Category: Public Health

Infections raise dementia risk, new study suggests: 3 notes

Common infections such as the flu and respiratory tract infections may increase the risk of dementia years later, according to a new study published in Nature Aging. 

Medicare Drug Plans Are Getting Better Next Year. Some Will Also Cost More.

Every year, Medicare officials encourage beneficiaries to shop around for their drug coverage. Few take the time. This year, it might be more important than ever.

Watch: ‘Silence in Sikeston & The Effects of Racial Violence’

KFF Health News Midwest correspondent Cara Anthony talks about how racism affects health on Nine PBS’ “Listen, St. Louis with Carol Daniel,” stemming from her reporting for the “Silence in Sikeston” multimedia project, on the impact of a 1942 lynching and a 2020 police killing on a rural Missouri community.

California Continues Progressive Policies, With Restraint, in Divisive Election Year

This legislative cycle, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed bills affirming reproductive rights and mandating insurance coverage of in vitro fertilization, but the Democrat was reluctant to impose new regulations and frequently cited costs for vetoing bills.

Mountain Town Confronts an Unexpected Public Health Catastrophe

Flooding wrought by Hurricane Helene devastated communities around Asheville, North Carolina. A host of government programs are helping restore water, food, and medicine.

KFF Health News’ ‘What the Health?’: LIVE From KFF: Health Care and the 2024 Election

The Affordable Care Act has not been a major issue in the 2024 campaign, but abortion and reproductive rights have been front and center. Those are just two of the dozens of health issues that could be profoundly affected by who is elected president and which party controls Congress in 2025. In this special live episode, Tamara Keith of NPR, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, and Cynthia Cox and Ashley Kirzinger of KFF join KFF Health News chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss how health policy has affected the campaign and how the election results might affect health policy. Plus, the panel answers questions from the live audience.

Super Bowl Rally Shooting Victims Pick Up Pieces, but Gun Violence Haunts Their Lives

Eight months after the Feb. 14 shooting, people wounded at the Kansas City Chiefs parade are wary of more gun violence. In this installment of “The Injured,” survivors of the shooting say they feel gun violence is inescapable and are desperately seeking a sense of safety.

In 2 weeks, XEC jumps from 5th to 2nd most dominant COVID variant

As COVID-19 variant KP.3.1.1 remains the top circulating variant in the U.S., XEC has climbed from the fifth to second most dominant variant, according to CDC data.

A 'secondary medical surge' coming post-hurricanes

Hospitals are bracing for a “secondary medical surge” following flooding from Hurricane Helene and Milton — infections — North Carolina Health News reported Oct. 12.

Millions of Aging Americans Are Facing Dementia by Themselves

In a health care system that assumes older adults have family caregivers to help them, those facing dementia by themselves often fall through the cracks.