Category: Public Health

Wins at the Ballot Box for Abortion Rights Still Mean Court Battles for Access

Michigan and Ohio serve as cautionary tales for states whose voters will decide abortion ballot initiatives this year: Even if the measures pass, it would take time to unwind conflicting laws.

Average drug shortage duration jumps to 3+ years, report finds

The average duration of drug shortages has increased by nearly a full year since 2020, according to a new report from U.S. Pharmacopoeia. 

End of Pandemic Internet Subsidies Threatens a Health Care Lifeline for Rural America

As the Affordable Connectivity Program runs out of money, millions of people face a jump in internet costs or lost connections if federal lawmakers don’t pass a funding extension.

US maternal mortality rates exceed most other high-income countries

Childbirth and pregnancy are statistically more dangerous for women in the U.S. than in many high-income nations, especially for Black women, according to a report published June 4 by the Commonwealth Fund.

Obesity rates rising: 8 notes

Obesity rates have risen 11.4% in 20 years, with nearly 2 in 5 adults having obesity, the CDC said.

Readers Issue Rx for Clogged ERs and Outrageous Out-of-Pocket Costs

KFF Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.

‘So Much Death’: Lawmakers Weigh Stricter Speed Limits, Safer Roads for Pedestrians

New York and Michigan recently passed laws allowing local jurisdictions to lower speed limits, and Los Angeles voters backed safer road designs, but enforcement often meets political resistance. The number of pedestrians killed or injured on the road remains high.

COVID-19 effects can linger 3 years later, study finds

Patients who were hospitalized within a month of having a severe COVID-19 infection still had a higher risk of death and other complications three years after, according to a study published May 30 in Nature.

After Grilling an NIH Scientist Over Covid Emails, Congress Turns to Anthony Fauci

In a trove of emails brought to light through a congressional probe, a former close adviser to longtime National Institutes of Health official Anthony Fauci spoke of hiding messages from public disclosure.

The Chicken and Egg Problem of Fighting Another Flu Pandemic

The spread of an avian flu virus in cattle has again brought public health attention to the potential for a global pandemic. Fighting it would depend, for now, on 1940s technology that makes vaccines from hens’ eggs.