Latest KFF Health News Stories
What the Health? From KFF Health News: On Autism, It’s the Secretary’s Word vs. the CDC’s
Tensions between Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his employees at the Department of Health and Human Services are mounting, as he made a series of claims about autism this week — contradicting his agency’s findings. Plus, President Donald Trump unveiled an executive order to lower drug prices as his administration explores tariffs that could raise them. Shefali Luthra of The 19th, Jessie Hellmann of CQ Roll Call, and Anna Edney of Bloomberg News join KFF Health News’ Emmarie Huetteman to discuss these stories and more. Plus, KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner interviews two University of California-San Francisco researchers about an upcoming Supreme Court case that could have major ramifications for preventive care.
Beyond Ivy League, RFK Jr.’s NIH Slashed Science Funding Across States That Backed Trump
A KFF Health News analysis underscores how the terminations have spared no part of the country, politically or geographically. Of the organizations that had grants cut in the first month, about 40% are in states President Donald Trump won in November.
In Rural Massachusetts, Patients and Physicians Weigh Trade-Offs of Concierge Medicine
A stressed primary care system has led many doctors to start practices that charge membership fees in exchange for shorter waits and longer appointments. Observers say the doctor shortage needs a more systemic fix.
A Call for Comfort Brought the Police Instead. Now the Solution Is in Danger.
Emotionally overwhelmed, an Indiana woman dialed a mental health hotline. She didn’t find the help she was looking for and hung up. Ultimately, she was handcuffed and hospitalized overnight. Now, amid federal cuts, she and others fear the U.S. response to similar crises will revert to more responses like that.
Las comunidades latinas, que constituyen una proporción significativa de la población residente permanente en estos pueblos de montaña, son particularmente vulnerables.
Deportation Fears Add to Mental Health Problems Confronting Colorado Resort Town Workers
The Latino communities who make up significant proportions of year-round populations in Colorado’s mountain towns already experience heightened mental health concerns. Now, deportation fears are increasing their stress.
States Push Medicaid Work Rules, but Few Programs Help Enrollees Find Jobs
Republicans are pushing to implement requirements that Medicaid recipients work in order to obtain or retain coverage. Some states try to help enrollees find jobs. But states lack the data to show whether they’re effective.
Magic Happens When Kids and Adults Learn To Swim. Tragedy Can Strike if They Don’t.
A swim team in North St. Louis combats the public health threat of drowning — especially among Black children and adults — by promoting water safety not just for its athletes but also their parents.
Families of Transgender Youth No Longer View Colorado as a Haven for Gender-Affirming Care
Colorado was long considered a haven for gender-affirming care. But under this Trump administration, hospitals in the state have limited the treatments available for people under 19. Some services have been restored, but trans youth and their families say the state isn’t the rock they thought it was.
Colorado es reconocido desde hace tiempo como un refugio para la atención de afirmación de género: se considera legalmente protegida y un beneficio esencial del seguro médico.
Some Rural Hospitals Ditch Medicare Advantage
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More Psych Hospital Beds Are Needed for Kids, but Neighbors Say Not Here
Amid a youth mental health crisis and a shortage of inpatient psychiatric beds, residents of a St. Louis suburb opposed a plan to build a 77-bed pediatric mental health hospital. Resistance to such facilities has occurred in other communities as misconceptions about mental health spur fear.
Los trabajadores de las industrias láctea y avícola han representado la mayoría de los casos de gripe aviar en el país, y prevenir y detectar los casos entre ellos es clave para evitar una pandemia.
Misinformation About Fentanyl Exposure Threatens To Undermine Overdose Response
Fentanyl overdoses occur from ingesting the synthetic opioid. But popular culture has misrepresented the risks to first responders.
Tax Time Triggers Fraud Alarms for Some Obamacare Enrollees
Consumers who were enrolled fraudulently in Affordable Care Act coverage could receive unexpected tax bills — the first and possibly only clue they were a victim of fraud. Getting help may become difficult as federal workers are laid off and funding for assistance programs is cut.
Trump’s Immigration Tactics Obstruct Efforts To Avert Bird Flu Pandemic, Researchers Say
Preventing and detecting bird flu infections among farmworkers is a key defense against a potential pandemic. Immigration raids and threats have undermined these efforts, researchers say.
Se cancelan clínicas de vacunación por recortes federales, mientras aumentan los casos de sarampión
Los esfuerzos de inmunización en todo el país se vieron afectados después que los Centros para el Control y Prevención de Enfermedades cancelaran abruptamente $11.400 millones en fondos relacionados con covid-19 que se usaban para muchas vacunas.
Rural Hospitals and Patients Are Disconnected From Modern Care
Technological gaps handicap rural hospitals as billions in federal funding to modernize infrastructure lags. The reliance on outdated technology and piecemeal systems challenge staffs and erode patient care.
Slashed Federal Funding Cancels Vaccine Clinics Amid Measles Surge
Federal funding cuts, though temporarily blocked by a judge, have upended vaccination clinics across the country, including in Arizona, Minnesota, Nevada, Texas, and Washington state, amid a rise in vaccine hesitancy and a resurgence of measles.
For Opioid Victims, Payouts Fall Short While Governments Reap Millions
Pharmaceutical companies accused of fueling the nation’s opioid crisis are paying state and local governments billions of dollars in legal settlements. But how much are victims who suffered addiction and overdoses getting?
