Latest KFF Health News Stories
Americans More Likely Than Swedes To Fill Prescriptions For Opioids After Surgery
New research published in JAMA Network Open quantified for the first time international differences in doctors’ prescribing habits and patients’ use of these highly addictive painkillers.
A Young Woman, A Wheelchair And The Fight To Take Her Place At Stanford
Throughout her young life, Sylvia Colt-Lacayo has been told her disability didn’t need to hold her back. She graduated near the top of her high school class. She was co-captain of the mock trial team. In April, she learned she had been admitted to Stanford University with a full scholarship. Now, the struggle to fund the caregivers she needs to leave home is proving her toughest battle yet.
Trump Promises ‘Phenomenal’ Health Plan. What Might That Mean?
In the background, advisers weigh the risks of rolling out a comprehensive health care proposal. Peering into the crystal ball, here’s a glimpse of what could be included in the GOP plan.
How To Get Bargain Dentistry And A Vacation To Boot
Dentistry in the U.S. can get expensive, even with good insurance. So more people are taking a trip to beautiful Costa Rica to cut the dentistry bill — and perhaps get a tan.
Starving Seniors: How America Fails To Feed Its Aging
One out of every 13 older Americans struggles to find enough food to eat while the federal program intended to help hasn’t kept pace with the graying population.
Firing Doctor, Christian Hospital Sets Off National Challenge To Aid-In-Dying Laws
In Colorado case, the right to aid a cancer patient’s death runs up against faith-based hospital policies. As more states have passed laws, about 1 in 6 acute care beds nationally is in a hospital that is Catholic-owned or -affiliated.
Must-Reads Of The Week From Brianna Labuskes
Newsletter editor Brianna Labuskes wades through hundreds of health care policy stories each week, so you don’t have to.
California Requires Suicide Prevention Phone Number On Student IDs
The new law, a response to escalating suicide rates among teens, is intended to ensure students know that immediate help is available if they need it.
They Got Estimates Before Surgery — And A Bill After That Was 50% More
Patients are often told to be smart consumers and shop around for health care before they use it. What happens when people actually take that advice?
Shopping At The Apotheke: Compare German Pharmacies With Your Corner Drugstore
Germany’s pharmacies provide insights into the country’s low drug prices and strict regulations. But they’re still businesses.
‘Locally Grown’ Insurance Companies Help Fortify Washington State Market
The individual insurance market in Washington is dominated by companies that do business only in the Pacific Northwest, and the state’s insurance commissioner credits them with helping keep premium rates lower than in other states.
Governor’s ‘Mental Health Czar’ Seeks New Blueprint For Care In California
Thomas Insel, who ran the National Institute of Mental Health for 13 years before casting his lot with Silicon Valley, is taking a temporary break from his senior position at a health care startup to advise Gov. Gavin Newsom on how to remake mental health care in the Golden State.
In India’s Slums, ‘Painkillers Are Part Of The Daily Routine’
As the Indian government reluctantly loosens its prescription opioid laws after decades of lobbying by palliative care advocates desperate to ease their patients’ pain, the nation’s sprawling, cash-fed health care system is ripe for misuse.
Beset By Lawsuits And Criticism In U.S., Opioid Makers Eye New Market In India
What began in India as a populist movement to bring inexpensive morphine to the diseased and dying poor has paved the way for a booming pain management industry. Now, new customers are being funneled to U.S. drugmakers bedeviled by a government crackdown back home.
In Rural Utah, Preventing Suicide Means Meeting Gun Owners Where They Are
In Utah, 85% of deaths from firearms are suicides. To help people who might be vulnerable, outreach workers are discussing suicide prevention at gun shows and firearms classes.
Mysterious Vaping Lung Injuries May Have Flown Under Regulatory Radar
Doctors who saw patients with a mysterious lung illness in the past suspected vaping as the cause but didn’t know where to report such cases.
Pharma Cash Rolls Into Congress To Defend An Embattled Industry
Congress has a variety of reforms in mind that could roil the drugmaking business and potentially slash prices.
How And When Immigrants’ Use Of Government Benefits Might Affect Their Legal Status
Confusion about a new federal rule to restrict legal immigration based on the use of public benefits may dampen sign-ups for health care, housing and food aid even among immigrants not directly targeted by the rule. Here are some answers to frequently asked questions that will help clear up some of the misunderstanding.
Judge Cites Opioid ‘Menace,’ Awards Oklahoma $572M In Landmark Case
The state judge ruled that drugmaker Johnson & Johnson contributed to the opioid epidemic that has claimed the lives of 6,000 Oklahomans.
Coming Out About Mental Health On Social Media
Talking about your mental health on social media is a thing, and it could actually help.
