Health Industry

Latest KFF Health News Stories

Lo nuevo y lo que debes tener en cuenta en el próximo período de inscripción abierta de ACA

KFF Health News Original

Estamos en esa época del año otra vez. En la mayoría de los estados, la temporada de inscripción abierta de la Ley de Cuidado de Salud a Bajo Precio (ACA) para los planes de salud comienza el 1 de noviembre y dura hasta el 15 de enero.

Catholic Hospital Offered Bucket, Towels to Woman It Denied an Abortion, California AG Said

KFF Health News Original

In California, where abortion rights are guaranteed, there’s a loophole. The growth of Catholic hospital systems, which restrict reproductive health care, has left patients with no other option for care. That will be the case for pregnant women in Northern California, with a hospital set to close its birth center.

Doctors Urging Conference Boycotts Over Abortion Bans Face Uphill Battle

KFF Health News Original

A famed breast cancer surgeon has created a California alternative to a major Texas event. Yet many doctors believe boycotting medical conferences in states that criminalize abortion accomplishes nothing and can be harmful.

A Few Rural Towns Are Bucking the Trend and Building New Hospitals

KFF Health News Original

A remote Wyoming community hoped for years to have more access to health care. Now, after receiving federal funding, it is bucking dismal closure trends throughout the rural U.S. and building its own hospital. And it’s not the only one.

Nursing Aides Plagued by PTSD After ‘Nightmare’ Covid Conditions, With Little Help

KFF Health News Original

A KFF Health News investigation reveals that employers and the government have offered nursing aides little assistance for PTSD and other ongoing maladies triggered by hazardous work during the pandemic.

States’ Efforts To Alter Arcane Hospital Rules Mix Politics With Drama

KFF Health News Original

Georgia is one of dozens of states that require health-care facilities to ask for permission to build or expand by obtaining “certificates of need.” Basically, state regulators get to decide whether a town needs a new hospital or long-term care center. If the need is deemed real, they’re granted a “CON.” The intent of the […]

Fighting Staff Shortages With Scholarships, California Bill Aims To Boost Mental Health Courts

KFF Health News Original

A new bill would create a scholarship program for students who agree to work with specialized courts in California to get patients into treatment, but some people argue the state shouldn’t restrict scholarship aid to a new, untested program given broader behavioral health workforce shortages.

Abortion Clinics — And Patients — Are on the Move as State Laws Shift

KFF Health News Original

Last month, Planned Parenthood Great Plains opened its newest clinic in Pittsburg, Kan., a city of about 21,000 people mere minutes from the borders of both Missouri and Oklahoma. It’s the second new clinic the regional affiliate has opened in Kansas in a little over two years, to accommodate the growing number of patients coming […]

Cyberattacks Plague the Health Industry. Critics Call Feds’ Response Feeble and Fractured.

KFF Health News Original

Health care weathered more ransomware attacks last year than any other sector, and that was before a debilitating February hack of payments manager Change Healthcare. Executives, lawyers, and policymakers are worried the federal government’s response is underpowered, underfunded, and too focused on hospital security.

Unpacking the FDA’s Non-Recall Recalls

KFF Health News Original

When the Agriculture Department posted a recall of chicken nuggets that might be contaminated, it directed consumers to return them or throw the stuff away. When the Consumer Product Safety Commission announced that poorly designed baby loungers could suffocate babies, it warned consumers to immediately stop using them. But when it comes to medical devices, […]

Arkansas’ Governor Says Medicaid Extension for New Moms Isn’t Needed

KFF Health News Original

Federal law requires states to provide pregnancy-related Medicaid coverage through 60 days after delivery. Arkansas has not expanded what’s called postpartum Medicaid coverage, an option that gives poor women uninterrupted health insurance for a year after they give birth.

California May Regulate and Restrict Pharmaceutical Brokers

KFF Health News Original

California lawmakers are moving to rein in the pharmaceutical middlemen they say drive up costs and limit consumers’ choices. The bill sent to Gov. Gavin Newsom would require pharmacy benefit managers to be licensed in California and would ban some business practices. Newsom vetoed a previous effort three years ago.