Laura Ungar

Laura Ungar was a Midwest editor/correspondent for KFF Health News until April 2021.

The Deep Divide: State Borders Create Medicaid Haves And Have-Nots

State borders can highlight Medicaid’s arbitrary coverage. On the Missouri side of the Mississippi River, low-income people struggle with untreated health issues. But on the Illinois side, people in similar straits can get health care because their state expanded its Medicaid program under the Affordable Care Act.

Back To School 2019: Backpack, Lunchbox And A Drug Test

As schools begin a new year, more districts will test students as young as 11 for illicit drug use even as other drug prevention efforts are scaled back. More than 1 in 3 school districts nationwide give students drug tests.

Starving Seniors: How California’s Aging Are Falling Through The Cracks

One in 12 older Californians struggle to find enough food to eat while the federal program intended to help hasn’t kept pace with the graying population. That’s worse than the national average, with particularly high numbers in the San Jose and Riverside areas.

Dramático aumento de la hepatitis A en todo el país

A la sombra de la epidemia de opioides, el virus de la hepatitis A se está abriendo camino en la población general. Más de la mitad de los estados han tenido, o tienen brotes. Y los fondos para frenarlos son insuficientes.

Hepatitis A Races Across The Country  

In the wake of the opioid crisis, the highly communicable hepatitis A virus is spreading in more than half the states and making its way into the general public. Underfunded health officials are valiantly trying to fight it with vaccines.