When that supposedly free annual physical generates a bill
by Julie Appleby KFF Health News Christine Rogers of Wake Forest, North Carolina, didn’t hesitate when she was asked to fill out a routine mental health questionnaire during a checkup…
Read More
Doubts abound about a new Alzheimer’s blood test
For the first time, people worried about their risk of Alzheimer’s disease can go online, order a blood test, and receive results in the privacy of their homes. This might…
California expands paid sick days and boosts health worker wages
SACRAMENTO — California continues to burnish its reputation as a progressive state for health policy as Gov. Gavin Newsom signed bills expanding paid sick leave, adding bereavement leave for miscarriages,…
Why is finding COVID shots for young children still so hard?
On Sept. 12, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended the next round of covid shots for everyone 6 months and older. The shots were expected to be available…
California moves ahead of the FDA in banning common candy additives
by Annie Sciacca KFF Health News Halloween candy could be in for a California makeover. Asserting that the Food and Drug Administration has not moved quickly enough on dangerous food…
The new vaccines and you: Americans better armed than ever against the winter blechs
Last year’s “triple-demic” marked the beginning of what may be a new normal: a confluence of respiratory infections — RSV, influenza, and COVID-19 — will surge as the weather cools…
New Medicare Advantage plans tailor offerings to Asian Americans, other groups
As Medicare Advantage continues to gain popularity among seniors, three Southern California companies are pioneering new types of plans that target cultural and ethnic communities with special offerings and native-language…
Biden administration to ban medical debt from Americans’ credit scores
by Noam N. Levey KFF Health News The Biden administration announced a major initiative to protect Americans from medical debt on Thursday, outlining plans to develop federal rules barring unpaid medical bills…
Why the CDC has recommended new COVID boosters for all
Everyone over the age of 6 months should get the latest COVID-19 booster, a federal expert panel recommended on Tuesday, Sept. 12 after hearing an estimate that universal vaccination could…
Pfizer and Moderna are pushing the new COVID booster. Should you get it? The CDC is about to decide
A small percentage of Americans got the most recent COVID-19 booster shot, and even fewer probably realize the federal government is preparing to recommend yet another shot as early as…
The shrinking number of primary care physicians is reaching a tipping point
by Elisabeth Rosenthal KFF Health News I’VE been receiving an escalating stream of panicked emails from people telling me their longtime physician was retiring, was no longer taking their insurance,…
Biden administration proposes new standards to boost nursing home staffing
The nation’s most thinly staffed nursing homes would be required to hire more workers under new rules proposed on Friday, Sept. 1 by the Biden administration, the greatest change to…
When temps rise, so do medical risks. Should doctors and nurses talk more about heat?
by Martha Bebinger KFF Health News An important email appeared in the inboxes of a small group of health care workers north of Boston as this summer started. It warned…
Timing and cost of new vaccines vary by virus and health insurance status
As summer edges toward fall, thoughts turn to, well, vaccines. Yes, inevitably, it’s time to think about the usual suspects — influenza and covid-19 shots — but also the new…
A new Medicare proposal would cover training for family caregivers
Even with extensive caregiving experience, Patti LaFleur was unprepared for the crisis that hit in April 2021, when her mother, Linda LaTurner, fell out of a chair and broke her…
Covered California to cut patient costs after Democratic lawmakers win funding from Gov. Newsom
by Angela Hart KFF Health News SACRAMENTO — Weeks after Democratic lawmakers forced Gov. Gavin Newsom to make good on a four-year-old pledge to use tax penalty proceeds from fining the uninsured…
In older adults, a little excess weight isn’t such a bad thing
by Judith Graham KFF Health News MILLIONS of people enter later life carrying an extra 10 to 15 pounds, weight they’ve gained after having children, developing joint problems, becoming less…
Congress considers easing regulations on air transport of donated organs
by Colleen DeGuzman KFF Health News What do kidney and pancreas transplants have to do with airplane regulations? Tucked into the hundreds of pages of legislative language to reauthorize the…
The painful legacy of ‘law and order’ treatment of addiction in jail
by Renuka Rayasam KFF Health News JASPER — Megan Dunn, who has struggled with addiction since her teens, points to the moment her life went “deeply downhill.” After dropping out…
How a combination of COVID lawsuits and media coverage keeps misinformation churning
by Darius Tahir, KFF Health News Public health has had its day in court lately. And another day. And another day. Over the course of the pandemic, lawsuits came from…
CDC to reduce funding for states’ child vaccination programs
by Andy Miller KFF Health News The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is reducing funding to states for child vaccination programs, according to an agency email obtained by KFF…
How health care may be affected by the high court’s affirmative action ruling
Doctors are concerned that a Supreme Court ruling issued June 29 will have far-reaching effects not only on the diversity of doctors and other care providers in training but ultimately…
As low-nicotine cigarettes hit the market, anti-smoking groups press for wider standard
by Don Thompson KFF Health News The idea seems simple enough. Preserve all the rituals of smoking: Light up a cigarette, inhale the smoke, including the nasty stuff that can…
A new law is supposed to protect pregnant workers — but what if we don’t know how?
by Gina Jiménez California Healthline Vanessa Langness had always been a bit worried about the chemicals she worked with as a biomedical researcher, but when she got pregnant in October,…
California’s homelessness crisis is homegrown, study finds
by Angela Hart KFF Health News SACRAMENTO — California’s homelessness crisis is a homegrown problem that is deepening amid a shortage of affordable housing and emergency shelter, and it’s often…
Dementia can take a toll on financial health, as some families learn the hard way
by Sarah Boden KFF Health News Angela Reynolds knew her mother’s memory was slipping, but she didn’t realize how bad things had gotten until she started to untangle her mom’s…
International rights group calls out US for allowing hospitals to push millions into debt
by Noam N. Levey KFF Health News HUMAN Rights Watch, the nonprofit that for decades has called attention to the victims of war, famine, and political repression around the world,…
How the mixed messaging of vaccine skeptics sows seeds of doubt
It was a late-spring House of Representatives hearing, where members of Congress and attendees hoped to learn lessons from the pandemic. Witness Marty Makary made a plea. “I want to…
California schools start hatching heat plans as the planet warms
by Calli McMurray KFF Health News As hot days become more extreme and common, California education researchers are urging that school districts be required to develop heat plans to keep…
Personal medical debt in Los Angeles County tops $2.6 billion, report finds
About 810,000, or 1 in 10, Los Angeles County adults together owe more than $2.6 billion in medical debt as of 2021, a new analysis has found — a staggering…