Latest KFF Health News Stories
Calif. Leads Nation In Pushing Back Against Trump Administration Health Policies
In the face of federal efforts to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, policymakers in the largest state are proposing laws and other changes to counter them. Beyond that, they’re aggressively pushing measures to expand health coverage beyond what the ACA envisioned.
Podcast: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’ Nothing In Health Care Ever Goes Away
In this episode of KHN’s “What the Health?” Sarah Jane Tribble of Kaiser Health News, Joanne Kenen of Politico, Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times and Paige Winfield Cunningham of The Washington Post examine how even after Republicans failed to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, the health care debate continues to roil politics. They discuss how Republicans in Congress have shifted their ACA messaging and how the Democrats are looking to Medicare expansion. They also discuss state efforts to expand Medicaid and drug pricing. And they spend a moment talking about Congress’ push to do something about the opioid crisis.
New Medicare Perk For Diabetes Prevention Stumbles At Rollout
On April 1, Medicare launched a major initiative — a diabetes prevention program for seniors and people with serious disabilities— that is available in only a few cities.
Applying Silicon Valley Smarts To Age-Old Diseases
Customized iPhones are just one example of devices that can be used to combat health threats in developing countries. They are helping scientists in California and Cameroon attack the parasite that causes river blindness, an African scourge.
In A Puerto Rican Mountain Town, Hope Ebbs And Health Suffers
More than six months after Hurricane Maria, daily life in Castañer, Puerto Rico, is nowhere close to normal as residents try to deal with the effects of trauma, chronic stress and the continued lack of electricity.
Prueba logra que pacientes sean francos con sus médicos sobre la hipertensión
Los medicamentos contra la hipertensión, que previenen graves ataques, a veces generan efectos secundarios. Por eso muchos pacientes dejan de tomarlos… y le mienten a sus médicos.
Nation’s Top Doc Wants The Overdose Antidote Widely On Hand. Is That Feasible?
Surgeon General Jerome Adams urged more people to carry the drug naloxone, a lifesaving treatment for opioid overdoses. But this policy is tricky to implement.
Drug Test Spurs Frank Talk Between Hypertension Patients And Doctors
Roughly half of patients don’t take their high blood pressure medicine as they should, even though heart disease is the leading cause of death in America. Now, a drug test can flag whether a patient is taking the prescribed medication and is meant to spark a more truthful conversation between patient and doctor.
Federal Appeals Court Puts Chill On Maryland Law To Fight Drug Price-Gouging
The decision in Maryland’s case could slow momentum for other states that are attempting to take action to curb high drug costs.
Congress Urged To Cut Medicare Payments To Many Stand-Alone ERs
As free-standing emergency departments multiply, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission recommends a 30 percent reduction in some federal reimbursements for those within 6 miles of a hospital.
Decisión de Barbara Bush al final de su vida crea debate sobre los “cuidados paliativos”
Muchos creen que elegir los “cuidados paliativos” significa abandonar el tratamiento. Expertos aclaran por qué esta creencia es errónea.
Más mujeres que hombres sufren ahora una “aterradora” enfermedad pulmonar
La enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva crónica (EPOC) está afectando a millones de mujeres que comenzaron a fumar en los años 60 y 70, casi como una forma de rebelión.
Barbara Bush’s End-Of-Life Decision Stirs Debate Over ‘Comfort Care’
The former first lady’s announcement “not to seek additional medical treatment” and to focus on “comfort care” shone a light on end-of-life choices.
Safety Violations Compound Pain Of Painkiller Shortages
California and federal officials have cracked down on a major compounding pharmacy they say posed a threat to public safety, but their actions are worsening shortages of medications that doctors rely on to keep their patients out of pain.
‘Scary’ Lung Disease Now Afflicts More Women Than Men In U.S.
Barbara Bush’s case highlights that chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) — a disease linked to long-term smoking and traditionally considered a men’s disease — is now more prevalent among women.
KHN’s newsletter editor, Brianna Labuskes, wades through hundreds of health articles from the week so you don’t have to.
La lenta recuperación de Puerto Rico impacta en los pacientes de diálisis
Catorce pacientes que viven en Vieques y necesitan diálisis tres veces por semana deben volar a la isla principal para recibir tratamiento, luego que el huracán María destruyera la clínica local.
Puerto Rico’s Slow-Going Recovery Means New Hardship For Dialysis Patients
Since massive Hurricane Maria struck in September and knocked out the dialysis center on the tiny satellite island of Vieques, more than a dozen patients needing treatment now must fly several times a week to the main island.
PrEP Campaign Aims To Block HIV Infection And Save Lives In D.C.
Washington, D.C., is trying to stop new cases of HIV in the district by making sure residents who might be at risk are taking PrEP, medicine that cuts the risk of contracting the virus by 92 percent.
Podcast: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’ It’s Nerd Week
In this episode of KHN’s “What the Health?” Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Sarah Kliff of Vox.com, Stephanie Armour of The Wall Street Journal and Paige Winfield Cunningham of The Washington Post discuss the Trump administration’s latest effort to revise rules for next year’s Affordable Care Act marketplaces. They also discuss state efforts to stabilize their individual markets in light of some of the changes being made at the federal level.