Latest KFF Health News Stories
Oregon Medical Students Face Tough Test: Talking About Dying
Starting this spring, aspiring doctors at the Oregon Health & Science University must prove they can communicate about difficult subjects ranging from admitting medical mistakes to notifying families about a patient’s death.
A Battered Doctor, A Slain Patient And A Family’s Quest For Answers
An addiction-treatment physician fatally shot a troubled ex-Marine after the man pummeled him inside his California office, police records show. The tragedy illustrates how the limited number of clinics available to prescribe buprenorphine, a drug that all but erases opioid withdrawal, can become crowded, chaotic and dangerous.
Black Men’s Blood Pressure Is Cut Along With Their Hair
A new study shows that educational sessions about high blood pressure at African American barbershops, coupled with prescribing and helping to manage medication, reduced hypertension rates significantly.
Medicaid Is Rural America’s Financial Midwife
Medicaid payments allow struggling hospitals to maintain vital costly services such as maternity care.
New Technologies Help Seniors Age In Place — And Not Feel Alone
Motion sensors, Alexa and other voice-assistive technologies give seniors the tools they need to live independently and safely.
No-Go For Idaho: Back To The Drawing Board On State-Based Health Plans
The federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services advised the state that its plan to offer state-based insurance plans falls short of the Obamacare rules and could result in penalties for insurers.
Rising Health Costs, Soaring Drug Prices, Confusing Bills! What’s A Consumer To Do?
KHN correspondent Shefali Luthra answered a wide variety of questions about health care in a Reddit “Ask Me Anything” chat.
How Medicaid Became A Go-To Funder For Schools
Begun as a health care safety net for children and low-income families, Medicaid increasingly underwrites a range of services in America’s public schools.
A Health Plan ‘Down Payment’ Is One Way States Try Retooling Individual Mandate
As states brace for insurance market instability, some — like Maryland — take aggressive action.
Rhymes Of Their Times: Young Poets Riff On Type 2
A Bay Area public health campaign harnesses the power of poetry to confront the root causes of a diabetes epidemic that is disproportionately hitting minority youth and those from low-income homes.
Campus Voices: Should Student Health Centers Offer Abortion Pills?
California lawmakers are considering a bill that would require student health centers at all of the state’s four-year public universities to carry the abortion pill. Students at campuses across the state sounded off on the proposal.
Podcast: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’ HHS Leaders Take To The Stump
In this episode of KHN’s “What the Health?” Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Joanne Kenen of Politico and new podcast panelist Anna Edney of Bloomberg News discuss this week’s spate of speeches by the leaders of the Department of Health and Human Services. They also discuss the slow progress on health legislation on Capitol Hill intended to fund the government and stabilize the individual insurance market. Plus, for extra credit, the panelists offer their favorite health policy stories of the week.
When Wildfire Smoke Invades, Who Should Pay To Clean Indoor Air?
Public health agencies are set up to regulate easily controlled sources of air pollution. Wildfire smoke presents a different set of expensive challenges.
Health Care Revamped At L.A. County Jails
The effort, overseen by the county’s health services department, aims to improve care for a population with high rates of chronic disease, mental illness and drug addiction.
Mind Over Body: A Psychiatrist Tells How To Tap Into Wisdom And Grow With Age
Seniors face tough — often life-changing — events throughout their final years. But this stage of life does not have to be limited to loss and deterioration.
Of ‘Miracles’ And Money: Why Hemophilia Drugs Are So Expensive
The market is flooded with 28 different medications for just 20,000 patients with the hereditary bleeding disorder. Yet intense competition hasn’t worked to bring costs down. Sales amount to $4.6 billion annually in the U.S.
Mental Health Funding Tied To Florida’s Controversial Gun Legislation
The same Florida bill that would put more guns in schools would provide the state with $90 million more for mental health resources, including $69 million for schools. Advocates say those funds for mental health care are desperately needed.
After Raising Age For Tobacco Purchases, State Sees Decreased Sales To Minors
A new study shows that, in California, moving the minimum age from 18 to 21 significantly reduced purchase by those under 18. That could be because teenagers had less access to tobacco through slightly older friends.
Oregon Couple’s Final Days Captured In Intimate Aid-In-Dying Video
Dr. Charles Emerick and his wife, Francie, died together last spring after both being diagnosed with terminal illnesses. First, they let their daughter turn on the camera.
Crowded Shelters And The Vicious Flu Brew Perfect Storm For The Homeless
Although homeless shelters provide lifesaving protection from the winter’s cold, they also act as incubators for diseases like influenza.
