Now
By Harriet Blair Rowan
April 12, 2019
KFF Health News Original
Scientists say drought can spur transmission of the disease and that wetter winters since 2015 have helped reduce the number of infections in California. In the long term, however, climate change could mean more drought — and more infections.
The Deep Divide: State Borders Create Medicaid Haves And Have-Nots
By Laura Ungar
October 2, 2019
KFF Health News Original
State borders can highlight Medicaid’s arbitrary coverage. On the Missouri side of the Mississippi River, low-income people struggle with untreated health issues. But on the Illinois side, people in similar straits can get health care because their state expanded its Medicaid program under the Affordable Care Act.
KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: Fetal Tissue Research Is Latest Flashpoint In Abortion Debate
June 6, 2019
KFF Health News Original
Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Joanne Kenen of Politico and Paige Winfield Cunningham of The Washington Post join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss the Trump administration’s efforts to curtail federally funded research using fetal tissue, the backlash from former Vice President Joe Biden’s support for the anti-abortion Hyde Amendment and how health policy intersects with both trade and immigration policy.
Transparent Hospital Pricing Exposes Wild Fluctuation, Even Within Miles
By Harriet Blair Rowan
February 4, 2019
KFF Health News Original
A new federal rule requires hospitals to post their prices online. These lists reveal the wildly different charges for basic procedures and services, but consumers will have a hard time putting this information to use.
Governor’s ‘Mental Health Czar’ Seeks New Blueprint For Care In California
By Rob Waters
August 29, 2019
KFF Health News Original
Thomas Insel, who ran the National Institute of Mental Health for 13 years before casting his lot with Silicon Valley, is taking a temporary break from his senior position at a health care startup to advise Gov. Gavin Newsom on how to remake mental health care in the Golden State.
Obesity Stigma And Yo-Yo Dieting, Not BMI, Are Behind Chronic Health Conditions, Dietitian Claims
By Julie Appleby
September 17, 2019
KFF Health News Original
With nearly 72% of U.S. adults considered overweight or obese, the pressing question is: Is it possible to be overweight and healthy at the same time? The science falls short.
