News
Entertainment
Science & Technology
Life
Culture & Art
Hobbies
News
Entertainment
Science & Technology
Culture & Art
Hobbies
La creciente desigualdad en la expectativa de vida entre los estadounidenses - KFF Health News
La salud de los estadounidenses ha sido desigual durante mucho tiempo, pero un nuevo estudio muestra que la disparidad entre las expectativas de vida de diferentes grupos poblacionales casi se ha duplicado desde el año 2000.
Amid Wildfire Trauma, L.A. County Dispatches Mental Health Workers to Evacuees - KFF Health News
Catastrophic wildfires are common in California, and mental health specialists have become a key part of local governments’ response to extreme weather events, which scientists say are becoming more intense and frequent due to climate change. Los Angeles County has been modifying its approach with each disaster.
Hello, Trump. Bye-Bye, Biden. - KFF Health News
With just days to go before the official launch of a new administration, the GOP-led Congress is putting together plans on how to enact incoming President Donald Trump’s agenda, with a particular emphasis on cutting spending on the Medicaid program. Meanwhile, the Biden administration makes major moves in its last days, including banning a controversial food dye and ordering cigarette companies to minimize their nicotine content. Joanne Kenen of Johns Hopkins University and Politico Magazine, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, and Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Harris Meyer, who reported and wrote the latest KFF Health News “Bill of the Month” feature, about a colonoscopy that came with a much larger price tag than estimated.
For Homeless Seniors, Getting Into Stable Housing Takes a Village — And a Lot of Luck - KFF Health News
The number of unhoused seniors in the U.S. is expected to triple by 2030. About half of this population is becoming homeless for the first time. Homeless services struggle to help. Finding affordable housing that’s also accessible for older Americans with medical conditions is an extra challenge.
Childhood Vaccination Rates, a Rare Health Bright Spot in Struggling States, Are Slipping - KFF Health News
Mississippi, Tennessee, and West Virginia — states with some of the worst health outcomes — also have some of the highest childhood vaccination rates. But doctors and health officials worry a rising tide of vaccine skepticism is causing those public health bright spots to dim.
New California Laws Target Medical Debt, AI Care Decisions, Detention Centers - KFF Health News
California has a few major changes coming to its health policy landscape in 2025. New laws that took effect Jan. 1 ban medical debt from credit reports, allow public health inspections of private immigration detention centers, and ban toxic chemicals in makeup.
Midwives Blame California Rules for Hampering Birth Centers Amid Maternity Care Crisis - KFF Health News
Birth centers, where midwives deliver babies with emergency backup from hospitals, can offer an alternative for families as hospitals close maternity units. But the state’s stiff regulations and what many call a dysfunctional licensing process are hobbling new initiatives and forcing some facilities to shut down.
Beyond Hard Hats: Mental Struggles Become the Deadliest Construction Industry Danger - KFF Health News
The physical hazards of construction work have long been a focus of safety professionals. Yet attention on the psychosocial hazards is relatively new, with suicide and substance use soaring among male construction workers. Mitigating those risks requires more than hard hats, safety vests, and protective goggles.
Voters Backed Abortion Rights But State Judges Have Final Say - KFF Health News
Though abortion rights supporters prevailed on ballot measures in seven of the 10 states where abortion was up for a vote on Nov. 5, the state supreme courts voters have elected indicate legal fights to come aren’t clear-cut.
Can Medical Schools Funnel More Doctors Into the Primary Care Pipeline? - KFF Health News
More medical schools say they will no longer charge tuition, in hopes that more students, graduating free of debt, will choose lower-paying primary care careers. But evidence suggests it will take a lot more than a free ride to replenish the primary care pipeline.
Doctors, Nurses Press Ahead as Wildfires Strain Los Angeles' Health Care - KFF Health News
A primary care clinic burned, medical offices closed, and hospitals struggled with possible evacuations. The wildfires that have incinerated large swaths of Los Angeles County are stressing the region’s health care infrastructure. Still, providers continue to find ways to deliver vital care.
Médicos y enfermeras siguen haciendo su trabajo, mientras los incendios jaquean el sistema de salud de Los Ángeles - KFF Health News
Los incendios que se propagan rápidamente y han transformado gran parte del condado de Los Ángeles en un infierno están poniendo a prueba a hospitales, clínicas de salud, socorristas y hogares de adultos mayores.
New Year, New Congress, New Health Agenda - KFF Health News
Health is unlikely to be a top priority for the new GOP-led 119th Congress and President-elect Donald Trump. But it’s likely to play a key supporting role, with an abortion bill already scheduled for debate in the Senate. Meanwhile, it’s unclear when and how the new Congress will deal with the bipartisan bills jettisoned from the previous Congress’ year-end omnibus measure — including a major deal to rein in the power of pharmacy benefit managers. In this “catch up on all the news you missed” episode, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Shefali Luthra of The 19th, and Lauren Weber of The Washington Post join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more.
Health Care AI, Intended To Save Money, Turns Out To Require a Lot of Expensive Humans - KFF Health News
Despite the hype over artificial intelligence in medicine, the systems require consistent monitoring and staffing to put in place and maintain. Checking whether an algorithm has developed the software equivalent of a blown gasket can be complicated — and expensive.
Climate Change Threatens the Mental Well-Being of Youths. Here’s How To Help Them Cope. - KFF Health News
The growing toll of climate-related disasters is a risk to the emotional well-being of young people. An Orange County, California, pediatric emergency doctor wants to add questions about climate change to standard mental health screenings conducted in pediatricians’ offices and other settings where kids seek care.
Health Care Is Newsom’s Biggest Unfinished Project. Trump Complicates That Task. - KFF Health News
As Gov. Gavin Newsom enters the second half of his final term, health care stands out as his most ambitious but glaringly incomplete initiative for California residents. The issue will likely shape his national profile for better or worse. And now, Donald Trump brings a new wrinkle.
Health Insurers Limit Coverage of Prosthetic Limbs, Questioning Their Medical Necessity - KFF Health News
Advocates say it is discrimination and are arguing for “insurance fairness” on the grounds that people who have joints surgically replaced typically don’t face the same kinds of coverage challenges.
Syringe Exchange Fears Hobble Fight Against West Virginia HIV Outbreak - KFF Health News
Health workers and researchers say an HIV outbreak in West Virginia that three years ago was called “the most concerning” in the U.S. continues to spread after state and local officials restricted syringe service programs.
Stimulant Users Are Caught in Fatal 'Fourth Wave' of Opioid Epidemic - KFF Health News
The migration of fentanyl into illicit stimulants such as cocaine is especially dangerous for people who are not regular opioid users. That’s because they have a low tolerance for opioids, putting them at greater risk of an overdose. They also often don’t take precautions — such as not using alone and carrying the opioid reversal medication naloxone — so they’re unprepared if they overdose.
Francis Collins on Supporting NIH and Finding Common Ground - KFF Health News
Francis Collins led the National Institutes of Health for 12 years, under three presidents. During the Biden administration, he added White House science adviser to his long list of roles. Now he runs his own lab on the NIH campus, and his latest book, “The Road to Wisdom: On Truth, Science, Faith, and Trust,” came out in September. In this special holiday episode of KFF Health News’ “What the Health?” Collins joins host and chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss health misinformation, the Trump administration’s plans for the NIH, and bringing together a fractured society.
For Many Rural Women, Finding Maternity Care Outweighs Concerns About Abortion Access - KFF Health News
A legislative effort to expand access to prenatal care in rural Oregon with mobile clinics was scuttled because those clinics would have provided abortions in rural areas. Opposition to the proposal shows that, even in states that ensure access to abortions, that care isn’t universally available or accepted.