KFF Health News

In rural Colorado and across rural America, Medicaid is a lifeline, especially for people who wouldn’t otherwise have easy access to health care. That includes low-income seniors who need supplemental coverage in addition to Medicare, and people of all ages with disabilities.

More states are passing laws to protect information generated by a person’s brain and nervous system as technology improves the ability to unlock the sensitive details of a person’s health, mental states, emotions, and cognitive functioning.

Policymakers agree patients shouldn't be stuck in the middle when an ambulance service charges more than what an insurer will pay. But they can't settle on what price is fair.

Caregiving experts are warning people about elderspeak, which tends to talk down to older adults and can be controlling and demeaning. Many elders see endearments as insincere and a way to be bossy.

When the catastrophic Los Angeles fires broke out, John Volckens suspected firefighters and residents were breathing toxic air from the burning homes, buildings, and cars, but it was unclear how much risk the public faced.

Colorado was long considered a haven for gender-affirming care. But under this Trump administration, hospitals in the state have limited the treatments available for people under 19. Some services have been restored, but trans youth and their families say the state isn’t the rock they thought it was.

Many rural counties are short on dentists, and if they lose water fluoridation, tooth decay could surge to levels that have not been seen in decades, experts warn.

Dozens of programs around the country that aim to uncover the social and economic factors that contributed to someone ending up in the ER with a bullet wound are nervously watching recent moves by the White House. Some organizers believe their programs will be just fine, but others are looking to shore up alternative funding sources.

A fund created in 2019 has helped save people from opioid overdoses. However, funding for the program is running out.