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.
California Hospitals See Massive Surge In Homeless Patients
By Phillip Reese
April 2, 2019
KFF Health News Original
Homeless patients accounted for about 100,000 visits to California hospitals in 2017, marking a 28% increase from just two years earlier. Health officials attribute the surge to the overall rise in California’s homeless numbers and the large proportion of people living on the streets with mental illness.
Judges In California Losing Sway Over Court-Ordered Drug Treatment
By Brian Rinker
October 1, 2018
KFF Health News Original
In a Medicaid-funded pilot project starting with 19 counties, clinicians and other providers are now in charge of deciding what kind of treatment an offender needs. The change has rankled some judges and attorneys — and forced some felons to spend more time in jail — but it has been largely embraced by clinicians and county agencies.
GOP Lawmakers Let Rare Frustration With Trump Slip Through As Virus Cases Spike Across Country
June 26, 2020
Morning Briefing
Republican lawmakers said they wished that in some instances President Donald Trump would wear a mask so that the general public would follow his example. Meanwhile, Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz of Texas — a state where cases are skyrocketing — say they don’t understand the administration’s decision to cut federal support of drive-thru testing sites.
Lost on the Frontline
By The Staffs of KHN and The Guardian
August 10, 2020
KFF Health News Original
“Lost on the Frontline” is an ongoing project by Kaiser Health News and The Guardian that aims to document the lives of health care workers in the U.S. who died from COVID 19, and to investigate why so many are victims of the disease.
Resurge polémica por popular maniobra para salvar a alguien que se está ahogando
By Carmen Heredia Rodriguez
July 25, 2018
KFF Health News Original
El hijo y la hija del doctor Henry Heimlich, fallecido en 2016, están lanzando una campaña sobre la popular maniobra luego de una controversia de décadas.
In An Abundance Of Caution, 2 Members Of Congress To Self-Quarantine After Contact With Coronavirus Patient
March 9, 2020
Morning Briefing
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) said they are taking the precautions after crossing paths with the patient at the Conservative Political Action Conference. Some were worried that President Donald Trump, who attended the event, may have been exposed to the virus.
Exemptions Surge As Parents And Doctors Do ‘Hail Mary’ Around Vaccine Laws
By Barbara Feder Ostrov
April 5, 2019
KFF Health News Original
In California, medical exemptions to skip childhood vaccinations are on the rise. The trend underlines how hard it is to get parents to comply with vaccination laws meant to protect public safety when a small but adamant population of families and physicians seems determined to resist.
Call The Midwife! (If The Doctor Doesn’t Object)
By Anna Gorman
January 16, 2019
KFF Health News Original
Hospitals and medical practices are battling outdated stereotypes and sometimes their own doctors to hire certified nurse midwives. Research shows that women cared for by certified nurse midwives have fewer cesarean sections, which can produce significant cost savings for hospitals.
Calor extremo y violencia, más amenazas para los que esperan asilo en la frontera
By Anna Maria Barry-Jester
May 23, 2019
KFF Health News Original
Ya no son hombres solos en busca de trabajo. Familias enteras buscan asilo en los Estados Unidos, y deben esperar en refugios atestados y zonas de violencia al sur de la frontera.
After Bitter Closure, Rural Texas Hospital Defies The Norm And Reopens
By Charlotte Huff
January 7, 2019
KFF Health News Original
The 25-bed hospital in Crockett, Texas, abruptly closed its doors in 2017, joining the ranks of nearly 100 rural hospitals that have shut down in the past decade. But the community kept the faith and several doctors reopened the facility this year.
Más exenciones a medida que padres y doctores burlan las leyes de vacunación
By Barbara Feder Ostrov
April 5, 2019
KFF Health News Original
El número de niños de California que recibieron exenciones médicas de las vacunas se ha triplicado en los últimos dos años. Y muchos médicos autorizan estas exenciones.
Long Waits To See Doctors In Puerto Rico, Where Medical Needs Are Great Post-Maria
July 20, 2018
KFF Health News Original
KHN senior correspondent Sarah Varney reports on how the island’s mounting physician shortage is making it even more difficult to get care.
Children With Disabilities Endure Long Waits For Life-Changing Medical Equipment
By Jocelyn Wiener
July 19, 2018
KFF Health News Original
Some California children with serious health care problems wait more than a year for wheelchairs, bath benches, commodes, specialized crutches and other crucial medical equipment. Critics blame the delays on a confusing bureaucratic maze of private insurers and public programs.
Quick: What’s The Difference Between Medicare-For-All And Single-Payer?
By Samantha Young
November 5, 2018
KFF Health News Original
As politicians across the country toss about such health care catchphrases, sometimes interchangeably, many voters say they’re “just confused.”
Tax-Funded Mental Health Programs Not Always Easy To Find
By Emily Bazar
April 30, 2018
KFF Health News Original
Revenue from California’s Mental Health Services Act has funded billions of dollars in mental health programs across the state, but finding out what’s available — and to whom — could be a challenge for consumers.
Will Cruz, Ocasio-Cortez Actually Produce A Bipartisan Bill On Birth Control? Dark Clouds In The Form Of Costs Threaten That Hope
June 17, 2019
Morning Briefing
The odd pairing of conservative Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) shocked the jaded Twittersphere with hints that they could work together on legislation for over-the-counter birth control. But the issue of costs already threatens to derail the duo. In other news from Capitol Hill: medical research on primates, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and tobacco, the Hyde amendment and the 9/11 victims fund.
Squeezing Water From Air: Mysterious Machine Is A Lifeline On Battered Island
By Carmen Heredia Rodriguez
June 28, 2018
KFF Health News Original
Moses West a retired Army officer, is hoping to showcase his atmospheric water generator in Vieques, Puerto Rico, and stir up business.
California’s ACA Rates To Rise 8.7% Next Year
By Chad Terhune and Pauline Bartolone
July 19, 2018
KFF Health News Original
The average increase in California is smaller than the double-digit hikes expected around the nation, due largely to a healthier mix of enrollees and more competition in its marketplace. Still, health insurance prices keep growing faster than wages and general inflation.
Remember Zika? Yes, It Is Still A Problem
July 3, 2019
Morning Briefing
Even though the media coverage of the disease almost completely dropped off, it doesn’t mean Zika vanished entirely. “The next outbreak is not a matter of if, but when,” said Dr. Ernesto T.A. Marques, a public health researcher at The Oswaldo Cruz Foundation in Rio de Janeiro. In other public health news: the idea of “real-world” evidence, acupuncture, stories from veterans, weight loss, Ebola, and more.