Latest KFF Health News Stories
States Looking To Tax Opioids Pin Hopes On November Elections
At least 11 states are going to try to tax opioids despite pushback from pharmaceutical companies.
Avoidable Sepsis Infections Send Thousands Of Seniors To Gruesome Deaths
No one tracks sepsis cases closely enough to know how often these severe infections turn fatal. But the toll — both human and financial — is enormous, finds an investigation by KHN and the Chicago Tribune.
Giuliani’s Consulting Firm Helped Halt Purdue Opioid Investigation In Florida
Post-9/11, Giuliani Partners helped craft a plan that put a halt to a probe into Purdue’s marketing of OxyContin.
A Texas Lawsuit Being Heard This Week Could Mean Life Or Death For The ACA
On Wednesday, a federal judge in Fort Worth, Texas, is set to hear arguments from Republican attorneys general who want him to strike down the federal health law and from Democratic counterparts who say the law is constitutional and should remain.
Creating Rituals To Honor The Dead At Long-Term Care Facilities
Death and its companion, grief, are often ignored at nursing homes and assisted living centers. Yet ignoring the loss can lead to depression, staff burnout and other problems.
Lawmakers Push To Protect Patients And Counter Trump
California legislators approved some significant health care proposals in their rush to meet the Friday end-of-session deadline. They tackled controversial topics, such as making abortion pills available on college campuses, and adopted measures countering Trump administration attacks on the Affordable Care Act.
Low-Income Californians Feel Twice The Burn From Wildfires
People living near highways and agricultural and industrial zones get hit with a “double whammy” when smoke blows into their neighborhoods, where the air is often polluted already.
Cancer, Schmancer. In California, Coffee Is King
The Golden State, with the rare support of the Trump administration, is seeking to circumvent a court order that would require cancer warnings in every establishment that sells a hot cup of Joe.
Over Past 20 Years, The Percentage Of Children With ADHD Nearly Doubles
Researchers, using federal survey data, note a significant increase in diagnosis and also find a rise in the rates among girls and minorities.
Must-Reads Of The Week From Brianna Labuskes
Newsletter editor Brianna Labuskes wades through hundreds of health articles from the week so you don’t have to.
The $109K Heart Attack Bill Is Down To $332. What About Other Surprise Bills?
“I don’t feel any consumer should have to go through this,” says Drew Calver, who faced a life-changing surprise bill from an Austin hospital after a heart attack last year. After attention as a “Bill of the Month” patient, he paid the hospital $332. But he worries about other patients with surprise bills.
Podcast: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’ Ask Us Anything!
In this episode of KHN’s “What the Health?” Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times and Joanne Kenen of Politico answer listeners’ questions about health policy and politics.
HHS Watchdog To Probe Enforcement Of Nursing Home Staffing Standards
The study follows a Kaiser Health News and New York Times investigation that found nearly 1,400 nursing homes have reported fewer registered nurses on duty than Medicare requires or failed to provide reliable staffing information to the government.
The Pluses And Minuses Of Allowing Medical Marijuana At School
As more parents turn to medical marijuana to treat their sick children, a handful of states have changed the rules to allow them to administer the drug on campus. California is considering it — at the possible risk of losing federal funding.
Californians Living Longer With Cancer — Some Longer Than Others
A new study from the University of California-Davis shows a significant increase in five-year survival rates for more than 20 types of cancer, but with significant disparities by race, ethnicity and economic status. That is in line with the national trend.
For Nursing Home Patients, Breast Cancer Surgery May Do More Harm Than Good
A new study of 6,000 older patients shows little gain from surgeries for breast cancer.
Hurricane Maria’s Official Death Toll In Puerto Rico Now Stands At Nearly 3,000
A report, commissioned by officials in the American territory, finds initial estimates were far too low, and mortality rates in the six months after the storm were 20 percent higher than normal.
Wisconsin Reinstates Coverage Of Transgender Treatment For State Workers
The Group Insurance Board reversed a decision made last year to bar coverage of transgender hormone therapy and surgery for public workers.
Earwax, Of All Things, Poses Unrecognized Risk In Long-Term Care
Up to two-thirds of residents in nursing homes may have impacted earwax, which can worsen hearing loss, falls and cognitive decline.
Parent Alert! Your Kid May Be Vaping More Than Nicotine
Educators and researchers say that as vaping becomes more common among young people, some are putting pot in their pods.
