In response to declining childhood vaccinations and rising infection rates across the U.S., HHS has launched a vaccine education campaign, encouraging parents to make informed healthcare decisions for their children based on more balanced information.
Federal officials have maintained that the nation’s bird flu outbreak does not pose an immediate threat to public health, but infectious disease experts say recent developments indicate the H5N1 virus’ spread is widening — and with it, the risks it pos…
Across the country, trash incinerators disproportionately overburden majority-Black and -Hispanic communities. Though the number of incinerators has declined nationwide since the 1980s, Florida offers financial incentives to waste management companies that expand existing facilities or build new ones.
A whistleblower suit alleged a health insurer bilked Medicare by exaggerating how sick patients were.
Fourteen states and Washington, D.C., are experiencing high or very high levels of respiratory illness, with influenza, COVID-19 and respiratory syncytical virus all contributing to increased healthcare visits across the U.S.
The FDA shared new guidelines for when manufacturers can label food as “healthy” in a final rule published Dec. 19.
KFF Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
Exclusive reporting reveals how the United States lost track of a virus that could cause the next pandemic. Problems like the sluggish pace of federal action, deference to industry, and neglect for the safety of low-wage workers put the country at risk of another health emergency.
Democrats and Republicans in the House and Senate successfully negotiated an enormous end-of-Congress health package, including bipartisan efforts to address prescription drug prices — only to see it blown up at the last minute after Elon Musk and President-elect Donald Trump applied pressure. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court accepted its first abortion-related case of the term, and the attorney general of Texas sued a doctor in New York for prescribing abortion pills to a Texas patient. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Jessie Hellmann of CQ Roll Call, and Victoria Knight of Axios join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KFF President and CEO Drew Altman about what happened in health policy in 2024 and what to expect in 2025.
More than 3 million deaths were reported in the U.S. in 2023, with 10 leading causes accounting for more than 70.9% of all fatalities.
