A North Carolina Hospital Was Slated To Open in 2025. Mired in Bureaucracy, It’s Still a Dirt Field. - KFF Health News Regulations meant to prevent unfettered health care expansion are withholding needed hospital beds in a rural part of North Carolina. Here, as in communities around the country, some officials and hea...

Regulations meant to prevent unfettered health care expansion are withholding needed hospital beds in a rural part of North Carolina. Some officials and health care providers are contesting such “certificate of need” laws. Via Andrew Jones of @kffhealthnews.org. kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

Patient Numbers at NIH Hospital Continue To Decline Under Second Trump Administration YouTube video by KFF Health News

We previously reported that the number of people receiving treatment at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center - known as America's research hospital - declined from February-April.

Since then, I obtained newer data through mid-August. And it's gotten worse. youtube.com/shorts/yT5Vc...

Guns, Race, and Profit: The Pain of America’s Other Epidemic - KFF Health News Firearm violence is killing Americans at the scale of a public health epidemic. The suffering is concentrated in Black neighborhoods damaged by segregation, disinvestment, hate crimes, and other forms...

Firearm violence is killing Americans at the scale of a public health epidemic, especially in Black neighborhoods damaged by various forms of racial discrimination. Meanwhile, federal, state, & local government officials have undermined efforts to save lives. Via @kffhealthnews.org

It’s Almost Flu Season. Should You Still Get a Shot, and Will Insurance Cover It? - KFF Health News Doctors and public health leaders, including at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, recommend that most people 6 months old and older get the 2025-26 flu vaccine — and it’s still covered b...

Amid political chatter about vaccines and the government entities that oversee them, it’s understandable to wonder where all this leaves the 2025-26 flu vaccine. Here are some answers to common questions.
Via: @madisonczopek.bsky.social

Experts Say Rural Emergency Rooms Are Increasingly Run Without Doctors - KFF Health News Some doctors and the groups that represent them say physicians’ extensive training leads to better emergency care, and that some hospitals are trying to save money by not hiring them. They support new...

There was no doctor on-site when a patient arrived at the emergency room in the small hospital at intersection of two dirt roads in Ekalaka, MT.

There never is.

Experts believe ERs, especially in rural areas, increasingly operate with few or no doctors.

kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

Inside the CDC, Shooting Adds to Trauma as Workers Describe Projects, Careers in Limbo - KFF Health News Fired-then-reinstated workers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention worry about the future of public health amid proposed agency downsizing.

On Aug. 8, a gunman identified by Georgia authorities as Patrick Joseph White fired shots at CDC buildings in Atlanta. White was possibly motivated by his views on vaccines, according to news reports.
Via: Rebecca Grapevine & Andy Miller for @healthbeat.org kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

A Tourist Ended Up With a Wild Bat in Her Mouth — And Nearly $21,000 in Medical Bills - KFF Health News Health insurance generally doesn’t cover treatment for injuries sustained shortly before a customer buys a policy. A Massachusetts woman found that out the hard way.

Erica Kahn ended up with a wild bat in her mouth — and nearly $21,000 in medical bills.

Health insurance generally doesn’t cover treatment for injuries sustained shortly before a customer buys a policy. Kahn found that out the hard way.
kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

Tribal Groups Assert Sovereignty as Feds Crack Down on Gender-Affirming Care - KFF Health News Native American groups declare that tribal sovereignty trumps state and federal efforts to restrict or ban gender-affirming care for two-spirit and LGBTQ+ tribal citizens. Tribes are analyzing the ris...

Native American groups declare that tribal sovereignty trumps state and federal efforts to restrict or ban gender-affirming care for two-spirit and LGBTQ+ tribal citizens. Tribes are analyzing the risk of opposing Trump’s policies, advocates say.

✍️: Jazmin Orozco Rodriguez of @kffhealthnews.org

A Brain-Dead Pregnant Woman Was Kept Alive in Georgia. It's Unclear if State Law Required It. - KFF Health News The anti-abortion movement is rallying around new laws that establish fetal “personhood.” Doctors are scrambling to adjust, but even conservatives don’t always agree on how such laws should be applied...

The anti-abortion movement is rallying around new laws that establish fetal “personhood.” As a recent incident in Georgia shows, there remains disagreement over interpretations of such laws. Via Jessica Mador of @wabe.org
kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

A Texas Boy Needed Protection From Measles. The Vaccine Cost $1,400. - KFF Health News A family living in Galveston was surprised to be charged thousands of dollars for immunizations for their children. Their insurance plan didn’t cover the shots, and the cost of the measles vaccine in ...

A Texas family was charged thousands of dollars for immunizations for their kids. Their insurance didn’t cover the shots, and the $1,400 measles vaccine was more than 5X what health officials say it costs in the private sector. Via @kffhealthnews.org kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

Listen: Black Swimmers Make Waves Overcoming Fear and Old Perceptions - KFF Health News Segregation and lack of access have kept many Black Americans from learning to swim, which raises their risk of drowning. Groups across the country are working to teach more Black kids and adults the ...

A history of systemic exclusion from pools is one factor that has led to higher drowning rates among Black children and adults than their white peers. KFF Health News correspondent Cara Anthony appeared on @wamu.org.web.brid.gy's “Health Hub” to discuss the issue. kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

Meet the Florida Group Chipping Away at Public Benefits One State at a Time - KFF Health News The Trump administration’s “Make America Healthy Again” platform has boosted the agenda of a conservative think tank that’s been working for more than a decade to reshape the nation’s public assistanc...

The Trump administration’s “Make America Healthy Again” platform has boosted the agenda of a conservative think tank that’s been working for more than a decade to reshape the nation’s public assistance programs.

Via: Katheryn Houghton & Samantha Liss of @kffhealthnews.org

At Social Security, these are the days of the living dead In recent weeks, Social Security has been plagued by problems related to technology, system errors, and even the marking of living people as dead.

My latest, for @kffhealthnews.org and @cbsnews.com: Social Security is cracking.

It's declaring people wrongly dead. Beneficiaries and lawyers say records are getting misplaced. Checks are getting sent to the wrong address.

The agency is getting worse, they think, at sending money to people:

HIV Testing and Outreach Falter as Trump Funding Cuts Sweep the South - KFF Health News A disruption in federal funds has jeopardized HIV testing and outreach in Mississippi, and researchers warn of a resurgence of the epidemic in the South.

Community-based groups in Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana & Tennessee told @kffhealthnews.org they reduced spending on HIV testing & outreach because of delayed or slashed federal funds — or they were making plans to do so, anticipating cuts.
Via: @amymaxmen.bsky.social.

Government Watchdog Expects Medicaid Work Requirement Analysis by Fall - KFF Health News This fall, the U.S. Government Accountability Office expects to release a report on how much it costs to run Georgia Pathways to Coverage — the country’s only active Medicaid work requirement program ...

The U.S. Government Accountability Office expects to release a report this fall on how much 💰 it costs to run Georgia Pathways — the country’s only active Medicaid #workrequirement program — as other states and Congress consider similar programs.

Via: @kffhealthnews.org

We at @kffhealthnews.org are so honored! Thank you so much for this recognition!

Systemic Sickness - KFF Health News Featured articles More from the Project Discussions of the Project Charlotte Talks With Mike Collins: Examining racial maternal health disparities in the American South Related Articles Credits Report...

BRAG: Our series on racial disparities in health care, led by @sabriyarice.bsky.social, has won the Columbia Journalism School's Paul Tobenkin Memorial Award.

journalism.columbia.edu/news/berger-...

Congratulations to all the @kffhealthnews.org staff involved in this important work.

Welcome @draveneljoseph.bsky.social! Looking forward to your posts and reading updates about @rwjf.bsky.social's work.

Tribal Health Leaders Say Medicaid Cuts Would Decimate Health Programs - KFF Health News As Congress mulls significant cuts to Medicaid, Native American tribes are bracing for potentially devastating financial fallout. That’s because Medicaid is the largest third-party payer for Native Am...

As Congress mulls potentially massive cuts to federal Medicaid funding, health centers that serve Native American communities are bracing for catastrophe. Medicaid helps tribes cover chronic funding shortfalls from the Indian Health Service. Via Jazmin Orozco Rodriguez of @kffhealthnews.org

Scientists Say NIH Officials Told Them To Scrub mRNA References on Grants - KFF Health News Two senior scientists say National Institutes of Health officials advised them to remove references to mRNA vaccines in grant applications, and they fear the Trump administration will abandon a promis...

mRNA technology is under study at the NIH for prevention and treatment of infectious diseases, including flu and AIDS, and also cancer. Scientists say they have been asked to remove all references to it from their grant applications. kffhealthnews.org/news/article... 🤷🏿

Barbershop Killing Escalates Trauma for Boston Neighborhood Riven by Gun Violence - KFF Health News American communities plagued by gun violence, including Four Corners in Boston, honor pockets of safety as sacred spaces. A brazen barbershop killing was a new and traumatic violation.

Shootings send ripples of trauma through communities. Exposure to gun killings has been linked to higher levels of depression, suicidal ideation, and other mental health difficulties. Black youth were disproportionately affected.
Via Chaseedaw Giles of @kffhealthnews.org.

Some CT Scans Deliver Too Much Radiation, Researchers Say. Regulators Want To Know More. - KFF Health News Unnecessarily high radiation doses in scans have been linked to cancers. Under new federal rules, doctors and imaging centers have to more closely track and report the doses of radiation that patients...

About 93 million CT scans are performed every year in the U.S., market research shows. Yet there is scant regulation of radiation levels. ☢️ Dosages are erratic, varying widely from one clinic to another, and are too often unnecessarily high, reports @joannekenen.bsky.social for @kffhealthnews.org.

Millions in US Live in Places Where Doctors Don’t Practice and Telehealth Doesn’t Reach - KFF Health News Nearly 3 million Americans live sicker, shorter lives in the hundreds of rural counties where doctor shortages are the worst and poor internet connections mean little or no access to telehealth servic...

Compared with those in other regions, patients across the rural South, Appalachia, and remote West are most often unable to make a video call to their doctor or log into their patient portals. Both are essential ways to participate in the U.S. medical system. kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

Under Trump, Social Security Resumes What It Once Called 'Clawback Cruelty' - KFF Health News Last year, the government stopped cutting off people’s monthly Social Security benefits to claw back overpayments. Last week, under President Donald Trump, it reversed that change.

Last year, the government stopped cutting off people’s monthly Social Security benefits to claw back 💲 overpayments. Last week, under President Donald Trump, it reversed that change. 🤔 kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

CDC Firings Undermine Public Health Work Far Beyond Washington - KFF Health News The Trump administration’s sudden firings have gutted training programs across the nation that bolstered state and local public health departments.

Recently terminated CDC employees helped prevent and respond to outbreaks such as dengue fever and the flu. 🤒

They worked with local officials to test for viruses and ensure that public health labs comply with federal regulations. 🦠

Latest from @rachanadpradhan.bsky.social of KFF Health News.

Law and Order or Bystander Safety? Police Chases Spotlight California’s Competing Priorities - KFF Health News California’s governor is pressuring Oakland to allow more police pursuits as part of a crackdown on crime. But more pursuits mean a greater risk to public health, with more potential injuries and deat...

More police pursuits mean more risks to bystanders. But some officials see little choice.
kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

Updated from West Texas: 146 cases mainly in children, 20 hospitalizations & 1 death.

Some schools have had to close due to sickness. Parents staying home from work, public health departments curbing other programs to handle this. Outbreaks are bad for the economy, too.

Please help welcome KFF Health News reporter @ajzionts.bsky.social to Bluesky!

Be on the lookout for her insightful reporting from South Dakota...like this one posted today about how some states have stopped requiring foreign-trained providers to repeat residencies before they’re fully licensed.

A Runner Was Hit by a Car, Then by a Surprise Ambulance Bill - KFF Health News A San Francisco man had friends drive him to the hospital after he was hit by a car. Doctors checked him out, then sent him by ambulance to a trauma center — which released him with no further treatme...

A man had friends drive him to the hospital after he was hit by a car. 🚗

Doctors checked him out, then sent him by ambulance to a trauma center — which released him with no further treatment.

The ambulance bill? Almost $13,000. 🥴

Via @sandywestreporter.bsky.social for @kffhealthnews.org.

Republicans Once Wanted Government out of Health Care. Trump Voters See It Differently. - KFF Health News Frustrated by high health care prices, many who backed President Donald Trump support strong government actions to protect patients. It’s unclear whether GOP leaders will listen.

Government regulation of health care prices used to be heresy for most Republicans. But polls show many of the voters who sent Donald Trump back to the White House welcome more robust government action to rein in an out-of-control health care system, reports Noam Levy for @kffhealthnews.org