Latest KFF Health News Stories
California To Drug Users: We’ll Pay For You To Test Your Dope
Fentanyl, a significant cause of overdoses and deaths across the country, has begun showing up in California street drugs. State health officials have responded with a bold but controversial policy: paying for test strips so users can check their stash.
La muerte de un tío por sobredosis impulsa a oficial de Medicaid a actuar
Un oficial de los Servicios de Medicare y Medicaid se enteró casi dos años después que uno de sus tíos más queridos había muerto víctima de las drogas. Esa verdad lo impulsó a un cambio de rumbo.
Tratan a la violencia doméstica como un problema médico
En Los Angeles, un centro que atiende a mujeres víctimas de abuso en el hogar tiene una oficina, y pronto un refugio, en el campus de un concurrido hospital.
Opioid Crisis Hits Home: Uncle’s Overdose Spurs Medicaid Official To Change Course
Andrey Ostrovsky, who until last month was chief medical officer for Medicaid, quit his job so he could more directly fight the stigma of drug addiction.
Treating Domestic Violence As A Medical Problem
Health care professionals increasingly collaborate with anti-abuse advocates to identify victims and ensure they get the help they need. One women’s center is opening a shelter on the campus of a large public hospital in Los Angeles.
What’s Next For ‘Safe Injection’ Sites In Philadelphia?
Philadelphia officials gave the OK to establishing safe-injection sites for drug users. But it’s unclear where the sites would be located and who would fund and operate them.
Postcard From California: Alzheimer’s ‘Looks Like Me, It Looks Like You’
At a panel discussion this week in Sacramento, patients, caregivers and others shared their perspectives on how Alzheimer’s disease affects women, who account for two-thirds of those living with the condition.
Hospital Honchos Hone New Message In Wake Of Opioid Epidemic: Expect Pain
“We really do have a lot of responsibility and culpability,” says one hospital official who is part of a working group trying to address the opioid epidemic. Patients have to expect more pain after surgery and understand the risk of addiction, says another doctor.
Her Sister’s Keeper: Caring For A Sibling With Mental Illness
Few bonds are as tight as those between sisters. But when one has paranoid schizophrenia, the relationship grows complicated.
Maine Voters Chose Medicaid Expansion. Why Is Their Governor Resisting?
Even though voters in Maine decided to expand Medicaid through a ballot measure, the law’s fate is still unclear. Gov. Paul LePage says the Legislature must find funds for it without raising taxes. Advocates say the law is on their side and expansion must be implemented.
Reverberations From War Complicate Vietnam Veterans’ End-Of-Life Care
Vietnam veterans’ wartime experiences — and their lasting psychological toll — can make it harder to treat their physical and emotional pain as they approach death.
Pharmacists Slow To Dispense Lifesaving Overdose Drug
Laws in California and most other states allow pharmacists to provide naloxone to patients or their friends without a doctor’s prescription. But many don’t do so, citing lack of demand and awareness among patients, their own fears of insufficient compensation and the challenges of treating opioid users.
Near Incineration Of Psychiatric Hospital Highlights Gaping Need For More Beds
Fire almost destroyed one of two acute care facilities in Ventura County — wiping out most of the region’s inpatient capacity. In California and nationally, such hospitals are strained by demand — and disasters.
Arizona Declares Opioid Emergency, But Signals Are Mixed Over Best Response
Arizona is one of a few states that have declared the opioid epidemic a public health emergency. There’s no uniformity in what that means from state to state, though, and even within Arizona, there’s a wide divergence of opinion on how best to tackle the problem.
Los buenos amigos podrían ayudar a mantener un cerebro sano al envejecer
Nuevos estudios revelan que las relaciones positivas pueden ayudar a que no se deterioren las funciones cognitivas.
Telemedicine For Addiction Treatment? Picture Remains Fuzzy
One Indiana addiction specialist doesn’t shy away from telemedicine, but he still requires in-person visits to begin and maintain his patients’ Suboxone prescriptions.
Good Friends Might Be Your Best Brain Booster As You Age
SuperAgers, men and women over age 80 with extraordinary memories, share a commitment to sustaining friendships.
These Annual Checkups Help Seniors Not Only Survive But Thrive
Seniors are living longer and defying predictions of cognitive and functional decline. Wellness coaches guide them in setting goals for the year — whether physical, social, intellectual or spiritual.
If Your Insurer Covers Few Therapists, Is That Really Mental Health Parity?
Behavioral care was four times more likely to be out-of-network than medical or surgical care, an analysis by Milliman shows.
Receta para un dolor de rodilla: 90 píldoras de Percocet
Porque el sistema computarizado así lo indica, o por comodidad del médico, pacientes reciben pastillas extra de poderosos opioides.
