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Immigrant healthcare professionals: essential pillars of the U.S. health system

A study by The Baker Institute for Public Policy highlights the critical role of immigrant healthcare professionals in the U.S. health system, examining their increasing presence and the impact of legal pathways like the J-1 Visa Exchange Visitor Program.

8 Jan 2024

Inpatient costs of treating COVID-19 in the U.S.

Study analyzes the average inpatient care costs for COVID-19 patients, revealing significant variations in expenses across pandemic waves and patient demographics.

7 Jan 2024

Most people dropped in Medicaid ‘unwinding’ never tried to renew coverage, Utah finds

A first-of-its-kind survey of people who lost Medicaid coverage last year found just over half made no effort to renew their coverage — in many cases because they were unable to navigate paperwork requirements.

4 Jan 2024

RSV vaccines would dramatically reduce disease burden if widely adopted like flu shots

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccines recently approved for people 60 and older would dramatically reduce the disease's significant burden of illness and death in the United States if they were widely adopted like annual influenza vaccines, a new study has found.

2 Jan 2024

Private equity takeovers linked to higher rates of patient harm in hospitals

Patients are more likely to fall, get new infections, or experience other forms of harm during their stay in a hospital after it is acquired by a private equity firm, according to a new study led by researchers at Harvard Medical School.

26 Dec 2023

In year 6, KFF Health News-NPR’s ‘Bill of the Month’ helps patients in a changing system

In 2023, our nationwide reporting team has been hard at work on a holiday gift to you: a packet of advice for navigating the labyrinthine American medical system.

26 Dec 2023

Bold changes are in store for Medi-Cal in 2024, but will patients benefit?

California's safety-net health program, Medi-Cal, is on the cusp of major changes that could rectify long-standing problems and improve health care for the state's low-income population.

22 Dec 2023

KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': 2023 is a wrap

Even without covid dominating the headlines, 2023 was a busy year for health policy.

21 Dec 2023

Deep flaws in FDA oversight of medical devices, and patient harm, exposed in lawsuits and records

Living with diabetes, Carlton "PeeWee" Gautney Jr. relied on a digital device about the size of a deck of playing cards to pump insulin into his bloodstream.

21 Dec 2023

A new test could save arthritis patients time, money, and pain. But will it be used?

Erinn Maury knew Remicade wasn't the right drug for Patti Schulte, a rheumatoid arthritis patient the physician saw at her Millersville, Maryland, practice. Schulte's swollen, painful joints hadn't responded to Enbrel or Humira, two drugs in the same class.

20 Dec 2023

Study reveals low rates of social factors documentation in healthcare

A new study provides the latest data on the low rates for screening and documenting Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) in healthcare settings.

19 Dec 2023

Patients facing death are opting for a lifesaving heart device — but at what risk?

Too old and too sick for a heart transplant, Arvid Herrman was given a choice: Have a mechanical pump implanted in his heart, potentially keeping him alive for several years, or do nothing and almost certainly die within a year.

19 Dec 2023

Outrageous hospital cost for colonoscopies compared to smaller clinics

U.S. hospitals charge facility fees for colonoscopy procedures covered by private health insurance that are on average approximately 55 percent higher than facility fees billed by smaller clinics known as ambulatory surgical centers, according to a study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

15 Dec 2023

Poll: Vast majority of older adults think health insurers should cover obesity medications

The vast majority of older adults – 83% -- think health insurers should cover medications that can help people with obesity manage their weight, a new poll of people age 50 to 80 finds.

13 Dec 2023

Many patients may not benefit from gene-editing treatments for sickle cell disease

Federal approval of a breakthrough gene-editing technology that treats the pain and debilitating effects of sickle cell disease is cause for celebration among a community with few options for relief.

8 Dec 2023

Dodging the Medicare enrollment deadline can be costly

Angela M. Du Bois, a retired software tester in Durham, North Carolina, wasn't looking to replace her UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage plan. She wasn't concerned as the Dec. 7 deadline approached for choosing another of the privately run health insurance alternatives to original Medicare.

7 Dec 2023

Understanding deprivation measures: A key to equitable public health resource allocation

Are there racial and ethnic disparities in the use of novel hormonal therapy agents in men with advanced prostate cancer?

Researchers assessed ethnic and racial differences in novel hormonal therapy (NHT) use among advanced prostate cancer (PCa) patients.

6 Dec 2023