Better Treatments Buoy Multiple-Myeloma Patients, Bound by Research Cuts and Racial Disparities

KFF Health News Original

Although racial disparities in the diagnosis and treatment of multiple myeloma remain, Black survivors of multiple myeloma say the latest developments in treatment give them hope even as federal research cuts create a grim forecast for cancer research.

The Quiet Collapse of America’s Reproductive Health Safety Net

KFF Health News Original

The HHS office that administers the Title X family planning program has been effectively shut down. And with cuts to federal funding for other family health programs, expected Medicaid cuts, and the potential lapse of ACA subsidies, health leaders fear they are seeing the biggest setback to U.S. reproductive care in half a century.

Many Fear Federal Loan Caps Will Deter Aspiring Doctors and Worsen MD Shortage

KFF Health News Original

Health care professionals fear that new caps on federal student lending, set to start in July, will put medical school out of reach for many who want to become doctors and exacerbate physician shortages. Others say unlimited federal lending has fed a rise in academic costs, saddling families and, ultimately, taxpayers with debt.

Officials Show Little Proof That New Tech Will Help Medicaid Enrollees Meet Work Rules

KFF Health News Original

The Trump administration says it’s developing a digital tool to help people prove they’re meeting new Medicaid work requirements. KFF Health News talked to officials from the two states running pilot programs and found little evidence of new — or effective — technology.

States Jostle Over $50B Rural Health Fund as Trump’s Medicaid Cuts Trigger Scramble

KFF Health News Original

States are battling for their piece of $50 billion in federal rural health funding, but it’s not just hospitals vying for the money. Tech startups and policy demands are raising the stakes as Medicaid cuts loom.

It’s a Bird! It’s a Plane! It’s a Chemtrail? New Conspiracy Theory Takes Wing at Kennedy’s HHS

KFF Health News Original

The idea that airplane vapors are toxic to people or that there are ongoing efforts to intentionally change the climate made the social media rounds. Now, it has found advocates at the Department of Health and Human Services.

Trump calificó de “racista” la Ley de Equidad Digital. Ahora, el dinero para que la gente del campo tenga internet ha desaparecido

KFF Health News Original

Políticos, investigadores, bibliotecarios y defensores afirmaron que la desfinanciación de los programas de banda ancha, pone en peligro los esfuerzos para ayudar a los residentes rurales y desfavorecidos a participar en la economía moderna y llevar una vida más saludable.

La escasez de enfermeras en California se agrava, y las trabajadoras culpan a los directivos

KFF Health News Original

Según datos estatales, casi el 60% de los condados de California —que se extienden entre las fronteras con México y Oregon— enfrentan una falta importante de enfermeras.

Trump Called Digital Equity Act ‘Racist.’ Now Internet Money for Rural Americans Is Gone.

KFF Health News Original

President Donald Trump called the Digital Equity Act unconstitutional, racist, and illegal. Then the $2.75 billion program for rural and underserved communities to gain internet access disappeared.

Cops on Ketamine? Largely Unregulated Mental Health Treatment Faces Hurdles

KFF Health News Original

Ketamine, long used as an anesthetic or illegal party drug, is being combined with psychotherapy to treat severe depression and post-traumatic stress — a potential tool for those with high trauma rates, like firefighters and police officers. Yet the drug’s stigma and unregulated marketplace leave first responders in uncharted territory.

A pesar de las protecciones al consumidor, embargan parte del sueldo a trabajadores para saldar deudas médicas

KFF Health News Original

Detrás del cobro de esas deudas hay todo tipo de proveedores médicos: grandes cadenas de salud, hospitales rurales pequeños, grupos de médicos, servicios públicos de ambulancia, entre otros.

California’s Nursing Shortage Is Getting Worse. Front-Line Workers Blame Management.

KFF Health News Original

California’s nursing shortage is projected to worsen, and hospitals say funding cuts will only add strain. But front-line nurses blame heavy workloads, not a shortage, for driving workers away.

Nuclear Missile Workers Are Contracting Cancer. They Blame the Bases.

KFF Health News Original

People who maintained the nation’s land-based nuclear missile arsenal are coming down with similar cancers. The Air Force is wrapping up a large study of the health risks they may have faced.

‘Demon Copperhead’ Author Lays Foundation for Women in Appalachia To Beat Addiction

KFF Health News Original

Barbara Kingsolver won a Pulitzer Prize for her bestselling novel about Appalachia’s drug crisis. She invested some of the proceeds into a home for women trying to beat substance use disorders.

Workers’ Wages Siphoned To Pay Medical Bills, Despite Consumer Protections

KFF Health News Original

Health care providers and debt collectors are biting from people’s paychecks to cover old medical bills. A KFF Health News investigation in Colorado shows that this aggressive collection practice is widespread even in a state considered to have strong consumer protections.

At Least 170 US Hospitals Face Major Flood Risk. Experts Say Trump Is Making It Worse.

KFF Health News Original

As a warming climate intensifies storms, KFF Health News has identified more than 170 U.S. hospitals at risk of significant and potentially dangerous flooding. Climate experts warn that the Trump administration’s cuts leave the nation less prepared.