Category: Public Health

7 states with high levels of respiratory virus activity

Seven states and Washington, D.C., are seeing high levels of respiratory virus activity heading into Thanksgiving week, according to the latest CDC data. 

Extra Fees Drive Assisted Living Profits

The add-ons pile up: $93 for medications, $50 for cable TV. Prices soar as the industry leaves no service unbilled, out of reach for many families.

What to Know About Assisted Living

The facilities can look like luxury apartments or modest group homes and can vary in pricing structures. Here’s a guide.

US Military Says National Security Depends on ‘Forever Chemicals’

PFAS chemicals are found in hundreds of products and weapons used by the U.S. military. Defense Department officials say a blanket ban on these man-made substances would threaten military readiness.

New Social Security Report Shows Growing Overpayment Problem Tops $23B

Social Security has been overpaying recipients for years, then demanding the money back, leaving people with bills for up to tens of thousands of dollars or more.

Flu admissions jump ahead of Thanksgiving: 4 CDC notes

Flu activity continues to increase across the U.S., according to the latest CDC data. For the week ending Nov. 11, 2,721 patients with laboratory-confirmed flu cases were admitted to a hospital — up from 1,962 the week prior. 

CDC, WHO report alarming rise in measles cases, deaths

About 22 million children who were eligible for measles vaccinations in 2022 did not receive them, according to a joint report from the CDC and the World Health Organization, published Nov. 17. Not only has it left a large population of children suscep…

No states earn 'A' grade on preterm birth rates: March of Dimes

For the second year straight, March of Dimes has given the U.S. a “D+” for its high preterm birth rate, according to the group’s annual report card on maternal and infant health. 

Uptake of new COVID shot grows

Nearly 14% of the nation’s adult population — about 35 million people — have received the new COVID-19 shot, according to updated estimates from the CDC. 

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.