Advertisements Promising Patients a ‘Dream Body’ With Minimal Risk Get Little Scrutiny
While federal officials say they are cracking down on misleading drug ads, cosmetic surgery remains a “buyer beware” market.
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It’s the ‘Gold Standard’ in Autism Care. Why Are States Reining It In?
States facing yawning budget shortfalls have begun cutting Medicaid reimbursements for a wide variety of services. In some states, dramatic cuts are targeting therapies that many families of autistic people say are essential to caring for their loved ones.
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Medical Bills Can Be Vexing and Perplexing. Here’s This Year’s Best Advice for Patients.
As the crowdsourced investigative series from KFF Health News approaches its eighth anniversary, “Bill of the Month” offers its top takeaways of 2025 to help patients manage, decipher, and even fight their medical bills.
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After Outpatient Cosmetic Surgery, They Wound Up in the Hospital or Alone at a Recovery House
Some patients who had liposuction or other surgeries later required emergency hospital care — and some died, court records show.
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Criminally Ill: Systemic Failures Turn State Mental Hospitals Into Prisons
There has been a steep rise in the share of people with severe mental illnesses being sent to state psychiatric hospitals on court orders after being accused of serious crimes. The shift has all but halted patients’ ability to get care before they have a catastrophic crisis.
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Baltimore Drove Down Gun Deaths. Now Trump Has Slashed Funding for That Work.
A spike in shootings during the covid pandemic propelled community violence intervention, a field that aims to stop gun deaths at the root. Baltimore used federal funds to launch a violence prevention office. But President Donald Trump has throttled such funds and instead is sending troops into cities.
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Medicaid Health Plans Step Up Outreach Efforts Ahead of GOP Changes
Even as President Donald Trump and GOP lawmakers say the One Big Beautiful Bill Act targets waste, fraud, and abuse, Medicaid health plans are hosting events across the U.S. to prevent low-income families from losing health insurance and food benefits next year.
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Journalists Zero In on ‘Certificate of Need’ Laws and Turbulent Obamacare Enrollment Season
KFF Health News journalists made the rounds on regional media recently to discuss topical stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.
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State Exchange Directors Seeing Consumers’ Fears — In Real Time — About Obamacare Premium Hikes
Get our weekly newsletter, The Week in Brief, featuring a roundup of our original coverage, Fridays at 2 p.m. ET.
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Guns Marketed for Personal Safety Fuel Public Health Crisis in Black Communities
During the covid pandemic, gun marketers told many Americans they needed firearms to defend against criminals and protesters. Then firearm deaths mounted rapidly in racially segregated and low-income neighborhoods, according to federal data.
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States Advance Medical Debt Protections as Federal Support Turns to Opposition
Federal officials reversed their stance on medical debt credit reporting, then came a lawsuit in Colorado. As lawmakers in other states forge ahead with attempts to protect consumers from medical debt, some are reconsidering how they go about it.
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Scorpion Peppers Caused Him ‘Crippling’ Pain. Two Years Later, the ER Bill Stung Him Again.
Homemade hot sauce sent a Colorado man to the emergency room with what he called “the worst pain of my life.” But stomach cramps were only the beginning. Two years later, the bill came.
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Inside the FDA’s Vaccine Uproar
An internal email claiming covid vaccines killed children triggered a formal response from a dozen past FDA commissioners. The email, sent by the head of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, outlines a framework that could have significant impact on the nation’s vaccine policies.
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Judge in Nursing Home Bankruptcy Case Gives Families Fresh Hope of Compensation for Injuries, Deaths
Genesis HealthCare’s controlling investor, Joel Landau, had sought to rebuy the nursing homes while gaining protection from settlement payments over allegations of poor care. A judge rejected the proposal and ordered a new auction. A KFF Health News investigation found Genesis settled hundreds of lawsuits but didn’t pay them out fully.
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Washington’s Homeless Hide in Plain Sight, Growing Sicker and Costing Taxpayers More
The White House says encampment sweeps have enhanced the capital, but city leaders estimate nearly 700 homeless people roam by day and bed down outdoors by night. Some have scattered to the suburbs while others avoid detection, making it hard for medical providers to care for them.
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Call 911 or Risk Losing the Baby? Raids Force Some Immigrants To Avoid Care
More immigrants in New Orleans and Mississippi are skipping important health care appointments and experiencing heightened stress amid federal immigration raids.
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Worried About Health Insurance Costs? There May Be Cheaper Options — But With Trade-Offs
As the clock ticks down on the 2026 Obamacare open enrollment season, frustrated consumers may have to make sacrifices on coverage to get a price they can stomach. But cheaper alternatives come with risks.
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Oregon Hospital Races To Build a Tsunami Shelter as FEMA Fights To Cut Its Funding
Columbia Memorial Hospital near Oregon’s coastline planned to add a tsunami shelter, counting on a FEMA grant. After the Trump administration cut the funding, hospital officials are building anyway, saying waiting is too risky. A judge ruled Dec. 11 that the administration unlawfully ended the program without congressional approval.
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In the Vast Expanses of Indian Country, Broadband Gaps Create Health Gaps, Too
On Idaho’s remote Fort Hall Reservation, thousands live without reliable high-speed internet, which supports health care, education, and daily life. Facing delays and wavering federal policy, Frances Goli is determined to spend more than $22 million in federal grant money before she runs out of time.
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Disability Rights Lawyers Threatened With Budget Cuts, Reassignments
The Trump administration wants deep funding cuts for state-based legal services for disabled people, as rights advocates say the Justice Department pushed out many of its lawyers who worked on such issues.
