Category: Public Health

KFF Health News’ ‘What the Health?’: Congress Kicks the (Budget) Can Down the Road. Again.

Congress narrowly avoided a federal government shutdown for the second time in six weeks, as Democrats came to the rescue of divided House Republicans over annual spending bills that were supposed to be finished by Oct. 1. But the brinksmanship is likely to repeat itself early in 2024, when the next temporary spending patches expire. Meanwhile, a pair of investigations unveiled this week demonstrate how difficult it still is for seniors to get needed long-term and rehabilitation care. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Rachel Cohrs of Stat, and Joanne Kenen of Johns Hopkins University and Politico Magazine join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more.

WHO deems loneliness a 'pressing health threat'

The World Health Organization is elevating loneliness as a “pressing health threat” and organizing leadership to drive evidence-based solutions at a global level.

HHS creates long COVID committee

On Nov. 16, HHS launched an advisory committee on long COVID, a condition that studies have found affects 1 in 10 COVID-19 patients. 

It’s Getting Harder to Find Long-Term Residential Behavioral Health Treatment for Kids

Intermountain Residential in Montana is one of the only facilities in the United States that offer long-term residential behavioral treatment for kids as young as four. Now, administrators say they’re not sure how long it can keep its doors open.

FDA warns Amazon over sale of unapproved eye drops

The FDA has issued a warning letter to Amazon CEO Andy Jassy over the sale of unapproved eye drops.

3 in 5 children don't receive needed flu medicine, VUMC study finds

Sixty percent of children diagnosed with the flu aren’t receiving antiviral medications, according to a study led by Vanderbilt University Medical Center researchers. 

Flesh-eating fungus expected to spread costs $1.5B in just 2 states

Already, Valley fever costs about $1.5 billion per year in Arizona and California, and experts anticipate the fungus that causes the illness will widen its reach in the country over the next few decades, The Washington Post reported Nov. 13.

What Long-Term Care Looks Like Around the World

Most countries spend more than the United States on care, but middle-class and affluent people still bear a substantial portion of the costs.

Adult Children Discuss the Trials of Caring for Their Aging Parents

The financial and emotional toll of providing and paying for long-term care is wreaking havoc on the lives of millions of Americans. Read about how a few families are navigating the challenges, in their own words.

Facing Financial Ruin as Costs Soar for Elder Care

The United States has no coherent system of long-term care, leading many to struggle to stay independent or rely on a patchwork of solutions.