Southern Bureau Archives - Page 12 of 57

Supreme Court Upholds Bans on Gender-Affirming Care

Episode 402

June 20, 2025

The Supreme Court this week said Tennessee may continue to enforce its law banning most types of gender-affirming care for minors. The ruling is likely to greenlight similar laws in two dozen states. And the Senate is preparing to vote on a budget reconciliation bill that includes even deeper Medicaid cuts than the House version. Victoria Knight of Axios, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, and Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more.

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A balding man with a gray beard sits behind a table and speaks into a microphone. He wears a dark suit and purple tie and a sign on the table reads "The Honorable Howard Lutnick." People sit in several rows of chairs behind him.

Dead Zone

Trump Team’s Reworking Delays Billions in Broadband Build-Out

A Trump administration reworking of a $42 billion broadband expansion program will trigger delays as millions of rural Americans wait for promised connections and the telehealth services they bring.

By Sarah Jane Tribble

June 20, 2025

A photo of a nurse practitioner examining an older woman patient in her home.

Nurse Practitioners Critical in Treating Older Adults as Ranks of Geriatricians Shrink

The number of nurse practitioners specializing in geriatrics has more than tripled since 2010.

By Jariel Arvin

June 18, 2025

A woman in a blue tshirt with dark hair and red lipstick smiles at the camera. She is seated in front of a blue door

The Price You Pay for an Obamacare Plan Could Surge Next Year

An estimated 4 million Americans will lose health insurance over the next decade if Congress doesn’t extend enhanced subsidies for Affordable Care Act marketplace coverage, which expire at the end of the year. Florida and Texas would see the biggest losses, in part because they have not expanded Medicaid eligibility.

By Daniel Chang

June 17, 2025

A teenage boy and his mother sit on a teal couch, side by side, smiling at one another. A dog is seated on each of their laps.

A Revolutionary Drug for Extreme Hunger Offers Clues to Obesity’s Complexity

A new drug is helping families who’ve spent years padlocking fridges, chaining garbage cans, and hiding food as their children with Prader-Willi syndrome deal with unrelenting hunger. But additional progress — and a broader understanding of obesity — is now under threat as the government dismantles the pipeline for promising new research.

By Claire Sibonney

June 16, 2025

A husband sits at the kitchen table. His wife is seen close on the left of the frame. She is blurred slightly as the camera is focused on the husband.

Deadly Denials

‘Not Accountable to Anyone’: As Insurers Issue Denials, Some Patients Run Out of Options

Health insurers issue millions of prior authorization denials every year, leaving many patients stuck in a convoluted appeals process, with little hope of meaningful policy change ahead. For doctors, these denials are frustrating and time-consuming. For patients, they can be devastating.

By Lauren Sausser

June 16, 2025

A photo of a nurse pushing a patient in a wheelchair in a hospital corridor.

‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ Would Batter Rural Hospital Finances, Researchers Say

Rural hospitals would take an outsize hit from Republicans’ proposed cuts to Medicaid and other federal health programs. Researchers say the financial erosion would trigger hospital closures and service cuts, especially in communities where large shares of patients are enrolled in Medicaid.

By Jazmin Orozco Rodriguez

June 12, 2025

KFF Health News On Air

Journalists Recap State of NIH Cancer Research and Abortion Law’s Effect on Clinical Decisions

KFF Health News journalists made the rounds on national and local media recently to discuss topical stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.

June 7, 2025

A photo of a nurse helping a young boy use an asthma inhaler.

In a Dusty Corner of California, Trump’s Threatened Cuts to Asthma Care Raise Fears

The Trump administration wants to shutter the CDC’s National Asthma Control Program, which provides millions in funding to state-administered initiatives aimed at fighting the disease. The program’s closure, combined with massive cuts to environmental programs, could put the 28 million Americans with asthma at increased risk.

By Miranda Green

June 6, 2025

A photo of a nurse wheeling his patient in a wheelchair in a nursing home.

Newsom’s Push To Block Law Could Save California Nursing Homes Over $1 Billion

Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to block a state law that requires nursing homes to have 96 hours of backup power in the case of emergencies, potentially giving the industry a break from spending over $1 billion on facility upgrades. Patient advocates say rolling back the nursing home industry requirements for preparedness could jeopardize the safety of residents.

By Annie Sciacca

June 4, 2025

An unidentifiable person in scrubs walks beside a tan wall with a sign reading "Holston Valley Medical Center" on it.

The Only Hospital in Town

Ballad Health’s Hospital Monopoly Underperformed. Then Tennessee Lowered the Bar.

Ballad Health, a state-sanctioned hospital monopoly in Tennessee and Virginia, can now be deemed a “clear and convincing” benefit to the public with performance that would earn a “D” on most grading scales, according to Tennessee state documents.

By Brett Kelman

June 3, 2025

Role Reversal: Millions of Kids Are Caregivers for Elders. Why Their Numbers Might Grow.

As state officials anticipate Medicaid funding cuts that could strip resources for those with disabilities and chronic health conditions, an army of unpaid caregivers waits in the wings: children. At least 5.4 million kids are estimated to be caring for family members at home, a number likely to rise if Medicaid cuts hit professional home-based services.

By Leah Fabel

June 2, 2025

An illustration drawn in pen and ink and colored lightly with watercolor shows a crowd of doctors gathering around an airline gate for a flight to Canada. The doctor in the center looks back at the viewer with an expression that shows concern and remorse.

American Doctors Are Moving to Canada To Escape the Trump Administration

Canada has seen a surge of American doctors seeking to move north in the months since President Donald Trump returned to the White House.

By Brett Kelman

May 30, 2025

A photo of a man standing outside under a shaded canopy of trees.

Bill of the Month

A Medicaid Patient Had a Heart Attack While Traveling. He Owed Almost $78,000.

Federal law says Medicaid must cover out-of-state emergency care. But a Florida man got a five-figure bill after a South Dakota hospital declined to charge his state’s Medicaid program.

By Arielle Zionts

May 29, 2025

A photo of a worker wearing reflective gear, hard hat, and a mask, stands by a coal cutting machine in a coal mine.

Feds Chop Enforcement Staff and Halt Rules Meant To Curb Black Lung in Coal Miners

The Trump administration has paused implementation of a rule limiting miners’ exposure to airborne silica dust days after a federal court agreed to put it on hold to hear an industry challenge. The protections are meant to head off a surge in cases of black lung disease. Meanwhile, any enforcement of new standards might be meager due to workforce cuts.

By Taylor Sisk

May 29, 2025

A photo of an older man leaning forward, his hands on his head.

The New Old Age

A Ministroke Can Have Major Consequences

What are known as transient ischemic attacks can eventually lead to cognitive declines as steep as those following a full-on stroke, new research finds.

By Paula Span

May 27, 2025

A photo of a woman sitting on a hospital bed with her legs off to the side. She smiles, facing the camera.

Trump Won’t Force Medicaid To Cover GLP-1s for Obesity. A Few States Are Doing It Anyway.

Late last year, South Carolina Medicaid approved a class of medications known as GLP-1s to treat obesity, placing it among the few state programs covering these effective but expensive drugs. But access remains limited, even for patients covered by Medicaid, because of stringent prerequisites that must be satisfied before starting the drug.

By Lauren Sausser

May 21, 2025

A photo of President Trump seated at a desk, gesturing with his hands, holding a magic marker. Three men stand behind him; they are heads of federal health agencies.

How Trump Aims To Slash Federal Support for Research, Public Health, and Medicaid

One thing experts agree on: The damage from the funding cuts will be varied and immense.

By Elisabeth Rosenthal

May 20, 2025

A photo of President Trump seated at a desk, signing an executive order.

Housing, Nutrition in Peril as Trump Pulls Back Medicaid Social Services

About half of states have broadened Medicaid, the state-federal low-income health care program, to pay for social services such as housing and nutritional support. The Trump administration, however, views these experiments as distractions from the core mission to provide health care.

By Angela Hart

May 19, 2025

KFF Health News On Air

Journalists Unpack Drug Prices, Threats to Medicaid, and the Fluoridation of Water

KFF Health News journalists made the rounds on national and local media recently to discuss topical stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.

May 17, 2025

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