Latest KFF Health News Stories
Nuclear Missile Workers Are Contracting Cancer. They Blame the Bases.
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.
Health Centers Face Risks as Government Funding Lapses
Community health centers are key to delivering care in underserved communities around the country, but their services could be disrupted or scaled back after governments did not renew their funding.
Centros de salud enfrentan riesgos por la caída de la financiación del gobierno
Algunos de estos centros de salud comunitarios podrían verse obligados a reducir personal médico y administrativo o servicios. Incluso podrían llegar a cerrar.
‘Demon Copperhead’ Author Lays Foundation for Women in Appalachia To Beat Addiction
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
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.
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.
Según economistas, las medidas del presidente Donald Trump contra la inmigración y los recortes a los programas de seguro público amenazan con frenar el crecimiento del sector.
Doctors With Troubled Pasts Are Performing Cosmetic Surgeries Tied to Crippling Pain and Injury
Some injured patients say they wish they had tried harder to check the backgrounds of doctors and clinics they trusted, but those records are hard to find.
How To Pick the Right Cosmetic Surgeon
While surgeons argue over who gets the best results, patients may struggle to make sense of credentials.
Health Care’s Employment Growth Clouded by Immigration Crackdown, Medicaid Cuts
The health care sector has accounted for nearly half of this year’s U.S. job growth. But economists say immigration crackdowns and Medicaid cuts could create a drag on the sector just as more workers are needed to support a growing population of older Americans.
Where Jobs Are Scarce, Over 1 Million People Could Dodge Trump’s Medicaid Work Rules
Under a new law, many Americans will have to meet a work requirement to obtain and keep their Medicaid coverage. But due to an exemption, millions living in areas of high unemployment could be spared.
States Target Ultraprocessed Foods in Bipartisan Push
States are taking aim at chemicals and additives in foods as Republicans and Democrats alike embrace at least one aspect of the Trump administration’s “Make America Healthy Again” push. It’s a shift for Republicans, who had vilified past Democratic efforts to impose government will on what people eat and drink.
20 Years After Katrina, Louisiana Still Struggles With Evacuation Plans That Minimize Health Risks
As the climate changes, hurricanes are intensifying more quickly, leaving Louisiana’s current mass evacuation plan in limbo. But transportation officials say the price is too high to switch to methods used in Florida and Texas.
Batalla para proteger a los pacientes de deudas médicas se traslada a los estados
A pesar de algunos avances este año, los recientes reveses en las legislaturas más conservadoras dejan claro lo difícil que es proteger a los pacientes.
La inteligencia artificial pronto influirá en que te aprueben o te nieguen tratamientos en Medicare
Siguiendo el ejemplo del sector privado de seguros, la administración Trump lanzará el próximo año un programa piloto.
Big Loopholes in Hospital Charity Care Programs Mean Patients Still Get Stuck With the Tab
Even if people qualify for financial help with their hospital bills, the care they receive may not be covered.
AI Will Soon Have a Say in Approving or Denying Medicare Treatments
A pilot program testing the use of artificial intelligence to expand prior authorization decisions in Medicare has providers, politicians, and researchers questioning Trump administration promises to curb an unpopular practice that has frustrated patients and their doctors.
As Trump Punts on Medical Debt, Battle Over Patient Protections Moves to States
Some states are enacting medical debt laws as the Trump administration pulls back federal protections. Elsewhere, industry opposition has derailed legislation.
She Had a Broken Arm, No Insurance — And a $97,000 Bill
Deborah Buttgereit knew piecing together the broken bone in her elbow would be expensive. But complications the doctor deemed a surprise, midsurgery, drove the total bill tens of thousands of dollars above the original estimate.
Amid Confusion Over US Vaccine Recommendations, States Try To ‘Restore Trust’
The decisions by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices matter, because insurers and federal programs rely on them, but they are not binding. States can follow the recommendations, or not.
