Nationwide IV Fluid Shortage Could Change How Hospitals Manage Patient Hydration
Many U.S. hospitals are conserving critical intravenous fluid supplies to cope with a shortage that may last months. Some hospital administrators say the shortage accelerated their plans to change IV fluid hydration protocols altogether.
Journalists Examine Health Care for Native Americans and Recent Food Recalls
KFF Health News and California Healthline staff made the rounds on national and local media in recent weeks to discuss topical stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.
Pay First, Deliver Later: Some Women Are Being Asked To Prepay for Their Baby
Pregnant women are being asked to make large cash payments months before they deliver their babies. Some patient advocates worry this billing practice allows providers to hold treatment hostage.
Watch: Why the US Has Made Little Progress Improving Black Americans’ Health
KFF Health News senior correspondents Fred Clasen-Kelly and Renuka Rayasam discuss how government decisions undermine Black health.
Es difícil saber con qué frecuencia ocurre porque se considera una transacción privada entre el proveedor y el paciente. Por lo tanto, los pagos no se registran en los datos de reclamos de seguros y, por ende, los expertos no los analizan.
Maryland Is Training More Health Workers To Offer Abortion Care
After the fall of “Roe v. Wade,” thousands of out-of-state patients traveled to Maryland for abortion care. The state is trying to diversify who can offer that care. Providers in the first training class say their new skills are especially needed in rural areas.
7 of 10 States Backed Abortion Rights. But Little To Change Yet.
Voters in 10 states weighed in on abortion rights this election. Despite the results supporting abortion rights in seven of those states, much of the abortion landscape on abortion won’t change much immediately, as medical providers navigate the legal hurdles that remain.
Dentists Are Pulling ‘Healthy’ and Treatable Teeth To Profit From Implants, Experts Warn
Americans are getting dental implants more than ever — and at costs reaching tens of thousands of dollars. Experts worry some dentists have lost sight of the soul of dentistry: preserving and fixing teeth.
For People With Opioid Addiction, Medicaid ‘Unwinding’ Raises the Stakes
Medications such as methadone can cut the risk of a fatal opioid overdose in half. Medicaid covers the medication. But as state Medicaid programs reevaluated coverage of each enrollee following a pause in disenrollments during the covid-19 pandemic, some patients lost a crucial pillar of their sobriety.
Post-Helene, Patients Who Rely on IV Nutrition Face Severe Shortages
Hurricane Helene, which struck North Carolina last month, wrecked a Baxter International factory that produced 60 percent of the country’s IV fluids, according to the American Hospital Association. The company is rationing its products, and some hospitals have delayed or canceled surgeries that require large amounts of IV hydration. Among the worst-hit patients are those […]
Vance Wrongly Blames Rural Hospital Closures on Immigrants in the Country Illegally
Experts disputed the claim by Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance, noting that a range of other issues — from low reimbursement rates to declining patient use — combine to cause these facilities to shutter.
Black Americans Still Suffer Worse Health. Here’s Why There’s So Little Progress.
The United States has made almost no progress in closing racial health disparities despite promises, research shows. The government, some critics argue, is often the underlying culprit.
How a Proposed Federal Heat Rule Might Have Saved These Workers’ Lives
Laborers have suffered in extreme heat triggered by climate change. Deaths aren’t inevitable, researchers say: Employers can save lives by providing ample water and breaks.
Los trabajadores están sufriendo, y muriendo, cada vez más, a medida que los veranos se vuelven progresivamente más calurosos debido al cambio climático.
PBM Math: Big Chains Are Paid $23.55 To Fill a Blood Pressure Rx. Small Drugstores? $1.51.
Criticism of prescription drug middlemen has intensified recently in the wake of a federal agency’s actions and legislative reform attempts. Georgia Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, though, vetoed a related bill that would have helped independent pharmacies, citing the unfunded cost of the move.
Marylanders To Vote on Expansive ‘Right to Reproductive Freedom’
The Right to Reproductive Freedom amendment would enshrine in the state constitution a right “to make and effectuate decisions to prevent, continue, or end one’s own pregnancy.”
Mothering Over Meds: Docs Say Common Treatment for Opioid-Exposed Babies Isn’t Necessary
Amid what has been called the fourth wave of the opioid epidemic, doctors and researchers are walking back medication-heavy methods of treating babies born experiencing opioid withdrawal symptoms, replacing the regimen with the simplest care: parenting.
Beneficiarios de Medicare gastarán menos en medicamentos en 2025
El período de inscripción anual para que los beneficiarios de Medicare renueven o cambien su cobertura de medicamentos, o elijan un plan Medicare Advantage, comenzó el 15 de octubre y se extiende hasta el 7 de diciembre.
Medicare Drug Plans Are Getting Better Next Year. Some Will Also Cost More.
Every year, Medicare officials encourage beneficiaries to shop around for their drug coverage. Few take the time. This year, it might be more important than ever.
Mountain Town Confronts an Unexpected Public Health Catastrophe
Flooding wrought by Hurricane Helene devastated communities around Asheville, North Carolina. A host of government programs are helping restore water, food, and medicine.
