Latest KFF Health News Stories
‘Don’t Cut Me!’: Discouraged By Experts, Episiotomies Still Common In Some Hospitals
Overall rates are falling in California and nationally but data point to certain hospitals with extremely high percentages.
Soda Taxes: Gaining Steam Or Getting Steamrolled?
A staunch advocate of taxing sugary drinks discusses the benefits and difficulties of enacting such policies.
Sometimes Tiny Is Just The Right Size: ‘Microhospitals’ Filling Some ER Needs
These facilities are full-service hospitals and offer a full array of emergency services but may have only a handful of beds for admitted patients.
Montana Medicaid Expansion By-The-Numbers
Enrollment is nearly double where the state expected to be at the seven-month mark.
Fraud Concerns Emerge As Compounding Drug Sales Skyrocket
Federal spending has soared for drugs that are handmade in local pharmacies, and federal investigators are raising concerns about fraud or overbilling.
Emotional Healing After A Flood Can Take Just As Long As Rebuilding
Three weeks after the flooding in West Virginia, the phrase “West Virginia Strong” is painted everywhere. But no matter how strong the community, emotional healing after a disaster takes a long time.
Psychotherapists Gravitate Toward Those Who Can Pay
It goes back to the byzantine way health care — and health insurance — developed in the U.S. in the wake of World War II.
Los hispanos están menos preparados ante un desastre mayor en LA
Sólo el 38% de los hogares latinos tienen un plan ante un desastre, el porcentaje más bajo de cualquier grupo racial o étnico.
Hispanics Least Prepared For A Major Disaster In Los Angeles
Only 38 percent of Latino households have a disaster plan, the lowest of any ethnic or racial group.
Despite Opioid Concerns, Seniors Often Exit The Hospital With Prescription: Study
Researchers found that nearly 15 percent of seniors filled prescriptions for an opioid painkiller after leaving the hospital and of those, 42.5 percent had the order refilled later.
Younger Seniors Amass More End-Of-Life Care Than Oldest Americans, Study Finds
A Kaiser Family Foundation analysis sheds new light on a widely-held belief about the costs of end-of-life care.
Hospital Finance Measure On California Ballot May Stump Voters
Proposition 52 would permanently enshrine a significant source of funding for hospitals and limit lawmakers’ ability to change it.
Palliative Care Sometimes Adds To Families’ Stress Burden, Study Finds
A study in JAMA finds palliative care counseling for families of chronically ill patients is not routinely needed by all and sometimes increases symptoms of post-traumatic stress.
Las vacunas no son sólo para los niños
La palabra “inmunización” evoca a la salud infantil. Ahora, los doctores de California están dirigiendo su atención a los adultos, quienes no han sido tan diligentes a la hora de recibir sus vacunas.
Seven Remaining Obamacare Co-Ops Prepare Survival Strategies
Two-thirds of the federally funded co-ops created by the health law to sell health insurance to individuals and small employers have folded and those that remain are diversifying to stay alive.
Vaccines Are Not Just For Kids
California’s leading physician organization is heading a drive to convince adults they need their vaccinations, too.
Few Young Doctors Are Training To Care For U.S. Elderly
Only about half of geriatric fellowships for medical residents in the U.S. are filled each year. Some students blame overwhelming medical school debt, which grows with every extra year of training.
Democrats Unite, But What Happened To ‘Medicare For All’?
Advocates for a single payer health care system say it would be more efficient, but other analysts predict that such an unprecedented change could be extremely disruptive to a key part of the nation’s economy.
Viejos moteles cobran nueva vida ayudando a las personas sin hogar a sanar
El uso de moteles deteriorados para cuidar y albergar temporalmente a personas sin hogar recientemente dadas de alta del hospital ayuda a estabilizarlos de manera económica, previniendo retornos innecesarios y costosos a las salas de emergencia y a los hospitales.
Doctors Get Creative To Distract Tech-Savvy Kids Before Surgery
Anxiety before surgery can be dangerous for kids. Medication can help calm them down. But an anesthesiologist in California has come up with a safer, cheaper and much more entertaining alternative.