Category: Public Health

Providers Walk ‘Fine Line’ Between Informing And Scaring Immigrant Patients

Some doctors and clinics are proactively informing patients about a proposed policy that could jeopardize the legal status of immigrants who use public benefit programs such as Medicaid. Others argue that because this “public charge” proposal isn’t final — and may never be adopted — disseminating too much information could create unnecessary alarm and cause some patients to drop benefits.

Meth’s Resurgence Spotlights Lack Of Meds To Combat The Addiction

While headlines continue to focus on the nation’s opioid crisis, a growing toll of overdoses and deaths related to methamphetamine use suggests this drug is making an under-the-radar comeback.

New year, new thinking about treating obesity

Eat less, exercise more is a common refrain heard by millions of people with obesity. If only it were that simple. Decades of research shows obesity is a disease that is caused by a combination of genetic, environmental, biological, and behavioral fact…

Federal Shutdown Mostly Spares Health Coverage, But Other Issues Loom

The length of the shutdown will dictate how furloughed and unpaid workers will be affected.

Where Abortion Fights Will Play Out In 2019

Expect more aggressive regulatory action from the Trump administration while skirmishes continue in Congress and statehouses across the country. Many of these policies will ultimately be challenged in court.

To Get Mental Health Help For A Child, Desperate Parents Relinquish Custody

To get care for their 12-year-old son’s severe mental illness, Toni and Jim Hoy had to give up custody of him and allow the state of Illinois to care for him. It happens to hundreds, perhaps thousands of children each year. The exact number is unknown because two-thirds of states do not keep track.

Medicaid Plans Cover Doctors’ Visits, Hospital Care — And Now Your GED

These private insurers say improving education can help enrollees achieve a healthier lifestyle, so some pay for the tests and find ways to assist people studying for the exams.

Must-Reads Of The Week From Brianna Labuskes

Newsletter editor Brianna Labuskes wades through hundreds of health articles from the week so you don’t have to.

Medicaid Patients In Puerto Rico Don’t Get Coverage For Drugs To Cure Hepatitis C

The program that provides health care for about half of the U.S. territory’s population cannot afford to cover the drugs.

Podcast: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’ Ask Us Anything!

From Medicare dental coverage to drug prices to fetal tissue research, the panelists answer listeners’ questions. Joanne Kenen of Politico, Stephanie Armour of The Wall Street Journal and Paige Winfield Cunningham of The Washington Post join KHN’s Julie Rovner.