Latest KFF Health News Stories
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': The Senate Saves PEPFAR Funding — For Now
The Senate narrowly approved the Trump administration’s request to claw back about $9 billion for foreign aid and public broadcasting but refused to cut funding for the international AIDS/HIV program PEPFAR. Meanwhile, a federal appeals court ruled that West Virginia can ban the abortion pill mifepristone, which could allow states to block other FDA-approved drugs. Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico Magazine, Shefali Luthra of The 19th, and Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more.
The Foster Care System Has a Suicide Problem. Federal Cuts Threaten To Slow Fixes.
Children and young adults in the U.S. foster care system suffer from mental health disorders and die by suicide at far higher rates than the general population, yet the system doesn’t uniformly screen and treat children who are at risk.
Who’s Policing Opioid Settlement Spending? A Crowdsourced Database Might Help
Billions in opioid settlement money was meant to be spent on treating and preventing addiction — but what happens if it’s misspent? Some advocates say attorneys general need to pay closer attention. If they don’t, a new tool might empower the public.
In a Nation Growing Hostile Toward Drugs and Homelessness, Los Angeles Tries Leniency
A new care center for homeless people on Los Angeles’ infamous Skid Row embraces the principle of harm reduction, a more lenient approach to drug use and addiction. County officials say criminalization only worsens homelessness.
Workplace Mental Health at Risk as Key Federal Agency Faces Cuts
Efforts to decrease alarmingly high rates of suicide among construction workers and prevent burnout in health care workers are in jeopardy after the firing of hundreds of employees at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.
‘We Need To Keep Fighting’: HIV Activists Organize To Save Lives as Trump Guts Funding
While Congress fails to stave off cuts to HIV care, community leaders in Mississippi and beyond race to limit the damage.
Many Older People Embrace Vaccines. Research Is Proving Them Right.
Newer formulations are even more effective at preventing illnesses that commonly afflict seniors — perhaps even dementia.
Muchas personas mayores aceptan las vacunas con entusiasmo. La investigación les da la razón
Para los adultos mayores que expresan mayor confianza en la seguridad de las vacunas que los grupos más jóvenes, los últimos meses han traído consigo investigaciones muy positivas.
El riesgo de consumir marihuana aumentaría en los adultos mayores
Treinta y nueve estados y el Distrito de Columbia permiten ahora el consumo de cannabis con fines médicos, y en 24 de esos estados, y en el distrito, el consumo recreativo también es legal.
$20K Bonuses Among Latest Moves To Improve California’s Prison Mental Health System
After decades of unsuccessful efforts to improve California prison conditions, advocates and a federal judge are betting that bonuses and better work accommodations will attract and keep the mental health professionals needed to better treat prisoners.
As Cannabis Users Age, Health Risks Appear To Grow
More older people are using cannabis products regularly, but research suggests their cannabis-related health problems are also on the rise.
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.
Journalists Draw Link Between Internet Dead Zones, Threatened Medicaid Cuts, and Health
KFF Health News journalists made the rounds on national or local media recently to discuss topical stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.
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.
Opioid Settlement Windfall: Where the Billions Are Going
Opioid manufacturers, distributors, and retailers have been paying billions of dollars to settle lawsuits over their role in the overdose epidemic. How to spend the money remains an open question.
Médicos estadounidenses se mudan a Canadá para escapar de la administración Trump
El Consejo Médico de Canadá afirmó que el número de médicos estadounidenses que han dado el primer paso para obtener la licencia en Canadá, ha aumentado más del 750%.
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.
Un mini accidente cerebrovascular puede tener graves consecuencias
Los síntomas neurológicos que indican un AIT, un accidente isquémico transitorio o un mini accidente cerebrovascular, muchas veces no se toman en cuenta.
3 Things To Watch on Mental Health in Trump’s Early Budget Proposals
President Donald Trump’s budget office says he’ll continue to fund the new 988 suicide prevention hotline, but documents sent to Congress offer clues — amid some mixed messages — about the administration’s approach to two pressing public health issues: mental health and addiction.
Mental Health and Substance Misuse Treatment Is Increasingly a Video Chat or Phone Call Away
More Californians are getting mental health or substance use disorder treatment online or over the phone than in person, according to a KFF Health News analysis of UCLA’s latest California Health Interview Survey. But the telehealth experience isn’t always positive.
