The independent source for health policy research, polling, and news.
21-40 of 147 results
Nurses are telling lawmakers that there are not enough of them working in hospitals and that it risks patientsā lives. California and Oregon legally limit the number of patients under a nurseās care. Other states trying to do the same were blocked by the hospital industry. Now patientsā relatives are joining the fight.
With U.S. syphilis rates climbing to the worst level in seven decades, public health experts and the federal Indian Health Service are scrambling to detect and treat the disease in Native American communities, where babies are infected at a higher rate than in any other demographic.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is considering fuzzy guidelines on infection control in hospitals, critics say, leaving employers free to cut corners on N95 masks and other protective measures.
³Ō¹Ļ²»“ņģČ and California Healthline staff made the rounds on national and local media this week to discuss their stories. Hereās a collection of their appearances.
Entries for our fifth annual Halloween haiku contest left us terrified. Based on a review by our panel of judges, hereās the winner and runners-up ā plus the original artwork they inspired.
School nurses treat children daily for a wide range of illnesses and injuries, and sometimes serve as a young patientās only health provider. They also function as a point person for critical public health interventions. Yet many states donāt require them, and school districts struggle to hire them.
The proposal would require major hiring at the most sparsely staffed homes. But the proposal is already badly received by the nursing home industry, which claims it canāt boost wages enough to attract workers.
Montana and other states are trying to increase the number of nurses specially trained to treat survivors of sexual assault.
Itās about the money ā on both sides ā as arguments swirl about patient safety, rising prices, and paying back on-the-job training.
Missouri is considering making it a felony to jack up temporary health care staffing prices during a statewide or national emergency. Itās one of at least 14 states looking to reel in travel nurse costs, after many hospitals struggled to pay for needed staffers earlier in the covid pandemic.
The Senateās top health committee focused on the worsening health care workforce shortage during its first hearing Thursday, with Sen. Bernie Sanders, its new chair, boldly promising bipartisan solutions.
KHN shares the cream of the crop of creative valentines about health policy submitted by readers and tweeters. Our favorite is anointed with an original illustration and bragging rights as āthe one.ā
The debt ceiling crisis facing Washington puts Medicare and other popular entitlement programs squarely on the negotiating table this year as newly empowered Republicans demand spending cuts. Meanwhile, as more Americans than ever have health insurance, the nationās health care workforce is straining under the load. Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico, Tami Luhby of CNN, and Victoria Knight of Axios join KHNās chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these topics and more. Plus, for extra credit, the panelists recommend their favorite health policy stories of the week they think you should read, too.
Some rural residents must travel hours for a sexual assault exam. Specialized telehealth services are expanding so they can obtain care closer to home.
KHN gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
Hospitals have depended on travel nurses to fill shifts, especially during covid surges. Now some larger systems, reeling from high contract labor costs, have created staffing units, aiming to lure nurses who want more work flexibility and better pay than staff RNs get.
A Grand Junction program is training and retaining nurse and personal care aides in areas where the aging population is creating a need for them. But challenges remain for these workers.
KHN gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
Workers who lose employer-based health coverage during a strike or lockout will have access to a full-subsidy plan through Covered California.
Dr. Rochelle Walensky, head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has tapped Mary Wakefield to help āresetā the agency after its public failures handling the covid pandemic. Those who know Wakefield say her high standards and problem-solving skills make her a good fit for the job.
Ā© 2026 KFF