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Latest KFF Health News Stories

CDC’s Acting Chief Promises a Return to Stability in a Tumultuous Moment

KFF Health News Original

Jay Bhattacharya, head of the National Institutes of Health and interim leader of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told the CDC staff, “I know that it has been such a difficult year.”

Demoralized CDC Workforce Reels From Year of Firings, Funding Cuts, and a Shooting

KFF Health News Original

Thousands of employees are gone and last summer’s shooting resonates still at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention headquarters and among the large public health community in Atlanta.

“Me engañaron”: agentes encadenan a un padre que había ido al ICE a reunirse con sus hijos

KFF Health News Original

Se supone que la agencia que cuida a niños que llegan solos al país deben reunirlos pronto con sus familias o cuidadores. Pero cada vez más los usan como “carnada” para arrestar a los padres.

‘They Tricked Me’: A Father Was Chained After He Went to ICE To Reunite With His Kids

KFF Health News Original

The administration has largely converted the HHS Office of Refugee Resettlement into an arm of immigration enforcement, detaining children longer while helping immigration officers arrest their parents or other family members. One father was chained when he went to an ICE office to discuss being reunited with his son and daughter.

Algunos adultos de mediana edad deciden posponer la atención médica hasta tener Medicare

KFF Health News Original

Las personas con planes de ACA que están cerca de retirarse fueron de las más afectadas por los aumentos de precios luego de la suspensión de los subsidios federales mejorados, a finales de diciembre.

¿Qué tan bajo se puede llegar? Las cambiantes guías para el control de la presión arterial

KFF Health News Original

El ensayo SPRINT encontró que un tratamiento intensivo para reducir la presión sistólica por debajo de 120 disminuía el riesgo de ataques cardíacos, accidentes cerebrovasculares, otras enfermedades cardiovasculares y la mortalidad general.

Even With Dental Insurance, You Still Could Face a Large Bill

KFF Health News Original

Costs keep many Americans, even those with insurance, from getting dental care. Understanding how dental insurance works and leaning into preventive care can help keep dental problems — and bills — manageable.

Rising Health Costs Push Some Middle-Aged Adults To Skip the Doc Until Medicare

KFF Health News Original

Adults ages 50 through 64 faced some of the steepest increases in out-of-pocket costs for Obamacare plans after a set of federal subsidies expired at the end of December. Some say they are putting off care or considering dropping health insurance coverage until Medicare picks up the bill.

Oz Escalates Medicaid Fraud Claims Against States After Focus on Minnesota

KFF Health News Original

The Trump administration’s unprecedented actions targeting Medicaid funding in Minnesota are part of what could become a playbook as officials turn pressure toward California, Florida, Maine, and New York.

Listen: Trump’s NIH ‘Reset’ Is Driving Away Scientists

KFF Health News Original

In President Donald Trump’s second term, federal data shows, the National Institutes of Health has lost about 4,400 workers. Scientists say the departures harm the nation’s ability to respond to disease outbreaks, develop treatments, and confront public health problems. KFF Health News spoke with six scientists about why they left.

What the Health? From KFF Health News: RFK Jr.’s Vaccine Schedule Changes Blocked — For Now

Podcast

A federal judge in Massachusetts this week sided with public health groups to block changes to the federally recommended schedule of childhood vaccines, dealing at least a temporary setback to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s efforts to remake the schedule. Meanwhile, Congress has put its debate over the future of the Affordable Care Act on the back burner, but the issue of rising health care costs is still front and center for the voting public. Lauren Weber of The Washington Post, Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, and Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KFF President and CEO Drew Altman to kick off a new series looking at health care solutions, called “How Would You Fix It?”

Lawmakers Seek To Protect Crisis Pregnancy Centers as Abortion Clinic Numbers Shrink

KFF Health News Original

Some states have tried to crack down on crisis pregnancy centers, accusing them of deceptive practices. But now conservative lawmakers are pushing legislation to increase protections for the organizations, which work to dissuade women from abortions.