KFF Health News On NPR

Male OB-GYNs Are Growing Rare. Is That A Problem?

Nationally, women outnumber men as specialists in obstetrics and gynecology — yet women remain underrepresented in leadership roles. Many OB-GYN patients say they prefer female doctors, as residency programs strive for diversity in race, ethnicity and even gender.

In A Puerto Rican Mountain Town, Hope Ebbs And Health Suffers

More than six months after Hurricane Maria, daily life in Castañer, Puerto Rico, is nowhere close to normal as residents try to deal with the effects of trauma, chronic stress and the continued lack of electricity.

Drug Test Spurs Frank Talk Between Hypertension Patients And Doctors

Roughly half of patients don’t take their high blood pressure medicine as they should, even though heart disease is the leading cause of death in America. Now, a drug test can flag whether a patient is taking the prescribed medication and is meant to spark a more truthful conversation between patient and doctor.

Docs Worry There’s ‘Nowhere To Send’ New And Expectant Moms With Depression

California’s legislature will soon take up a bill that would require doctors to screen pregnant women and new mothers for mental health problems. Many doctors oppose the idea, and laws elsewhere haven’t increased the number of moms treated.

With Some Republican Support, Virginia Edges Closer To Medicaid Expansion

More than a dozen Republicans in the Virginia House of Delegates voted to expand Medicaid, and at least one state senator may be leaning in favor of expansion. It will be the hot topic as legislators are called back to Richmond to hash out a budget in the special session starting April 11.

Mental Health Funding Tied To Florida’s Controversial Gun Legislation

The same Florida bill that would put more guns in schools would provide the state with $90 million more for mental health resources, including $69 million for schools. Advocates say those funds for mental health care are desperately needed.

Jury’s In: Opioids Are Not Better Than Other Medicines For Chronic Pain

A new study followed patients with severe chronic pain for a year and found that opioids relieved pain and increased function no better than common drugs like acetaminophen and lidocaine. But the opioids carry the risk of more serious side effects, including addiction and death.