Latest KFF Health News Stories
Amid Medicaid ‘Unwinding,’ Many States Wind Up Expanding
It was expected that the past year and a half would be a fraught time for Medicaid, the workhorse of the nation’s health system, which covers more people than any other government health insurance program. In April 2023, states resumed screening people for Medicaid eligibility and terminating coverage for those they said no longer qualified […]
Some Employers Test Arrangement To Give Workers Allowance for Coverage
Employers are showing interest in a type of health reimbursement account that gives workers a contribution to choose and buy their own plans, rather than participating in group plans.
Harris’ Emphasis on Maternal Health Care Is Paying Dividends With Black Women Voters
Polls are showing renewed support from Black women voters for the Democratic ticket. Vice President Kamala Harris has backed key health priorities for Black women.
Setting the Record Straight on the FDA’s Authority Over Drug Ads
KFF Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
Get Your BOO On! Submit Your Scariest Halloween Health Care Haikus
Submissions are open for KFF Health News’ sixth annual Halloween haiku competition. Send us your best scary poems — if you dare.
How Minnesota Figures Into the Presidential Politics of Insulin Prices
Minnesota led the way on insulin affordability, culminating in 2020 when Gov. Tim Walz signed a law going further to cut costs than other state laws. Now, former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are vying for support from people with diabetes.
Silence in Sikeston: Trauma Lives in the Body
Denzel Taylor, a young Black father, moved from Chicago to Sikeston, Missouri, for a fresh start in life. There, he proposed to his girlfriend, started a family, and then, in April 2020, was fatally shot by police officers. Taylor had two young daughters and another on the way when he was killed. Pediatrician Rhea Boyd talks about how children process such loss.
California Voters Consider Tough Love for Repeat Drug Offenders
A California ballot measure would roll back some decade-old criminal justice reforms that have become fodder for Donald Trump’s presidential campaign. Stiffer penalties for shoplifting have gotten much of the attention, but the measure also allows controversial treatment requirements for repeat drug offenders.
The Medicare Advantage Influence Machine
New court filings and lobbying reports reveal an industry drive to tamp down critics — and retain billions of dollars in overcharges.
Journalists Weigh In on Racial Trauma, Medicaid Expansion, and Opioid Settlements
KFF Health News and California Healthline staffers made the rounds on national and local media recently to discuss topical stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.
A Few Rural Towns Are Bucking the Trend and Building New Hospitals
A remote Wyoming community hoped for years to have more access to health care. Now, after receiving federal funding, it is bucking dismal closure trends throughout the rural U.S. and building its own hospital. And it’s not the only one.
Democratic Hopefuls Fault GOP Incumbents for Anti-Abortion Records in Congress
Democratic congressional hopefuls in California are highlighting the anti-abortion records of vulnerable Republican incumbents, many of whom have moderated their stances ahead of the election. With control of the U.S. House at stake, Democrats hope to convince voters that their candidates will do more to protect women’s health.
A medida que se acerca el día de las elecciones, los aspirantes demócratas están haciendo todo lo posible para vincular a sus oponentes republicanos en distritos congresionales disputados con sus antecedentes antiaborto.
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Congress Punts to a Looming Lame-Duck Session
Congress left Washington for the campaign trail this week, but not before approving a spending bill that expires shortly before Christmas. Lawmakers will be busy after the election working on not just the legislation needed to keep the government running, but also several health programs set to expire. Meanwhile, Republicans continue to downplay abortion as Democrats press it as a campaign issue. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Lauren Weber of The Washington Post, and Joanne Kenen of Johns Hopkins University and Politico join KFF Health News chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more.
Keep the Conversation Going: Share Your ‘Silence in Sikeston’ Feedback With Us
Do you have feedback about the “Silence in Sikeston” project that you’d like to share with KFF Health News? Tell us here.
Nursing Aides Plagued by PTSD After ‘Nightmare’ Covid Conditions, With Little Help
A KFF Health News investigation reveals that employers and the government have offered nursing aides little assistance for PTSD and other ongoing maladies triggered by hazardous work during the pandemic.
In Montana Senate Race, Democrat Jon Tester Misleads on Republican Tim Sheehy’s Abortion Stance
Republican Senate candidate Tim Sheehy has said he supports letting states decide the abortion parameters within their borders and supports including exceptions for rape, incest, and the life of the pregnant woman in legislation to restrict abortion.
In Chronic Pain, This Teenager ‘Could Barely Do Anything.’ Insurer Wouldn’t Cover Surgery.
An Alabama teen was told he needed surgery for debilitating hip pain. But his family’s insurer denied coverage for the procedure, which lacked a medical billing code. Expected to pay more than $7,000, his father charged it to credit cards.
Deadly High Blood Pressure During Pregnancy Is on the Rise
More pregnant women are being diagnosed with dangerously high blood pressure, which risks the life of the parent and child. Montana is one of the states improving screening and treatment as health facilities work to match care with best practices.
Watch: What You Reveal, You Heal — Meeting the Makers of ‘Silence in Sikeston’
KFF Health News Midwest correspondent Cara Anthony sat down with WORLD executive producer Chris Hastings to discuss the origins of the “Silence in Sikeston” project, which explores the impact of a 1942 lynching and a 2020 police killing in the same rural Missouri community.