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.
Category: Public Health
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.
3rd human bird flu patient experiencing different symptom: CDC
A third human case of H5N1 avian flu has been confirmed in the U.S. according to a May 30 CDC update. The agency says it is linked to the ongoing national outbreak in livestock and poultry.
KFF Health News’ ‘What the Health?’: Waiting for SCOTUS
June is when the Supreme Court typically issues rulings in the major cases it hears during that year’s term. This year, those interested in health policy are awaiting decisions in two abortion-related cases and one that could reshuffle the way health policies (and all other federal policies) are made. In this special episode, KFF’s Laurie Sobel, associate director for women’s health policy, joins Julie Rovner for a review of the cases and a preview of how the court might rule.
