All posts by anusha

KFF Health News: In a First, Trump and GOP-Led Congress Prepare To Swell Ranks of U.S. Uninsured

CLARKESVILLE, Ga. — Last September, Alton Fry went to the doctor concerned he had high blood pressure. The trip would result in a prostate cancer diagnosis. So began the stress of trying to pay for tens of thousands of dollars in treatment — without health insurance. ... Read more

KFF Health News: Many Older People Embrace Vaccines. Research Is Proving Them Right.

Kim Beckham, an insurance agent in Victoria, Texas, had seen friends suffer so badly from shingles that she wanted to receive the first approved shingles vaccine as soon as it became available, even if she had to pay for it out-of-pocket. Her doctor and several pharmacies turn... Read more

KFF Health News: Nurse Practitioners Critical in Treating Older Adults as Ranks of Geriatricians Shrink

On Fridays, Stephanie Johnson has a busy schedule, driving her navy-blue Jeep from one patient’s home to the next, seeing eight in all. Pregnant with her second child, she schleps a backpack instead of a traditional black bag to carry a laptop and essential medical supplies —... Read more

KFF Health News: As Cannabis Users Age, Health Risks Appear To Grow

Benjamin Han, a geriatrician and addiction medicine specialist at the University of California-San Diego, tells his students a cautionary tale about a 76-year-old patient who, like many older people, struggled with insomnia. “She had problems falling asleep, and she’d wake... Read more

KFF Health News: Role Reversal – Millions of Kids Are Caregivers for Elders. Why Their Numbers Might Grow.

ST. PAUL, Minn. — High school senior Joshua Yang understands sacrifice. When he was midway through 10th grade, his mom survived a terrible car crash. But her body developed tremors, and she lost mobility. After countless appointments, doctors diagnosed her with Parkinson’s di... Read more

KFF Health News: Trump Administration Retreats From 100% Withholding on Social Security Clawbacks

The Social Security Administration is backing off a plan it announced in March to withhold 100% of many beneficiaries’ monthly payments to claw back money the government had allegedly overpaid them. Instead, the agency will default to withholding 50% of old-age, survivors, a... Read more

KFF Health News: Why Cameras Are Popping Up in Eldercare Facilities

The assisted living facility in Edina, Minnesota, where Jean Peters and her siblings moved their mother in 2011, looked lovely. “But then you start uncovering things,” Peters said. Her mother, Jackie Hourigan, widowed and developing memory problems at 82, too often was sti... Read more