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Latest KFF Health News Stories

Fresh Faces, Fewer Tools: Meet the New Bosses Fighting Covid

KFF Health News Original

Local health officials who quit or were forced out during the pandemic have been replaced by people who must face an increasingly polarized public with fewer powers than their predecessors.

“Este es el último pañal que me queda”: la ansiedad de ser padres en la pobreza

KFF Health News Original

Una de cada tres familias estadounidenses no puede pagar por suficientes pañales para mantener a sus bebés y niños pequeños limpios, secos y saludables, según la National Diaper Bank Network. Para muchos padres, eso lleva a elecciones desgarradoras: ¿pañales, comida o renta?

Montana Tribes Want to Stop Jailing People for Suicide Attempts but Lack a Safer Alternative

KFF Health News Original

The Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux tribes are working with academics and policy experts on possible solutions. Their challenge is how to attract the needed mental health personnel to the remote reservation.

‘Down to My Last Diaper’: The Anxiety of Parenting in Poverty

KFF Health News Original

Diapers are a baby essential, but no federal program helps families cover their considerable cost. Jennifer Randles, a professor of sociology at Fresno State in California, spoke with KHN about her novel research exploring the outsize role “diaper math” plays in the lives of low-income moms.

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Dems Agree to Agree, But Not on What to Agree On

KFF Health News Original

Negotiations on the health parts of President Joe Biden’s domestic agenda are getting serious but have yet to produce a deal every Democrat can support. Meanwhile, the Food and Drug Administration remains without a nominated leader but manages to take the first steps toward approving over-the-counter hearing aids. Joanne Kenen of Politico and Johns Hopkins, Tami Luhby of CNN and Rachel Cohrs of Stat join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Plus, for extra credit, the panelists recommend their favorite health policy stories of the week they think you should read too.

Worn-Out Nurses Hit the Road for Better Pay, Stressing Hospital Budgets — And Morale

KFF Health News Original

Managers are trapped in a pricey hiring cycle, competing for critical care nurses who can monitor covid patients on life support. Some hospitals are looking abroad to replace staffers who quit to become travel nurses or leave the profession.

“Me tratan como si fuera vieja y estúpida”: adultos mayores denuncian a profesionales de salud que los discriminan por edad

KFF Health News Original

Las experiencias de Whitney revelan la discriminación por edad en los entornos de atención médica, un problema de larga data que está recibiendo nueva atención durante la pandemia de covid, que ha matado a más de medio millón de estadounidenses de 65 años y más.

Científicos buscan la causa de una misteriosa inflamación en niños relacionada con covid

KFF Health News Original

Más de 5,200 de los 6,2 millones de niños estadounidenses a los que se les ha diagnosticado covid han desarrollado MIS-C. Un 80% de los pacientes con MIS-C son tratados en unidades de cuidados intensivos, el 20% requiere ventilación mecánica y 46 han muerto.

‘They Treat Me Like I’m Old and Stupid’: Seniors Decry Health Providers’ Age Bias

KFF Health News Original

Ageism in health care settings, which can result in inappropriate or dangerous treatment, is getting new attention during the covid pandemic, which has killed more than half a million Americans age 65 and older.

Hygienists Brace for Pitched Battles With Dentists in Fights Over Practice Laws

KFF Health News Original

In a battle reflecting turf wars around the country, Illinois dentists defeated legislation that would have allowed hygienists to practice in nursing homes and prisons where dental care can be scarce.