Category: Kaiser Health News

Finland Is Offering Farmworkers Bird Flu Shots. Some Experts Say the US Should, Too.

Even with a stockpile of bird flu vaccinations, the federal government is not offering them to those at high risk. Along with testing and measures to prevent spread, vaccinations may protect people and stop the outbreak from becoming a pandemic.

Colorado Dropped Medicaid Enrollees as Red States Have, Alarming Advocates for the Poor

Colorado defended its high disenrollment rates following the covid crisis by saying that what goes up must come down. Advocates and researchers disagree.

These Vibrant, Bigger-Than-Life Portraits Turn Gun Death Statistics Into Indelible Stories

With pop-up art shows in Philadelphia and beyond, Zarinah Lomax’s mission is to show what is routinely lost to gun violence in America: “This is somebody’s child. Somebody’s son, somebody’s daughter who was working toward something.”

Why the Election May Slow Plans to Replace Lead Pipes

Lead in drinking water is a known danger. But how many of the country’s estimated 9 million lead service lines need to be replaced — and how quickly — is subject to debate. The clock is ticking on two competing plans as the election looms.

GOP’s Tim Sheehy Revives Discredited Abortion Claims in Pivotal Senate Race

In Montana’s U.S. Senate race, Republican Tim Sheehy made the false claim that his Democratic opponent, incumbent Sen. Jon Tester, supports abortion “up to and including the moment of birth.”

If Lawsuit Ends Federal Mandates on Birth Control Coverage, States Will Have the Say

An ongoing lawsuit aims to set aside the Affordable Care Act’s requirements that insurers cover preventive care, such as contraception. If that happens, state reproductive health laws — varying across the country — would carry more weight, resuming the “wild West” dynamic from before Obamacare.

From Dr. Oz to Heart Valves: A Tiny Device Charted a Contentious Path Through the FDA

The story of MitraClip, a device Dr. Oz helped invent to treat faulty heart valves, is a cautionary tale about the science, business, and regulation of medical technology.

Abortion and the 2024 Election: A Video Primer

The first presidential election since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade two years ago takes place in November, and abortion is sure to play a key role.

Planned Parenthood to Blitz GOP Seats, Betting Abortion Fears Can Sway Voters

The reproductive rights organization hopes to oust GOP incumbents from key California congressional seats by highlighting the possibility of a national abortion ban. A state Republican official calls it a swing and a miss, noting that, under Democrats, hospitals have closed maternity wards and filed for bankruptcy.

KFF Health News’ ‘What the Health?’: SCOTUS Term Wraps With a Bang

The Supreme Court has issued its final opinions for the 2023-24 term, including decisions affecting abortion access, the opioid epidemic, and how the federal government functions. In this special episode, Sarah Somers , legal director of the National Health Law Program, joins KFF Health News’ chief Washington correspondent, Julie Rovner, to discuss how the justices disposed of the term’s health-related cases and what those decisions could mean going forward.