Viewpoints: Student Depression Needs Urgent Attention; How Covid Has Altered Abortion Access
May 13, 2021
Morning Briefing
Editorial pages delve into teenage mental health, abortion access, hospice care and medical terminology.
States Allow In-Person Nursing Home Visits As Families Charge Residents Die ‘Of Broken Hearts’
By Judith Graham
July 13, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Half the states are rolling back strict policies that have kept family members out of nursing homes because of fears of spreading the coronavirus.
‘I Couldn’t Let Her Be Alone’: A Peaceful Death Amid the COVID Scourge
By JoNel Aleccia
July 6, 2020
KFF Health News Original
For three years, staffers at UCLA Health have been quietly fulfilling final wishes for dying patients in the intensive care unit. Amid the isolating forces of the pandemic, their work has become all the more meaningful.
Kathy Brandt, A Hospice Expert Who Invited The World Into Her Own Last Days With Cancer, Dies
By JoNel Aleccia
August 5, 2019
KFF Health News Original
Kathy Brandt and her wife, Kim Acquaviva, national experts in hospice and palliative care, shared intimate details of Brandt’s experience with terminal cancer before her death Sunday.
Florida Bill Protects Students With Disabilities From Dangerous Restraints
June 24, 2021
Morning Briefing
The new bill, signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis requires schools to follow stricter punishment guidelines, and prohibits using “seclusion” punishments and face-down restraints. Hospice programs, dentistry, medical pot and counseling for AIDS patients are also in the news.
Palliative Care Helped Family Face ‘The Awful, Awful Truth’
By Will Stone
May 5, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Elizabeth and Robert Mar would have celebrated 50 years of marriage in August. Instead, they died within a day of each other. Their two very different deaths illustrate how palliative care is changing to help patients and families cope with the coronavirus pandemic.
As COVID-19 Lurks, Families Are Locked Out Of Nursing Homes. Is It Safe Inside?
By Judith Graham
May 4, 2020
KFF Health News Original
“The awful truth is families have no control over what’s happening,” one advocate says.
Diagnosed With Dementia, She Documented Her Wishes. They Said No.
By JoNel Aleccia
Photos by Heidi de Marco
January 21, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Across the U.S., people with early dementia are signing new advance directives to confirm their end-of-life wishes while they still have the ability to do so. But doctors say the documents may offer a false sense of security.
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.
Keeping The COVID Plague At Bay: How California Is Protecting Older Veterans
By Dan Morain
May 11, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Even as COVID-19 has ravaged nursing homes around the country, California has managed to keep the virus at bay at its eight state-run homes for frail and older veterans. What exactly went right?
Upended: How Medical Debt Changed Their Lives
By Noam N. Levey and Aneri Pattani and Yuki Noguchi, NPR News and Bram Sable-Smith
Updated December 21, 2022
Originally Published June 16, 2022
KFF Health News Original
People talk about the sacrifices they made when health care forced them into debt.
Insurance Regulation, Hospice Reforms On End-Of-Term Docket For Congress
December 23, 2020
Morning Briefing
As the year winds down, lawmakers rush through a flurry of final work. And one bill with global reproductive health implications is dropped due to political pressure from the White House.
Facebook Live: Inclusive Care at the End of Life: The LGBTQ+ Experience
May 21, 2019
KFF Health News Original
For a generation of LGBTQ+ people who lived through unprecedented social change, getting older poses new challenges. When it comes to seeking elder care, concerns about lack of services, discrimination, neglect and even abuse threaten to reverse recent progress.
Demand For Home Care Workers Has Risen 125% Since March, NAHC Says
February 1, 2021
Morning Briefing
More families are turning to home care workers because it’s “probably [a] more protective environment … for individuals that are trying to avoid the virus,” said William Dombi, president of The National Association of Home Care and Hospice.
What To Do If Your Home Health Care Agency Ditches You
By Judith Graham
February 4, 2020
KFF Health News Original
If you’re told Medicare’s home health benefits have changed, don’t believe it: Coverage rules haven’t been altered and people are still entitled to the same types of services. All that has changed is how Medicare pays agencies.
‘Living Their Values’: Palliative Care Power Couple Faces Cancer At Home
By JoNel Aleccia
May 15, 2019
KFF Health News Original
Kathy Brandt and Kim Acquaviva are both leaders in the world of hospice and palliative care. When Brandt learned she was dying of ovarian cancer, the couple decided it could be a teachable moment.
Health Care Industry Hit Hardest By Supply Shortages
December 10, 2020
Morning Briefing
Sixty-four percent of health care companies reported a shortage of supplies. In other health care industry news, Encompass Health wants to do away with its home health and hospice segment.
Why Home Health Care Is Suddenly Harder To Come By For Medicare Patients
By Judith Graham
February 3, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Medicare has changed how it pays for services. In response, agencies across the country are firing therapists, limiting physical, occupational and speech therapy, and terminating services for some longtime, severely ill patients.
Stalked By The Fear That Dementia Is Stalking You
By Judith Graham
February 21, 2020
KFF Health News Original
For those worried they have an elevated risk of Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia, testing is an option. But words to the wise: It’s hardly foolproof and could even backfire by heightening your fear of memory loss.
A Final Comfort: ‘Palliative Transport’ Brings Dying Children Home
By Melissa Bailey
Photos by Kayana Szymczak
May 28, 2019
KFF Health News Original
In a rare but growing practice, some hospitals offer parents the choice to transport their dying children out of the intensive care unit, with life support in tow, so that they can die at home.