Latest KFF Health News Stories
As States Mull Medicaid Work Requirements, Two With Experience Scale Back
As Republicans consider adding work requirements to Medicaid, Georgia and Arkansas — two states with experience running such programs — want to scale back the key parts supporters have argued encourage employment and personal responsibility.
A Dose of Love: The Winning Health Policy Valentines
KFF Health News shares our favorite reader-submitted health policy valentines. One struck us in the heart and inspired an original cartoon.
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Courts Try To Curb Health Cuts
Some of the Trump administration’s dramatic funding and policy shifts are facing major pushback for the first time — not from Congress, but from the courts. Federal judges around the country are attempting to pump the brakes on efforts to freeze government spending, shut down the U.S. Agency for International Development, eliminate access to health-related webpages and datasets, and limit grant funding provided by the National Institutes of Health. Meanwhile, Congress is off to a slow start in trying to turn President Donald Trump’s agenda into legislation, although Medicaid is clearly high on the list for potential funding cuts. Shefali Luthra of The 19th, Jessie Hellmann of CQ Roll Call, and Maya Goldman of Axios News join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these topics and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Mark McClellan, director of the Duke-Margolis Institute for Health Policy and a former health official during the George W. Bush administration, about the impact of cutting funding to research universities.
Republican States Claim Zero Abortions. A Red-State Doctor Calls That ‘Ludicrous.’
In several red states, officials say few or no abortions happened in 2023, raising alarm among researchers about the politicization of vital statistics.
Top California Democrats Clash Over How To Rein In Drug Industry Middlemen
Frustrated by spiraling drug costs, California lawmakers want to increase oversight of pharmaceutical industry intermediaries known as pharmacy benefit managers. It’s unclear whether they can persuade Gov. Gavin Newsom to get on board.
Montana Looks To Regulate Prior Authorization as Patients, Providers Decry Obstacles to Care
Patients and providers say health insurers’ preapproval requirements lead to delays and denials of needed medical treatments. Insurers argue that prior authorization keeps costs down.
Doctor Wanted: Small Town Offers Big Perks To Attract a Physician
The town of Havana, Florida, is seeking a family doctor to practice in the rural community. Incentives include rent-free office space with medical equipment owned by the town. With a physician shortage hitting small communities hard, town leaders put want ads in newspapers and on social media.
An Arm and a Leg: How Do You Deal With Wild Drug Prices?
“An Arm and a Leg” is collecting stories for a new series about how Americans get the medicine they need when faced with sticker shock.
Se busca médico: estrategias de un pueblito de Florida para atraer a un doctor generalista
Se espera que la escasez de médicos en Florida aumente en la próxima década, y un estudio prevé una necesidad de 18.000 médicos en todo el estado.
Un año después del tiroteo del 14 de febrero que mató a una persona e hirió al menos a 24, los sobrevivientes y sus familias todavía tratan de rehacer sus vidas.
Kaiser Permanente Back in the Hot Seat Over Mental Health Care, but It’s Not Only a KP Issue
Mental health workers on strike in Southern California say Kaiser Permanente is woefully understaffed, its therapists are burned out, and patients are often denied timely access to care. The insurer says it has largely fixed the problem. But across California and the nation, mental health parity is still not a reality.
A Year After Super Bowl Parade Shooting, Trauma Freeze Gives Way to Turmoil for Survivors
Survivors and witnesses of gun violence often freeze emotionally at first, as a coping mechanism. As the one-year mark since the parade shooting nears, the last installment in our series “The Injured” looks at how some survivors talk about resilience, while others are desperately trying to hang on.
Blood Transfusions at the Scene Save Lives. But Ambulances Are Rarely Equipped To Do Them.
More than 60,000 people bleed to death every year in the United States. Many of those deaths occur before the patient reaches a trauma center where blood transfusions can be given.
House Cats With Bird Flu Could Pose a Risk to Public Health
The current strain of bird flu is spreading from wildlife and livestock to house cats. To keep pets healthy, many virologists and veterinarians say, house cats shouldn’t eat raw food and should be kept indoors. Despite no known cases of H5N1 transmission between cats and people, some public health agencies and virologists are warning cat owners to be mindful of the theoretical risks to the health of humans in their households if a pet gets sick.
Gatos domésticos con gripe aviar podrían ser un riesgo para la salud pública
Un pequeño pero creciente número de gatos domésticos se han enfermado con H5N1, la cepa de gripe aviar protagonista del brote actual en el país, después de comer alimentos crudos o beber leche sin pasteurizar.
Leaving Abortion to the States: A Broken Trump Campaign Promise
On the campaign trail, President Donald Trump said the power to make abortion policies “has been returned to the states.” In his first two weeks in office, he’s already gone further to restrict abortion than any president who’s held office since the 1973 “Roe v. Wade” decision, writes Julie Rovner.
Nueva ley ofrece atención médica a jóvenes que salen de la cárcel
A pesar de la alta tasa de problemas de salud mental y trastornos por adicciones en esta población, muchas veces regresan a sus comunidades sin cobertura, lo que aumenta sus posibilidades de morir o sufrir una recaídas.
Some Incarcerated Youths Will Get Health Care After Release Under New Law
It’s common for young people leaving jails and prisons to end up back behind bars, often after lapses related to untreated mental health issues or substance abuse. A new law is aimed at getting them on Medicaid before they’re released. But the government coordination required to make it happen is significant.
On the Front Lines Against Bird Flu, Egg Farmers Say They’re Losing the Battle
Tools used to contain previous bird flu outbreaks aren’t working this time, experts say. The virus has sickened at least 67 people in the U.S. and killed one, with egg producers begging for a new approach. “I call this virus a terrorist,” said one egg farmer, who lost 6.5 million birds to H5N1 in two weeks.
Measles Outbreak Mounts Among Children in One of Texas’ Least Vaccinated Counties
With hospitalizations and at least nine confirmed cases, health officials race to contain a growing outbreak in a community with low vaccination.