KFF Health News On NPR

Opioid Treatment Funds In Senate Bill Would Fall Far Short Of Needs

The $45 billion for opioid treatment in the Senate bill sounds like a lot of money, but an advocate estimates it would provide $1,000 to $2,000 per year for each person in Pennsylvania who might need treatment. Meanwhile, one year of methadone treatment for opioid addiction costs about $4,700 per year,

In Texas, People With Mental Illness Find Work Helping Peers

Peer support, well-known in addiction treatment, is gaining ground for people with serious mental illness. Texas and 35 other states are training and paying peer support specialists to help bridge a gap in mental health treatment.

The Call-In: Answers To Questions About Our Business-Driven Health System

On NPR’s Weekend Edition Sunday, KHN’s Elisabeth Rosenthal answers questions about the high cost of U.S. health care, while NPR’s Gisele Grayson addresses how the Senate bill to replace the Affordable Care Act would change the system.

Survivors Of Childhood Diseases Struggle To Find Care As Adults

Once-fatal childhood diseases, like cystic fibrosis, congenital heart disease and sickle cell anemia, now can be survived into adulthood. But when those patients become too old to see pediatricians, it can be difficult for them to find physicians familiar with their conditions.

People In Recovery Worry GOP Medicaid Cuts Would Put Treatment Out Of Reach

In Pennsylvania alone, 124,000 people received drug or alcohol addiction treatment through Medicaid. Republicans in Congress want to cut Medicaid by as much as $800 billion over the next decade, leaving people in recovery wondering what will happen to their treatment.

In Texas, Abstinence-Only Programs May Contribute To Teen Pregnancies

Across the U.S., the number of teenagers having babies has hit a record low — it’s down to about 1 out of every 45 young women. That trend hasn’t extended to certain parts of Texas, however, where the teen birth rate is still nearly twice the national average.

‘My Life Is Very Full’: People With Disabilities Worry About GOP Medicaid Cuts

The Obamacare replacement bill passed by House Republicans would cut Medicaid by $834 billion over a decade. That has people with disabilities scared that services that allow them to live independently, such as job training and transportation, will disappear.