Category: Kaiser Health News

Persistent Problem: High C-Section Rates Plague the South

Some U.S. states have reduced use of the procedure, including by sharing C-section data with doctors and hospitals. But change has proved difficult in the South, where women are generally less healthy heading into their pregnancies and maternal and infant health problems are among the highest in the U.S.

Biden Administration Announces Boost for Rural Health Care in Midterm Election Push

President Joe Biden’s Cabinet members are fanning out across the county to promote benefits coming to rural America from covid relief and infrastructure legislation.

Private Equity Ownership of Nursing Homes Triggers Capitol Hill Questions — And a GAO Probe

In his State of the Union address, President Joe Biden decried these financial arrangements, which two members of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee had already asked the Government Accountability Office to investigate.

Who Doesn’t Text in 2022? Most State Medicaid Programs

As states prepare for the end of the covid public health emergency, they are making plans to reevaluate each Medicaid enrollee’s eligibility. They will rely primarily on mail and email because not many states can text enrollees.

When Symptoms Linger for Weeks, Is It Long Covid?

Patients with symptoms that last three to 12 weeks after an acute covid infection should adopt a “watchful waiting” approach to recovery, an expert says. Keep in contact with a primary care doctor and take it easy.

Babies Die as Congenital Syphilis Continues a Decade-Long Surge Across the US

Congenital syphilis rates keep climbing, according to newly released federal data. But the primary funding source for most public health departments has been largely stagnant, its purchasing power dragged even lower by inflation.

California Sees Dramatic Decline in Child Homicide Victims. What’s Changed?

Bucking the alarming spike in overall homicides in recent years, the homicide rate involving young children is down 70% in California from three decades ago. The nation has seen a parallel, albeit slower, decline.

Colorado Moves Toward Statewide Coverage of Wastewater Surveillance

Colorado was among the first states to embrace wastewater testing to track the coronavirus, an important public heath intervention that can give early warning of outbreaks.

Refurbished Walkers and Wheelchairs Fill Gaps Created by Supply Chain Problems

Loan closets are playing an important role as supply chain issues and the rising price of aluminum have led to shortages in medical equipment such as wheelchairs, walkers, crutches, and knee scooters.

Profit Strategy: Psychiatric Facilities Prioritize Out-of-State Kids

Nearly all psychiatric residential treatment centers for children in South Carolina operate as for-profit businesses — some backed by private equity — and many prioritize out-of-state kids because it’s better for the bottom line. The scramble to secure treatment for children and teenagers has become so competitive that South Carolina will spend millions more each year as of April 1 to keep out-of-state patients from flooding the state’s treatment facilities.