‘True Cost of Aging’ Index Shows Many Seniors Can’t Afford Basic Necessities

‘True Cost of Aging’ Index Shows Many Seniors Can’t Afford Basic Necessities

The Elder Index, developed by researchers at the University of Massachusetts-Boston, shows that nearly 5 million older women living alone, 2 million older men living alone, and more than 2 million older couples have incomes that make them economically insecure. Learn more about the true cost of aging.

Also watch: What Experts Advise for Seniors Living Under the Long Shadow of Covid

‘An Arm and a Leg’: Checking Up on California’s DIY Insulin Project

California put up $100 million to produce its own insulin. Read how this plan came to be and what might stand in the state’s way?

Shattered Dreams and Bills in the Millions: Losing a Baby in America

On top of fearing for their children’s lives, new parents of very fragile, very sick infants can face exorbitant hospital bills — even if they have insurance. Medical bills don’t go away if a child dies. Read how grieving families endure the cruelest bills; an extension of the KHN-NPR Bill of the Month series.

Big Employers Are Offering Abortion Benefits. Will the Information Stay Safe?

Work-based benefits may expand access to abortion for people who live in areas where the service is unavailable, but experts warn that claiming benefits could create a paper trail for law enforcement officials to follow. Read more on how some employers are navigating abortion laws.

Many Preventive Medical Services Cost Patients Nothing. Will a Texas Court Decision Change That?

A federal judge in Texas issued a decision this week that affects the Affordable Care Act. It says one way that preventive services are selected for no-cost coverage is unconstitutional. Here’s what it could mean if preventative services are no longer selected for no-cost coverage.

Embedded Bias: How Medical Records Sow Discrimination

(Photo: Lynne Shallcross / KHN)

Medical records can contain seemingly objective descriptions that are actually full of coded language and subtext. How does the language used to describe patients in their medical records affect care?

Formula May Be Right for Infants, but Experts Warn That Toddlers Don’t Need It

Sales of formulas designed for toddlers increased in recent years, but health experts warn parents that, generally, once children reach their 1st birthday, they are fine with cow or plant milk and don’t need the expensive, high-calorie products. Here's why experts warn that toddler formula fills no nutritional needs beyond what is available in a typical toddler diet.

To Retain Nurses and Other Staffers, Hospitals Are Opening Child Care Centers

More than two years into the pandemic, parents face a child care crisis. Read more on why some hospitals are considering starting child care centers to address recruitment and retention troubles.

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• ‘American Diagnosis’: Two Indigenous Students Share Their Path to Medicine
• Clearing Pollution Helps Clear the Fog of Aging — And May Cut the Risk of Dementia
• Newborns Get Routine Heel Blood Tests, but Should States Keep Those Samples?
• While Inflation Takes a Toll on Seniors, Billions of Dollars in Benefits Go Unused
• Covid Still Kills, but the Demographics of Its Victims Are Shifting
• Death Is Anything but a Dying Business as Private Equity Cashes In
• From Book Stacks to Psychosis and Food Stamps, Librarians Confront a New Workplace?

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