Listen to the Latest ‘KFF Health News Minute’

Tuesday, December 10, 2024 - 09:30

Dec. 5

This week on the KFF Health News Minute: Leaders often fail to address racial health disparities even when they have data showing they exist, and state programs to import cheaper drugs from Canada are struggling to get off the ground.

Nov. 28

This week on the KFF Health News Minute: Some hospitals are rethinking IV hydration amid a nationwide IV fluid shortage, and rattlesnake antivenom is cheap to make but expensive to receive.

Nov. 21

This week on the KFF Health News Minute: In states without abortion bans, programs are trying to train more types of medical personnel to offer abortion care. Separately, some OB-GYNs are asking pregnant patients to pay for their deliveries in advance.

Nov. 14

This week on the KFF Health News Minute: Some Medicaid recipients with opioid use disorder lost access to life-saving treatment during what has been called the “unwinding,” and some doctors are charging extra for mammograms that include a check for signs of heart disease.

Nov. 7

This week on the KFF Health News Minute: DACA recipients can sign up for health plans under the Affordable Care Act for the first time, and some insurers and health care facilities are paying for ride-hailing services to get patients to appointments.

Oct. 31

This week on the KFF Health News Minute: Mobile clinics bring rural areas access to long-acting forms of birth control, and doctors say people have developed opioid addiction from drinking tea made with unwashed poppy seeds.

Oct. 24

This week on the KFF Health News Minute: Low-wage health care workers struggle with post-traumatic stress from the covid pandemic and living at home alone as you age can be bad for your physical health.

Oct. 17

This week on the KFF Health News Minute: Health care companies and the federal government are teaming up to fund hospitals in rural areas, and Florida’s surgeon general is offering misleading guidance about this year’s covid shots.

Oct. 10

This week on the KFF Health News Minute: Doctors are seeing more cases of life-threatening high blood pressure in pregnant and postpartum mothers, and new rules will require more adult-size changing tables in public buildings to accommodate people with disabilities.

Oct. 3

This week on the KFF Health News Minute: New data shows that getting a vaccine while pregnant is a good way to protect newborns from covid, and a Trump victory in November’s presidential election could allow more states to create burdensome work requirements for receiving public assistance.

Sept. 26

This week on the KFF Health News Minute: Pediatricians won’t get refunds on all their unused covid vaccines, leaving some parents of children under 3 struggling to find them, and 2023 saw the largest number of abortions in more than a decade despite bans or heavy restrictions in 20 states.

Sept. 18

This week on the KFF Health News Minute: Botox could help people with a painful health condition that prevents them from burping, and shooting survivors can face a scarcity of mental health providers as they try to recover from trauma.

Sept. 12

This week on the KFF Health News Minute: The end of Congressional money for covid could leave local health departments struggling to fulfill routine functions, and the error-prone computer systems operated by a private company are kicking eligible people off public assistance.

Sept. 5

This week on the KFF Health News Minute: Hundreds of rural hospitals have stopped offering cancer care, and anti-abortion policymakers are targeting clinics as some states weigh legalizing abortion this fall.

Aug. 29

This week on the KFF Health News Minute: Public health officials in Montana are turning to vending machines to provide free, lifesaving opioid overdose medication, and lawmakers nationwide struggle to land on a winning legal strategy to curb the mental health risks of social media to kids.

Aug. 22

This week on the KFF Health News Minute: New treatments and vaccines are available for respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, and fentanyl-laced stimulants are driving a new wave of opioid overdose deaths.

Aug. 15

This week on the KFF Health News Minute: Fears about social media may cause policymakers to miss the mental health benefits it can provide teenagers, and nursing home residents are missing out on covid shots that could help keep them safe.

Aug. 8

This week on the KFF Health News Minute: More women are ending their pregnancies without medical assistance since the fall of Roe v. Wade, and some states are taking action to protect workers from deadly heat.

Aug. 1

This week on the KFF Health News Minute: Drones could speed up lifesaving treatment in an emergency, and paperwork problems can leave patients with frightening medical bills they may not have to pay.

July 25

This week on the KFF Health News Minute: A new program in Philadelphia hopes to reduce gun violence trauma by making sure the city cleans up quickly after a shooting, and the nation’s 911 system is on the brink of its own emergency.

July 18

This week on the KFF Health News Minute: More young people are asking for sterilization since the end of federal abortion protections, and it’s getting harder to see a doctor without having to pay hundreds of dollars in membership fees.

July 11

This week on the KFF Health News Minute: A new Supreme Court ruling could upend who gets the final word in setting federal health rules, and emergency room branding is creating confusion for patients.

July 4

This week on the KFF Health News Minute: HIV doctors are learning how to care for their aging patients and states that voted to protect abortion rights in their constitutions could still face years of court battles to restore service.

June 27

This week on the KFF Health News Minute: CDC tests aren’t reaching the front lines of the bird flu outbreak, and some medical translators worry artificial intelligence could end up confusing doctors and patients who speak different languages.

June 20

This week on the KFF Health News Minute: Some tribal nations are treating addiction with traditional healing ceremonies funded by money from companies accused of fueling the opioid epidemic, and nursing homes weigh how to care for their residents in a time of increasingly intense wildfires.

June 13

This week on the KFF Health News Minute: Bird flu could pose a risk to the egg supply vaccine manufactures rely on, and millions of Americans could lose the internet service they use to access health care as a pandemic-era program expires.

June 6

This week on the KFF Health News Minute: Dairy farm workers weigh the risks of testing positive for bird flu and potentially losing a paycheck, and cruise-goers could face costly medical bills if they get sick at sea.

May 30

This week on the KFF Health News Minute: High demand and high prices keep drugs like Ozempic out of reach for diabetes patients on a fixed income, and why changing the kind of respiratory inhaler you use could be a better choice for the planet.

May 23

This week on the KFF Health News Minute: A 1930s law is keeping cutting-edge sunscreen off the shelf in the United States, and survivors of gun violence often have to decide what to do with the bullets still in their bodies.

May 16

This week on the KFF Health News Minute: DIY gel manicures could give you an allergic reaction and some aspiring specialist physicians are avoiding states with strict abortion laws.

May 9

This week on the KFF Health News Minute: Beware fine print on a doctor’s agreement that might get in the way of a health insurance reimbursement, and health risks from climate change have Oregon looking to send Medicaid recipients air conditioners and purifiers.

May 2

This week on the KFF Health News Minute: Young adults who got hooked on vaping struggle to kick the habit and vehicle tires emerge as a major source of air pollution.

April 25

This week on the KFF Health News Minute: Some homeless people who are eligible for Medicaid are losing it as states rush to purge their rolls, and a wave of communities have stopped adding cavity-preventing fluoride to their drinking water.

April 18

This week on the KFF Health News Minute: A shortage of dentists has more primary care doctors taking care of teeth, and providers risk jail time in states that continue to outlaw needle exchanges.

April 11

This week on the KFF Health News Minute: Rising attacks on emergency room staffers have nurses demanding harsher penalties, and a loophole in the No Surprises Act left a mom with an air-ambulance bill of more than $97,000.

April 4

This week on the KFF Health News Minute: A tech-powered, faster way to diagnose the disease that causes diabetes-related blindness, and emerging research on alcohol consumption and women’s risks.

March 28

This week on the KFF Health News Minute: Questions around abortion rights could be on the ballot in more than a dozen states this November, and a new report points to rising rates of alcohol-related deaths among women.

March 21

This week on the KFF Health News Minute: Public health experts worry the anti-vaccine movement pits parental rights against public health, and a Michigan widower joins the fight for minimum staffing levels for hospital nurses.

March 14

This week on the KFF Health News Minute: Medicaid expansion could help some rural hospitals stay open, and upcoming rules from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau would keep all medical debt off credit reports.

March 6

This week on the KFF Health News Minute: Some providers are saving penicillin for pregnant patients amid a shortage of the drug, which is used to treat syphilis, and why bigger hearing aids might be better.

Feb. 28

This week on the KFF Health News Minute: Calls for confidential mental health treatment rise as some medical providers put off care for fear of losing their jobs, and lawmakers grapple with how to regulate artificial intelligence in medicine.

Feb. 22

This week on the KFF Health News Minute: Pain specialists say injections for kids don’t have to hurt so much, and states overwhelmed by the housing crisis are using Medicaid funds to curb homelessness.

Feb. 15

This week on the KFF Health News Minute: Some cities rethink the role of police in responding to someone in a mental health crisis, and the FDA takes aim at a carcinogen commonly found in hair-straightening products.

Feb. 08

This week on the KFF Health News Minute: The Federal Trade Commission says drugmakers are misusing patents to keep prices high on medication delivery devices like inhalers and injectors, and some providers are using a loophole in the Affordable Care Act to charge patients for preventive care that’s supposed to be free.

Feb. 01

This week on the KFF Health News Minute: Americans struggle to find a primary care provider, and some experts on aging are calling on older drivers to sign an advance directive to determine when they should stop driving.

Jan. 25

This week on the KFF Health News Minute: The federal government will force some insurers to review prior authorization requests more quickly, and it’s still worth it to get vaccinated for the flu, covid, and RSV in the middle of respiratory virus season.

Jan. 18

This week on the KFF Health News Minute: Workers in smoky casinos say they shouldn’t have to gamble with their health on the job, and some Medicare Advantage enrollees feel trapped in their plans as they get older and sicker.

Jan. 11

This week on the KFF Health News Minute: A national shortage of Adderall leaves people with narcolepsy struggling to live normal lives. and researchers find little evidence that mental health courts are keeping those who need them most out of lockup.

Jan. 4

This week on the KFF Health News Minute: In some states, anglers have little guidance about the “forever chemicals” in freshwater fish, and California once again expands access to its Medicaid program, opening the door wider for immigrants regardless of age or legal status.

The KFF Health News Minute is available every Thursday on CBS News Radio.
KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF—an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. Learn more about KFF.USE OUR CONTENTThis story can be republished for free (details).

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KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': A Killing Touches Off Backlash Against Health Insurers

The Host Julie Rovner KFF Health News @jrovner Read Julie's stories. Julie Rovner is chief Washington correspondent and host of KFF Health News’ weekly health policy news podcast, “What the Health?” A noted expert on health policy issues, Julie is the author of the critically praised reference book “Health Care Politics and Policy A to Z,” now in its third edition.

Watch: ‘Going It Alone’ — A Conversation About Growing Old in America

KFF Health News’ “Navigating Aging” columnist, Judith Graham, spent six months this year talking to older adults who live alone by choice or by circumstance — most commonly, a spouse’s death. They shared their hopes and fears, challenges, and strategies for aging solo. Graham moderated a live event on Dec. 11, hosted by KFF Health News and The John A. Hartford Foundation. She invited five seniors ranging in age from 71 to 102 and from across the country — from Seattle; Chicago; Asheville, North Carolina; New York City; and rural Maine — to talk candidly about the ways they are thriving at...

As Rural America Grows More Diverse, Language Access Is Slow To Take Hold

The share of people who are Hispanic or Latino has grown to a little more than a quarter of the population in Elko, Nevada, a small city in the remote northeastern corner of the state. That growth in diversity has also led to an increasing number of people who speak a language other than English at home, with Spanish spoken in nearly 15 percent of households in Elko County, which has a population of about 54,000.

Patients Couldn’t Pay Their Utility Bills. One Hospital Turned to Solar Power for Help.

Anna Goldman, a primary care physician at Boston Medical Center, got tired of hearing that her patients couldn’t afford the electricity needed to run breathing assistance machines, recharge wheelchairs, turn on air conditioning, or keep their refrigerators plugged in. So she worked with her hospital on a solution. The result is a pilot effort called the Clean Power Prescription program. The initiative aims to help keep the lights on for roughly 80 patients with complex, chronic medical needs. The program relies on 519 solar panels installed on the roof of one of the hospital’s office...

Toxic ‘Forever Chemicals’ Taint Rural California Drinking Water, Far From Known Sources

Juana Valle never imagined she’d be scared to drink water from her tap or eat fresh eggs and walnuts when she bought her 5-acre farm in San Juan Bautista, California, three years ago. Escaping city life and growing her own food was a dream come true for the 52-year-old. Then Valle began to suspect water from her well was making her sick. “Even if everything is organic, it doesn’t matter, if the water underground is not clean,” Valle said.

Former Montana Health Staffer Rebukes Oversight Rules as a Hospital ‘Wish List’

A former Montana health department staffer who described himself as the lead author of legislation to scrutinize nonprofit hospitals’ charitable acts said new rules implementing the bill amounted to a hospital “wish list” and that the state needs to go back to the drawing board. The Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services recently adopted the rules outlining how the state will collect data on nonprofit hospitals’ charitable acts with the goal of eventually creating giving standards. That could include benchmarks, such as how much financial aid hospitals must provide patients.

Juez bloquea en 19 estados la norma que permite a Dreamers inscribirse en planes de salud de ACA

Un juez federal en Dakota del Norte falló a favor de 19 estados que impugnaron una regla de la administración Biden que permite —por primera vez— que las personas traídas a Estados Unidos de niños, sin papeles, conocidas como Dreamers, se inscribieran para obtener cobertura de salud a través de los mercados establecidos por la Ley de Cuidado de Salud a Bajo Precio (ACA).

Federal Judge Halts Dreamers’ Brand-New Access to ACA Enrollment in 19 States

A federal judge in North Dakota has ruled in favor of 19 states that challenged a Biden administration rule allowing — for the first time — enrollment in Affordable Care Act coverage by people brought to the U.S. as children without immigration paperwork, known as “Dreamers.”

Listen to the Latest ‘KFF Health News Minute’

Dec. 5 This week on the KFF Health News Minute: Leaders often fail to address racial health disparities even when they have data showing they exist, and state programs to import cheaper drugs from Canada are struggling to get off the ground. Nov. 28 This week on the KFF Health News Minute: Some hospitals are rethinking IV hydration amid a nationwide IV fluid shortage, and rattlesnake antivenom is cheap to make but expensive to receive. Nov. 21 This week on the KFF Health News Minute: In states without abortion bans, programs are trying to train more types of medical personnel to offer...

Florida’s Canada Drug Importation Plan Has Yet to Launch

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R)spent years complaining that the Biden administration was slow-walking federal approval of his plan to import lower-cost prescription drugs from Canada — a concept endorsed by Donald Trump in 2020 just before his first presidential term ended. But nearly a year since the Food and Drug Administration green-lit the state’s importation strategy, Florida has no planned date to begin bringing drugs over the border, according to a state official familiar with the program who asked not to be identified because they weren’t authorized to speak publicly.

Rural Governments Often Fail To Communicate With Residents Who Aren’t Proficient in English

Eloisa Mendoza has spent 18 years helping people who aren’t fluent in English navigate complex legal documents. She guides them through stressful events and accompanying dense paperwork, such as citizenship applications, divorces, and birth certificate translations.

A Centenarian Thrives Living Alone, Active and Engaged

“The future is here,” the email announced. Hilda Jaffe, then 88, was letting her children know she planned to sell the family home in Verona, New Jersey. She’d decided to begin life anew — on her own — in a one-bedroom apartment in Hell’s Kitchen in Manhattan. Fourteen years later, Jaffe, now 102, still lives alone — just a few blocks away from the frenetic flashing lights and crowds that course through Times Square. She’s the rarest of seniors: a centenarian who is sharp as a tack, who carries grocery bags in each hand when she walks back from her local market, and who takes city buses to...

Are States Keeping Their Promises on Opioid Settlement Transparency?

It’s been about two years since most states began receiving millions of dollars in opioid settlement payments from companies that made or distributed prescription painkillers. But whether you can track how that windfall has been spent depends largely on where you live. That’s because there is no federal standard dictating the information that must be made public. That determination falls to states.

Resources Are Expanding for Older Adults on Their Own

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Expanden los recursos para las personas mayores que viven solas

Jeff Kromrey, de 69 años, se sentará con su hija la próxima vez que lo visite y le enseñará cómo acceder a sus cuentas en Internet en caso que sufra una crisis de salud inesperada. Gayle Williams-Brett, también de 69, planea empezar un proyecto que lleva meses posponiendo: organizar toda su información financiera. Michael Davis, de 71, va a redactar un testamento y va a pedirle a un amigo íntimo que sea su representante para asuntos de salud y albacea de su patrimonio.

Journalists Dig Into Vaccine Debate and America’s Obesity Rates

KFF Health News senior correspondent Arthur Allen discussed the fragility of our vaccine infrastructure on The Atlantic’s “Radio Atlantic” on Dec. 5. Click here to hear Allen on “Radio Atlantic” Read Allen’s “Scientists Fear What’s Next for Public Health if RFK Jr. Is Allowed To ‘Go Wild’” KFF Health News contributor Andy Miller discussed U.S. obesity rates on WUGA’s “The Georgia Health Report” on Nov. 29.

Georgia Said It Would Fix Care for the Disabled Years Ago. It’s Still Not Done.

In recent decades, the Justice Department has sued several states for unnecessarily confining people with disabilities in places such as state psychiatric hospitals, nursing homes and segregated workspaces. Such treatment violates a key part of the Americans With Disabilities Act — as affirmed in the 1999 Olmstead decision from the Supreme Court: that people with disabilities have a legal right to receive care at home or in other community settings.

Six Years Into an Appalachia Hospital Monopoly, Patients Are Fearful and Furious

KINGSPORT, Tenn. — Jerry Qualls had a heart attack in 2022 and was rushed by ambulance to Holston Valley Medical Center, where he was hospitalized for a week and kept alive by a ventilator and blood pump, according to his medical records. His wife, Katherine Qualls, said his doctors offered little hope. In an interview and a written complaint to the Tennessee government, she said doctors at Holston Valley told her that her husband would not qualify for a heart transplant and shouldn’t be expected to recover. Defiant, she insisted he be transferred hours away to a hospital in Nashville. Within...

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The availability of safe, effective covid vaccines less than a year into the pandemic marked a high point in the 300-year history of vaccination, seemingly heralding an age of protection against infectious diseases. Now, after backlash against public health interventions culminated in President-elect Donald Trump’s nominating Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the country’s best-known anti-vaccine activist, as its top health official, infectious disease and public health experts and vaccine advocates say a confluence of factors could cause renewed, deadly epidemics of measles, whooping cough, and...

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