Public Health Archives - Page 19 of 187

Creating Chaos at HHS

Episode 381

Jan. 23, 2025

President Donald Trump was sworn in Monday and by Wednesday had virtually stopped scientific policymaking at the Department of Health and Human Services. While incoming administrations often pause public communications, the acting HHS head ordered an unprecedented shutdown of all outside meetings, travel, and publications. Meanwhile, Trump issued a broad array of mostly nonbinding executive orders, but notably none directly concerning abortion. Rachel Cohrs Zhang of Stat, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, and Rachel Roubein of The Washington Post join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Rodney Whitlock, a former congressional staffer, who explains the convoluted “budget reconciliation” process Republicans hope to use to enact Trump’s agenda.

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President Donald Trump signs behind a desk in the Oval Office and signs a document.

What To Know About Trump’s Executive Orders on US Health Care

From rolling back drug pricing policies to limiting gender-affirming care, President Donald Trump signed several health-related executive orders in the first hours of his second presidency. Here’s a roundup of the changes and what they mean.

By Tarena Lofton

Jan. 22, 2025

The Growing Inequality in Life Expectancy Among Americans

To deliver on pledges from the new Trump administration to make America healthy again, policymakers will need to close gaps in longevity among racial and ethnic groups.

By Amy Maxmen

Jan. 22, 2025

A woman with short brown hair held back with a white headband sits on a beige couch with a box in her lap filled with things. She is wearing long earrings and a blue tank top. Her legs are crossed and she is wearing knee-high black socks.

Long-Covid Patients Are Frustrated That Federal Research Hasn’t Found New Treatments

The federal government has allocated $1.15 billion to long-covid research without any new treatments yet brought to market. Patients and scientists say it’s time to push harder for breakthroughs.

By Sarah Boden

Jan. 22, 2025

A man in a white shirt and jeans poses for a photo sitting in a chair next to an American Red Cross blanket

Postcard From Pasadena, California

Amid Wildfire Trauma, L.A. County Dispatches Mental Health Workers to Evacuees

Catastrophic wildfires are common in California, and mental health specialists have become a key part of local governments’ response to extreme weather events, which scientists say are becoming more intense and frequent due to climate change. Los Angeles County has been modifying its approach with each disaster.

By Molly Castle Work

Jan. 21, 2025

KFF Health News On Air

Days From Trump Inauguration, Journalists Weigh California, Federal Health Policies

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

Jan. 18, 2025

A photo of a man inside an apartment, seated in a wheelchair.

For Homeless Seniors, Getting Into Stable Housing Takes a Village — And a Lot of Luck

The number of unhoused seniors in the U.S. is expected to triple by 2030. About half of this population is becoming homeless for the first time. Homeless services struggle to help. Finding affordable housing that’s also accessible for older Americans with medical conditions is an extra challenge.

By Aaron Bolton, MTPR

Jan. 17, 2025

A close up photo of an unidentifiable toddler sitting in his mother's lap while a doctor puts a band-aid on his arm after receiving a vaccination.

Childhood Vaccination Rates, a Rare Health Bright Spot in Struggling States, Are Slipping

Mississippi, Tennessee, and West Virginia — states with some of the worst health outcomes — also have some of the highest childhood vaccination rates. But doctors and health officials worry a rising tide of vaccine skepticism is causing those public health bright spots to dim.

By Daniel Chang and Sam Whitehead

Jan. 16, 2025

KFF Health News On Air

Journalists Address HHS Under Trump, Rural PFAS Contamination, and Bird Flu

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

Jan. 11, 2025

A photo of nursing home staff wheeling out an elderly woman as the facility is evacuated due to a wildfire.

Doctors, Nurses Press Ahead as Wildfires Strain Los Angeles’ Health Care

A primary care clinic burned, medical offices closed, and hospitals struggled with possible evacuations. The wildfires that have incinerated large swaths of Los Angeles County are stressing the region’s health care infrastructure. Still, providers continue to find ways to deliver vital care.

By Bernard J. Wolfson, Molly Castle Work, and Emily Alpert Reyes, Los Angeles Times

Jan. 10, 2025

A photo of a sign in downtown Sikeston, Missouri.

Listen: NPR and KFF Health News Explore How Racism and Violence Hurt Health

KFF Health News Midwest correspondent Cara Anthony and Emily Kwong, host of NPR’s podcast “Shortwave,” talk about Black families living in the aftermath of lynchings and police killings.

By Cara Anthony

Jan. 6, 2025

A close-up image of an unidentifiable man's hands as he uses a lighter and smokes.

Stimulant Users Are Caught in Fatal ‘Fourth Wave’ of Opioid Epidemic

The migration of fentanyl into illicit stimulants such as cocaine is especially dangerous for people who are not regular opioid users. That’s because they have a low tolerance for opioids, putting them at greater risk of an overdose. They also often don’t take precautions — such as not using alone and carrying the opioid reversal medication naloxone — so they’re unprepared if they overdose.

By Lynn Arditi, The Public’s Radio

Jan. 3, 2025

A pile of medical syringes on wooden background.

Syringe Exchange Fears Hobble Fight Against West Virginia HIV Outbreak

Health workers and researchers say an HIV outbreak in West Virginia that three years ago was called “the most concerning” in the U.S. continues to spread after state and local officials restricted syringe service programs.

By Taylor Sisk

Jan. 3, 2025

Systemic Sickness

Trash Incinerators Disproportionately Harm Black and Hispanic People

Across the country, trash incinerators disproportionately overburden majority-Black and -Hispanic communities. Though the number of incinerators has declined nationwide since the 1980s, Florida offers financial incentives to waste management companies that expand existing facilities or build new ones.

By Daniel Chang

Dec. 23, 2024

How America Lost Control of the Bird Flu, Setting the Stage for Another Pandemic

Exclusive reporting reveals how the United States lost track of a virus that could cause the next pandemic. Problems like the sluggish pace of federal action, deference to industry, and neglect for the safety of low-wage workers put the country at risk of another health emergency.

By Amy Maxmen

Dec. 20, 2024

Letters to the Editor

Readers Offer ‘Solo Agers’ Support and Reflect on Ancestors

KFF Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.

Dec. 20, 2024

What the Health? From KFF Health News

End-of-Year Chaos on Capitol Hill

Episode 377

Dec. 19, 2024

Democrats and Republicans in the House and Senate successfully negotiated an enormous end-of-Congress health package, including bipartisan efforts to address prescription drug prices — only to see it blown up at the last minute after Elon Musk and President-elect Donald Trump applied pressure. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court accepted its first abortion-related case of the term, and the attorney general of Texas sued a doctor in New York for prescribing abortion pills to a Texas patient. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Jessie Hellmann of CQ Roll Call, and Victoria Knight of Axios join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KFF President and CEO Drew Altman about what happened in health policy in 2024 and what to expect in 2025.

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Trump’s Picks for Top Health Jobs Not Just Team of Rivals but ‘Team of Opponents’

The president-elect’s choices to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, as well as agencies such as the National Institutes of Health, FDA, and CDC, hold positions on issues including abortion and vaccination that are often at odds.

By Stephanie Armour and Julie Rovner

Dec. 17, 2024

Two people are photographed in front of bookshelves. A seated man with a bushy gray beard looks off-camera to his right while a woman stands, leaning against the chair, and looks at the camera.

Payback: Tracking Opioid Cash

How Are States Spending Opioid Settlement Cash? We Built a Database of Answers

From addiction treatment to toy robot ambulances, we uncovered how billions in opioid settlement funds were used by state and local governments in 2022 and 2023. Find out where the money went.

By Aneri Pattani

Dec. 16, 2024

An array of solar panels on the roof of a building with a skyline in the background.

Patients Couldn’t Pay Their Utility Bills. One Hospital Turned to Solar Power for Help.

Doctors in Boston got tired of writing letters to utility companies asking for assistance for their medically vulnerable patients who need power and heat to stay healthy. So a hospital decided to share the power its solar panels generate with patients who needed help with their electricity and gas bills.

By Martha Bebinger, WBUR

Dec. 12, 2024

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