Latest KFF Health News Stories
Despite A Growing Appetite, Buffet-Style Flat-Fee Clinics Shutter In Seattle
A small number of medical practices have been moving to “direct primary care,” in which patients pay a monthly retainer for unlimited services. But the collapse of Qliance in Seattle may portend problems with the business model.
A ‘Safe’ Space To Shoot Up: Worth A Try?
A bill pending in the state legislature could make the Golden State the first in the U.S. to open establishments where intravenous drug users can shoot up under medical supervision. Proponents say that would save lives.
Ear To The Door: 5 Things Being Weighed In Secret Health Bill Also Weigh It Down
No one knows what the final Senate bill will look like — not even those writing it. But here are some safe, educated guesses.
Exclusive: White House Task Force Echoes Pharma Proposals
Documents examined by Kaiser Health News shed light on the workings of the Trump administration’s “Drug Pricing and Innovation Working Group.”
Seesawing Family Income Threatens Kids’ Medicaid Coverage In Texas
Critics point to the state’s aggressive eligibility checks as an example of what can go wrong when states have flexibility and add a reason to worry about GOP efforts to overhaul the program.
Lead Detected In 20% Of Baby Food Samples, Surprising Even Researchers
An analysis by the Environmental Defense Fund found lead more commonly in baby food than in other food. Lead was often present in fruit juice, though the research did not measure the level of contamination.
Un problema en aumento: los adultos mayores que quieren estar solos
Muchas veces por problemas de información, adultos mayores que son dados de alta rechazan la atención de salud en el hogar, decisión que los puede poner en riesgo.
Leaving Hospital, Older Patients Resist Home Help At Their Peril
Almost 30 percent of patients leaving the hospital don’t want home health care services, which often leads to readmissions and other health issues.
Long Waits And Long Odds For Those Who Need Social Security Disability
The U.S. government has been struggling to balance a surge in applicants for disability benefits with shrinking funds. An updated application process could make getting benefits even harder.
Widow Unleashes Court Fight Against Scope Maker Olympus Over Superbug Outbreak
The Seattle case, the first to reach trial in the U.S., offers possible glimpse into fate of some two dozen lawsuits against manufacturing giant Olympus, accused of failing to address scope contamination linked to numerous deaths. The company faults poor hospital cleaning practices.
Descent Into Secrecy: Senate Health Talks Speak To Steady Retreat From Transparency
The Senate’s secret deliberation on the health bill overhaul is part of a long, slow slide away from transparency. And I’m a witness.
Tweet Revenge: Twitter Erupts As Diabetes Forum Tries To Lock Down Photo Sharing
This year’s American Diabetes Association scientific meeting came with a hefty price — a policy of no photography and limits on social media. That did not go over well on Twitter.
Unable To Arrest Opioid Epidemic, Red States Warm To Needle Exchanges
The North Carolina Harm Reduction Coalition has advanced a local shift from a tough-on-drugs approach to harm-reduction philosophy. Other red states signal they may follow suit.
People In Recovery Worry GOP Medicaid Cuts Would Put Treatment Out Of Reach
In Pennsylvania alone, 124,000 people received drug or alcohol addiction treatment through Medicaid. Republicans in Congress want to cut Medicaid by as much as $800 billion over the next decade, leaving people in recovery wondering what will happen to their treatment.
AARP: States Lag In Keeping Medicaid Enrollees Out Of Nursing Homes
States are not doing enough to help elderly and disabled Medicaid enrollees receive services in homes and community locations instead of in nursing homes, where care is more expensive, AARP report says.
Zika en América: la saga de una mamá hispana
Lo primero que hizo María Ríos cuando nació su beba es chequear el tamaño de su cabeza. Fue entonces cuando supo que sus miedos se habían hecho realidad: la niña había nacido con microcefalia, una consecuencia del zika.
Out Of Work And Looking For Insurance: COBRA May Be The Best Bet For Now
With lots of questions about the 2018 insurance market still in play, someone who is between jobs might want to stick with their job-based insurance at least until the outlines of the health law’s marketplaces are clear in the fall.
Zika In America: One Mother’s Saga
So far, 72 affected babies have been born in the continental U.S. One young mother, infected in Mexico last year, and her infant face an uncertain future in rural Washington.
“¿Cuánto tiempo me queda, doctor?” Por qué muchos pacientes con cáncer no obtienen respuestas
Muchas veces los pacientes con cáncer no reciben respuestas adecuadas a preguntas críticas, entre ellas, la más crucial y universal de todas.
In Texas, Abstinence-Only Programs May Contribute To Teen Pregnancies
Across the U.S., the number of teenagers having babies has hit a record low — it’s down to about 1 out of every 45 young women. That trend hasn’t extended to certain parts of Texas, however, where the teen birth rate is still nearly twice the national average.