Race and Health

Latest KFF Health News Stories

For People With Sickle Cell Disease, ERs Can Mean Life-Threatening Waits

KFF Health News Original

When patients with sickle cell disease have a health crisis — crescent-shaped red blood cells blocking blood flow — their condition can quickly lead to a fatal stroke or infection. But, despite efforts to educate doctors, research shows that patients are waiting hours in ERs and are often denied pain medication.

PrEP, a Key HIV Prevention Tool, Isn’t Reaching Black Women

KFF Health News Original

New HIV infections occur disproportionately among Black women, but exclusionary marketing, fewer treatment options, and provider wariness have limited uptake of preexposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, drugs, which reduce the risk of contracting the virus.

Mothers of Color Can’t See if Providers Have a History of Mistreatment. Why Not?

KFF Health News Original

Many women, especially Black women, have reported discrimination in maternity care, but expectant mothers lack tools to see where this happens. Funding and regulations to measure disparities have been slow in arriving, but some innovators are trying to fill the void.

New Medicare Advantage Plans Tailor Offerings to Asian Americans, Latinos, and LGBTQ+

KFF Health News Original

As more seniors opt for Medicare Advantage, a few small insurers have begun offering plans that provide culturally targeted benefits for cohorts including Asian Americans, Latinos, and LGBTQ+ people. The approach, policy researchers say, has potential and perils.

Nuevos planes de Medicare Advantage adaptan ofertas para asiáticos, latinos y LGTBQ+

KFF Health News Original

A medida que Medicare Advantage gana popularidad entre los adultos mayores, tres compañías del sur de California están lanzando nuevos planes que se enfocan en comunidades culturales y étnicas, con ofertas especiales y profesionales que hablan su idioma nativo.

Californians Headed to HBCUs in the South Prepare for College Under Abortion Bans

KFF Health News Original

As high school graduates prepare to leave states like California that protect abortion rights for historically Black colleges in states where abortion is banned, they’re getting ready to safeguard their reproductive health during college.

The Painful Pandemic Lessons Mandy Cohen Carries to the CDC

KFF Health News Original

Mandy Cohen, the new director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, earned praise for her leadership and communication as the face of North Carolina’s response to covid-19. People in the state’s most vulnerable communities tell a more complicated story.

Doctors Advocate Fresh Efforts to Combat Chagas Disease, a Silent Killer

KFF Health News Original

Chagas disease, caused by a parasite, affects people primarily in rural Latin America. But an estimated 300,000 residents of the U.S. have the disease, which can cause serious heart problems. Patient advocates call for much more aggressive efforts to fight it.

Médicos abogan por nuevos esfuerzos para combatir al Chagas, un asesino silencioso

KFF Health News Original

La enfermedad de Chagas, causada por un parásito, afecta principalmente a personas en las zonas rurales de Latinoamérica. Pero se estima que 300,000 personas en Estados Unidos viven con la enfermedad, que puede causar problemas cardíacos graves. Defensores de pacientes piden esfuerzos mucho más agresivos para combatirla.

Tribal Health Workers Aren’t Paid Like Their Peers. See Why Nevada Changed That.

KFF Health News Original

Community health workers, who often help patients get to their appointments and pick up prescriptions for them, have increasingly been recognized as an integral part of treating chronic illnesses. But state-run Medicaid programs don’t always reimburse them equally, usually excluding those who work on tribal lands.

Seeking Medicare Coverage for Weight Loss Drugs, Pharma Giant Courts Black Influencers

KFF Health News Original

Novo Nordisk, the dominant company in the multibillion-dollar market for weight loss drugs, focuses on Black lawmakers and opinion leaders to spread the message that obesity is a chronic disease that needs treatment.

Mujeres negras sopesan riesgos emergentes de alisadores para el cabello “adictivos”

KFF Health News Original

Los alisadores pueden contener carcinógenos, como agentes liberadores de formaldehído, ftalatos y otros compuestos que alteran el sistema endócrino, según estudios de los Institutos Nacionales de Salud.

Black Women Weigh Emerging Risks of ‘Creamy Crack’ Hair Straighteners

KFF Health News Original

Social and economic pressures have long compelled Black girls and women to straighten their hair. But mounting evidence shows chemical straighteners — products with little regulatory oversight — may pose cancer and other health risks.