More ‘Navigators’ Are Helping Women Travel to Have Abortions

KFF Health News Original

After the U.S. Supreme Court ended the federal right to an abortion and many states banned the procedure, reproductive health care organizations hired dozens of people to help patients arrange travel and pay for care.

Surge in Syphilis Cases Leads Some Providers to Ration Penicillin

KFF Health News Original

Injectable penicillin is the go-to treatment for syphilis and the only treatment considered safe for pregnant people with the disease. But as rates of syphilis increase across the U.S., a shortage of the injectable has prompted some public health agencies to ration it.

Montana Vows Changes to Avoid Delayed Contracts. Some Health Providers Still Await Back Pay.

KFF Health News Original

The head of Montana’s health department said the agency is catching up on a months-long backlog of contracts with organizations that connect people to medical care that left organizations without pay, halted some services, and triggered job cuts.

¿Dónde están los proveedores de atención primaria del país? La respuesta no es fácil

KFF Health News Original

Expertos en el tema sienten una frustración persistente: es difícil saber si alguna política está funcionando porque los datos que recopila el gobierno federal sobre las áreas de escasez de atención primaria no han sido fidedignos durante mucho tiempo.

Native American Communities Have the Highest Suicide Rates, Yet Interventions Are Scarce

KFF Health News Original

Native Americans die by suicide at a higher rate than any other racial or ethnic group, yet research into effective and culturally appropriate interventions is uncommon.

What’s Indoor Air Quality Like in Long-Term Care Facilities During Wildfires? Worse Than You’d Think.

KFF Health News Original

As climate change-driven wildfires increasingly choke large parts of the United States with smoke each summer, new research shows residents in long-term care facilities are being exposed to dangerously poor air, even those who don’t set foot outside during smoke events.

Rising Suicide Rate Among Hispanics Worries Community Leaders

KFF Health News Original

The suicide rate for Hispanics in the United States has increased significantly over the past decade. The reasons are varied, say community leaders and mental health experts, citing factors such as language barriers, poverty, and a lack of bilingual mental health professionals.

Federal Program to Save Rural Hospitals Feels ‘Growing Pains’

KFF Health News Original

Fewer than two dozen rural hospitals were converted into Rural Emergency Hospitals in the program’s first year. Now, advocates and lawmakers say tweaks to the law are necessary to lure more takers and keep health care in rural communities.

What Would a Nikki Haley Presidency Look Like for Health Care?

KFF Health News Original

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley’s tenure in the Palmetto State — which overlapped with several tumultuous years of health care reform — and her recent comments offer clues to how her presidency might affect national health care policy.

Delays in State Contracts Leave Montana Health Providers Strapped

KFF Health News Original

The Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services is months behind in paying organizations contracted to connect people to care. The interruption is likely to have lasting effects, even after the state catches up.

Older Americans Say They Feel Trapped in Medicare Advantage Plans

KFF Health News Original

As enrollment in private Medicare Advantage plans grows, so do concerns about how well the insurance works, including from those who say they have become trapped in the private plans as their health declines.

Listen to ‘Tradeoffs’: How the Loss of a Rural Hospital Compounds the Collapse of Care

KFF Health News Original

Six years ago, the hospital in Fort Scott, Kansas, shuttered, leaving residents in the small community without a cornerstone health care institution. In the years since, despite new programs meant to save small hospitals, dozens of other communities have watched theirs close.