Category: Kaiser Health News

Why the Next Big Hope for Alzheimer’s Might Not Help Most Black Patients

Black patients and other minorities tend to be diagnosed at later stages of the disease, which would exclude them from use of Leqembi. Few Black people were included in the main trial of the drug.

Montana Adds Protections for Kids in Private Residential Treatment Programs

Programs in the so-called troubled teen industry will be required to provide a 24-hour hotline and unmonitored video calls with family and be subject to more inspections under a new Montana law.

CDC to Reduce Funding for States’ Child Vaccination Programs

Citing the recent debt ceiling deal, the CDC is trimming its funding to child vaccination programs that focus on communities vulnerable to disease outbreaks. The cuts come despite data showing the percentage of children getting vaccinated has dropped in recent years.

More States Legalize Sales of Unpasteurized Milk, Despite Public Health Warnings

Distrust of public health authorities, who say drinking raw milk is dangerous, fuels demand for unpasteurized milk products, leaders on both sides of the issue say.

Patients Squeezed in Fight Over Who Gets to Bill for Pricey Infusion Drugs

To drive down costs, insurers are bypassing hospital system pharmacies and delivering high-priced infusion drugs, including some used in chemotherapy, via third-party pharmacies. Smarting from losing out on billing for those drugs, hospitals and clinics are trying to convince states to limit this practice, known as “white bagging.”

An Arm and a Leg: Credit Card, Please

What do you do when a medical provider asks you to provide a credit card upfront? In this episode, we hear advice about your options in this situation.

An Arm and a Leg: Credit Card, Please

What do you do when a medical provider asks you to provide a credit card upfront? In this episode, we hear advice about your options in this situation.

Need to Get Plan B or an HIV Test Online? Facebook May Know About It

Twelve of the largest drugstores in the U.S. sent shoppers’ sensitive health information to Facebook or other platforms, according to an investigation by The Markup and KFF Health News.

A New Law Is Supposed to Protect Pregnant Workers — But What If We Don’t Know How?

During pregnancy, workers often face hazardous circumstances, including breathing toxic chemicals. On June 27, the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act began requiring employers to provide “reasonable accommodations.” But the new law has a big hole: Not nearly enough is known about which chemical exposures are dangerous for pregnant workers.

As Low-Nicotine Cigarettes Hit the Market, Anti-Smoking Groups Press for Wider Standard

The first FDA-authorized cigarettes with 95% less nicotine than traditional smokes will go on sale in California, Florida, and Texas starting in early July. Anti-smoking groups oppose greenlighting just one plant biotech’s products and instead urge federal regulators to set a low-nicotine standard for the entire industry.