Latest KFF Health News Stories
Why the Election May Slow Plans To Replace Lead Pipes
Lead in drinking water is a known danger. But how many of the country’s estimated 9 million lead service lines need to be replaced — and how quickly — is subject to debate. The clock is ticking on two competing plans as the election looms.
These Vibrant, Bigger-Than-Life Portraits Turn Gun Death Statistics Into Indelible Stories
With pop-up art shows in Philadelphia and beyond, Zarinah Lomax’s mission is to show what is routinely lost to gun violence in America: “This is somebody’s child. Somebody’s son, somebody’s daughter who was working toward something.”
Retratos convierten a muertes por armas de fuego en historias imborrables
Philadelphia ha registrado más de 9,000 tiroteos fatales y no fatales desde 2020, con aproximadamente el 80% de las víctimas identificadas como negras no hispanas. Entre los heridos o muertos, aproximadamente el 60% tenía 30 años o menos.
When Hospital Cyberattacks Compromise Care, Not Just Data
When hospitals are hit by cyberattacks that compromise crucial technology systems for managing patient care, the stakes are staggering. “We’ve started to think about these as public health issues and disasters on the scale of earthquakes or hurricanes,” said Jeff Tully, a co-director of the Center for Healthcare Cybersecurity at the University of California at […]
From Dr. Oz to Heart Valves: A Tiny Device Charted a Contentious Path Through the FDA
The story of MitraClip, a device Dr. Oz helped invent to treat faulty heart valves, is a cautionary tale about the science, business, and regulation of medical technology.
If Lawsuit Ends Federal Mandates on Birth Control Coverage, States Will Have the Say
An ongoing lawsuit aims to set aside the Affordable Care Act’s requirements that insurers cover preventive care, such as contraception. If that happens, state reproductive health laws — varying across the country — would carry more weight, resuming the “wild West” dynamic from before Obamacare.
GOP’s Tim Sheehy Revives Discredited Abortion Claims in Pivotal Senate Race
In Montana’s U.S. Senate race, Republican Tim Sheehy made the false claim that his Democratic opponent, incumbent Sen. Jon Tester, supports abortion “up to and including the moment of birth.”
Listen: How the End of ‘Roe’ Is Reshaping the Medical Workforce
In this episode of “The Indicator From Planet Money,” KFF Health News’ chief Washington correspondent, Julie Rovner, reports on how the medical labor force is changing post-Roe v. Wade and why graduating medical students, from OB-GYNs to pediatricians, are avoiding training in states with abortion bans.
Planned Parenthood to Blitz GOP Seats, Betting Abortion Fears Can Sway Voters
The reproductive rights organization hopes to oust GOP incumbents from key California congressional seats by highlighting the possibility of a national abortion ban. A state Republican official calls it a swing and a miss, noting that, under Democrats, hospitals have closed maternity wards and filed for bankruptcy.
Abortion and the 2024 Election: A Video Primer
The first presidential election since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade two years ago takes place in November, and abortion is sure to play a key role.
Planned Parenthood enfrenta a los republicanos y espera captar el apoyo de los votantes
Esta ofensiva estratégica es parte de un esfuerzo nacional más amplio del grupo de derechos reproductivos, que se propone evitar que una mayoría republicana apruebe restricciones al derecho al aborto, incluida una prohibición nacional.
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': SCOTUS Term Wraps With a Bang
The Supreme Court has issued its final opinions for the 2023-24 term, including decisions affecting abortion access, the opioid epidemic, and how the federal government functions. In this special episode, Sarah Somers , legal director of the National Health Law Program, joins KFF Health News’ chief Washington correspondent, Julie Rovner, to discuss how the justices disposed of the term’s health-related cases and what those decisions could mean going forward.
Two Rival Hospitals Want To Join Forces. Will Patients Lose?
In Terre Haute, Ind., two rival hospitals want to merge, a move that supporters say will save patients money and help people live longer. But similar hospital consolidations in Tennessee, Virginia and North Carolina have resulted in government reports documenting diminished care. In more than a dozen states, certificates of public advantage (COPAs) permit deals […]
Lack of Affordability Tops Older Americans’ List of Health Care Worries
Rising health care costs are fueling anxiety among older Americans covered by Medicare. They’re right to be concerned.
Beyond PMS: A Poorly Understood Disorder Means Periods of Despair for Some Women
Premenstrual dysphoric disorder is estimated to affect around 5% of people who menstruate, but a lack of research and limited awareness of menstrual disorders — even among health care providers — can make getting care difficult.
Pain Doesn’t Belong on a Scale of Zero to 10
A popular scale for measuring pain doesn’t work, but medicine still has no better alternative.
Mississippi Lacks Black Doctors, Even as Lawmakers Increasingly Target Diversity Programs
Administrators at the University of Mississippi School of Medicine are trying to recruit more Black students — and more Hispanic and Choctaw Nation students, for that matter. But they face several obstacles, including a recent swell of Republican opposition to diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.
Fake Therapist Fooled Hundreds Online Until She Died, State Records Say
A Florida woman with no training in mental health services pretended to be a licensed social worker during online therapy sessions with Brightside Health patients.
Falsa terapeuta engañó a cientos de pacientes en Internet, y solo se supo porque murió
Cientos de estadounidenses pueden haber recibido terapia, sin saberlo, de una impostora sin formación que se hizo pasar por terapeuta en sesiones por internet, posiblemente durante dos años. El engaño sólo se descubrió cuando murió, según registros de departamentos de salud estatales.
El dolor ya no se puede medir en una escala de cero a 10
Los médicos de hoy tienen una comprensión más completa del tratamiento del dolor, así como de las terribles consecuencias de recetar opioides con liviandad. Lo que están aprendiendo ahora es cómo medir mejor el dolor y tratar sus muchas formas.