Back Pain? Bum Knee? Be Prepared to Wait for a Physical Therapist
By Mark Kreidler
November 28, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Physical therapists left the field en masse during the covid-19 pandemic, even as demand from aging baby boomers skyrocketed. While universities try to boost their training programs to increase the number of graduates, patients seeking relief from often debilitating pain are left to wait.
An Arm and a Leg: Wait, What’s a PBM?
By Dan Weissmann
July 13, 2023
Podcast
Pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs, are companies that negotiate the prices of prescription drugs. Hear about their role in raising drug prices and the ongoing efforts to regulate this complex industry.
For Older Adults, Smelling the Roses May Be More Difficult
By Judith Graham
December 1, 2021
KFF Health News Original
The loss of smell is a common issue for many seniors and is often overlooked. Yet it can have serious consequences.
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': SCOTUS Ruling Strips Power From Federal Health Agencies
June 28, 2024
Podcast
In what will certainly be remembered as a landmark decision, the Supreme Court has overruled a 40-year-old precedent that gave federal agencies, rather than judges, the power to interpret ambiguous laws passed by Congress. Administrative experts say the decision will dramatically change the way key health agencies do business. Also, the court decided not to decide whether a federal law requiring hospitals to provide emergency care overrides Idaho’s near-total ban on abortion. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Victoria Knight of Axios, and Joanne Kenen of Johns Hopkins University and Politico Magazine join KFF Health News chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Plus, for “extra credit,” the panelists suggest health policy stories they read this week they think you should read, too.
Readers and Tweeters Sound Alarm Over Nurse’s Homicide Trial
April 15, 2022
KFF Health News Original
KHN gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
Need Amid Plenty: Richest US Counties Are Overwhelmed by Surge in Child Hunger
By Laura Ungar
March 18, 2021
KFF Health News Original
Hunger among kids is skyrocketing, even in America’s wealthiest counties. But given the nation’s highly uneven charitable food system, affluent communities have been far less ready for the unprecedented crisis than places accustomed to dealing with poverty and hardship.
Condados más ricos del país, abrumados por el aumento del hambre infantil
By Laura Ungar
March 18, 2021
KFF Health News Original
Los incrementos más pronunciados se registran en algunos de los condados más adinerados, donde la riqueza general oscurece las frágiles finanzas de los trabajadores con salarios bajos.
Should You Bring Mom Home From Assisted Living During The Pandemic?
By Judith Graham
March 31, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Families are weighing the challenges of providing home care with the isolation or potential danger of leaving folks in senior housing or long-term care.
Why So Many Older Americans Rate Their Health As Good Or Even Excellent
By Judith Graham
June 13, 2019
KFF Health News Original
As people advance in age, the expectations for what constitutes good health change. People focus on positive emotions and satisfaction with life, while physical ailments play a less important role.
Death By 1,000 Clicks: Where Electronic Health Records Went Wrong
By Fred Schulte Erika Fry, Fortune
March 18, 2019
KFF Health News Original
The U.S. government claimed that turning American medical charts into electronic records would make health care better, safer and cheaper. Ten years and $36 billion later, the system is an unholy mess. Inside a digital revolution that took a bad turn.
Indiana Medicaid Drops 25K From Coverage For Failing To Pay Premiums
By Phil Galewitz
February 1, 2018
KFF Health News Original
The state branded its Medicaid expansion with some key conservative policies, and officials and advocates across the country are keenly watching the results.
Good Friends Might Be Your Best Brain Booster As You Age
By Judith Graham
December 14, 2017
KFF Health News Original
SuperAgers, men and women over age 80 with extraordinary memories, share a commitment to sustaining friendships.
Of ‘Miracles’ And Money: Why Hemophilia Drugs Are So Expensive
By Jenny Gold
Photos by Heidi de Marco
March 8, 2018
KFF Health News Original
The market is flooded with 28 different medications for just 20,000 patients with the hereditary bleeding disorder. Yet intense competition hasn’t worked to bring costs down. Sales amount to $4.6 billion annually in the U.S.
Los buenos amigos podrían ayudar a mantener un cerebro sano al envejecer
By Judith Graham
December 14, 2017
KFF Health News Original
Nuevos estudios revelan que las relaciones positivas pueden ayudar a que no se deterioren las funciones cognitivas.
Want To Live Past 100? Centenarians Share Secrets Of Knee Bends And Nips Of Scotch
By Sharon Jayson
March 27, 2017
KFF Health News Original
The ranks of 100-year-olds doubles every eight years, but researchers still puzzle over the ingredients of longevity.
Geriatricians Can Help Aging Patients Navigate Multiple Ailments
By Judith Graham
February 23, 2017
KFF Health News Original
Aging adults with complex needs can get special assistance from doctors trained as geriatricians.
¿Quiere vivir 100 años y disfrutarlos? Estos centenarios comparten sus secretos
By Sharon Jayson
March 29, 2017
KFF Health News Original
Estos hombres y mujeres pertenecen a un club muy especial: el de los centenarios. Qué creen ellos que hicieron bien en sus vidas para alcanzar esa meta, en excelente estado de salud.
Los geriatras pueden ayudar a los pacientes a superar enfermedades múltiples
By Judith Graham
February 23, 2017
KFF Health News Original
Nadie entiende mejor que estos especialistas en envejecimiento cómo múltiples problemas médicos interactúan en las personas mayores, y cómo pueden afectar su calidad de vida. Sin embargo, su papel en el sistema de atención de salud sigue siendo poco comprendido y sus conocimientos, subutilizados.
‘Pre-Hospice’ Saves Money By Keeping People At Home Near The End Of Life
By Anna Gorman
Photos by Heidi de Marco
March 27, 2017
KFF Health News Original
A San Diego program helps chronically ill people avoid the hospital by teaching them how to better manage their diseases and telling them what to expect in their final years. Other health providers and insurers around the country are trying similar approaches.
How A Caribbean Island Became Prime Source Of U.S. Zika Cases
By Phil Galewitz
July 22, 2016
KFF Health News Original
Many Dominican Republic immigrants in Florida and New York City brought Zika home after visiting the island, one of many destinations outside the U.S. where Zika has been active, say public health officials.
