Category: Audio

‘Bill of the Month’: The Series That Dissects and Slashes Medical Bills

Since 2018, readers and listeners sent KFF Health News-NPR’s “Bill of the Month” thousands of questionable bills. Our crowdsourced investigation paved the way for landmark legislation and highlighted cost-saving strategies for all patients.

Nursing Homes Fell Behind on Vaccinating Patients for Covid

Last winter, only 4 in 10 nursing home residents got an updated covid vaccine. The low uptake leaves a fragile population vulnerable. Some industry watchdogs say it could be a sign of eroding trust between nursing home residents and providers.

Listen: A Tussle With a Rattlesnake Can Take a Bite Out of Your Wallet

Listen to KFF Health News’ Jackie Fortiér recount how a backyard snakebite led to a harrowing hospitalization — and big bills — for a San Diego family.

A Closely Watched Trial Over Idaho’s Near-Total Abortion Ban Continues Tuesday

Women with serious pregnancy complications who were denied abortion care have turned to state courts after appeals to state lawmakers to clarify medical exceptions have largely failed.

After Congress Ended Extra Cash Aid for Families, Communities Tackle Child Poverty Alone

The child tax credit passed by Congress at the height of covid has expired, but states and localities are trying to fill the gap with their own programs and funding. In Michigan, Rx Kids already covers every family with a new baby in Flint. Now, other communities aim to follow.

Maryland Is Training More Health Workers To Offer Abortion Care

After the fall of “Roe v. Wade,” thousands of out-of-state patients traveled to Maryland for abortion care. The state is trying to diversify who can offer that care. Providers in the first training class say their new skills are especially needed in rural areas.

Marylanders To Vote on Expansive ‘Right to Reproductive Freedom’

The Right to Reproductive Freedom amendment would enshrine in the state constitution a right “to make and effectuate decisions to prevent, continue, or end one’s own pregnancy.”

Can You Rely on Your Mammogram To Identify Heart Disease Risk?

Clinicians and researchers are searching for answers to whether an incidental finding on breast X-rays could improve the detection of cardiovascular disease risk among women.

Watch: ‘Silence in Sikeston & The Effects of Racial Violence’

KFF Health News Midwest correspondent Cara Anthony talks about how racism affects health on Nine PBS’ “Listen, St. Louis with Carol Daniel,” stemming from her reporting for the “Silence in Sikeston” multimedia project, on the impact of a 1942 lynching and a 2020 police killing on a rural Missouri community.

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.