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Susan Jaffe

@susanjaffe.bsky.social
614 followers 19 following 60 posts

KFF Health News Contributing Writer on health policy & aging (esp. Medicare), The Lancet's DC Correspondent, The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer's former aging issues columnist/reporter. Recent stories: www.susanjaffe.org. Send tips, reax to Jaffe.KHN@gmail.com.

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Susan Jaffe @susanjaffe.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
My latest for The New York Times: Since the first Trump administration gave insurers huge leeway to offer extra benefits not covered by traditional Medicare, officials have signaled things have gone a little too far. They are fine-tuning some restrictions. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/08/b...
nytimes.com
Costco, Kayaks and Netflix: Medicare Advantage’s Perks Get Scrutiny (Gift Article)
Officials said no to health plans that wanted to expand extra benefits to cover medical marijuana, streaming services and shopping clubs. More changes are coming in 2027.
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Susan Jaffe @susanjaffe.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
NPR.org WNYC.org WBGOjazz.bsky.social contributor jonkalish.bsky.social looks back on his coverage of the #BernhardGoetz trial with archival audio for thecity.nyc www.thecityreporter.nyc/2026/07/11/b...
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Susan Jaffe @susanjaffe.bsky.social · 23/05/2026
My latest for @TheLancet (free registration req'd) Are Trump's drug pricing policies saving anyone money? thelancet.com/journals/lance…
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Susan Jaffe @susanjaffe.bsky.social · 16/04/2026
my latest Medicare story... www.nytimes.com/2026/04/16/b...
nytimes.com
Help for Medicare Advantage Patients Who Lose Doctors Is Shelved, for Now
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Susan Jaffe @susanjaffe.bsky.social · 20/02/2026
Congress rejected the Trump Administration's request for huge cuts to the CDC and NIH budgets. But will the Administration spend funds it didn't want as Congress intended? New guard rails were added to ensure that happens. Are they enough? via @thelancet.com www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
thelancet.com
Congress compels the Trump Administration to spend science and health funding
Proposals for huge cuts to NIH and CDC budgets have been rejected, to the relief of scientists. Susan Jaffe reports from Washington, DC.
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Susan Jaffe @susanjaffe.bsky.social · 27/01/2026
In Los Angeles, there are more than 70 #medicareadvantage plans to choose from. So why did the UCLA Health system create two more? My latest for @kffhealthnews.org. kffhealthnews.org/news/article...
kffhealthnews.org
Sick of Fighting Insurers, Hospitals Offer Their Own Medicare Advantage Plans - KFF Health News
Breakups between insurers and health systems, on top of plan cuts, left more than 3.7 million Medicare Advantage enrollees facing a tough choice last year: find new insurance or new doctors. But hospi...
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Susan Jaffe @susanjaffe.bsky.social · 18/01/2026
Should #nursinghomes have nurses 24/7? This and other policy changes from @paula_span www.nytimes.com/2026/01/17/health/n…
nytimes.com
3 Policy Moves Likely to Change Health Care for Older People
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Susan Jaffe @susanjaffe.bsky.social · 18/01/2026
The Washington Post: How RFK Jr. plans to bankrupt vaccine manufacturers wapo.st/4pLaDWs
wapo.st
Opinion | How RFK Jr. plans to bankrupt vaccine manufacturers
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. wants to flood the vaccine injury compensation program to hurt vaccine access in the U.S.
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Susan Jaffe @susanjaffe.bsky.social · 25/11/2025
Rules intended to make sure private #MedicareAdvantage plans have enough doctors are almost never enforced, reports @kffhealthnews.org @susanjaffe.bsky.social. kffhealthnews.org/news/article/medi…
kffhealthnews.org
Complaints About Gaps in Medicare Advantage Networks Are Common. Federal Enforcement Is Rare. - KFF Health News
Health systems drop out of Medicare Advantage plans all the time. Yet government documents obtained by KFF Health News show that federal regulators rarely warn plans that their networks of health prov...
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Susan Jaffe @susanjaffe.bsky.social · 20/11/2025
What you don't know about #MedicareAdvantage: Officials rarely check if the plans have enough providers. Out of thousands of Advantage plans, government documents obtained by @kffhealthnews.org show only SEVEN violated provider network requirements. Yes, really. kffhealthnews.org/news/article...
kffhealthnews.org
Complaints About Gaps in Medicare Advantage Networks Are Common. Federal Enforcement Is Rare. - KFF Health News
Health systems drop out of Medicare Advantage plans all the time. Yet government documents obtained by KFF Health News show that federal regulators rarely warn plans that their networks of health prov...
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Susan Jaffe @susanjaffe.bsky.social · 20/11/2025
Little-known federal requirements are supposed to protect people with privately run #MedicareAdvantage coverage when contract disputes lead their health care providers and insurers to part ways. via @kffhealthnews.org @susanjaffe.bsky.social kffhealthnews.org/news/article...
kffhealthnews.org
Complaints About Gaps in Medicare Advantage Networks Are Common. Federal Enforcement Is Rare. - KFF Health News
Health systems drop out of Medicare Advantage plans all the time. Yet government documents obtained by KFF Health News show that federal regulators rarely warn plans that their networks of health prov...
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Susan Jaffe @susanjaffe.bsky.social · 11/10/2025
BREAKING NEWS: CDC employees terminated in apparent Friday night massacre. open.substack.com/pub/insideme...
open.substack.com
BREAKING NEWS: CDC employees terminated in apparent Friday night massacre.
The Trump administration is using the shutdown to further weaken the our national public health infrastructure.
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Susan Jaffe @susanjaffe.bsky.social · 22/09/2025
x.com/susanjaffe/status/19702136535…
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Susan Jaffe @susanjaffe.bsky.social · 12/09/2025
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention implosion was months in the making, senior officials tell @thelancet.com after they resigned in protest following the dismissal of CDC Director Susan Monarez. tinyurl.com/329beyzz
tinyurl.com
CDC is “in the ICU right now” former officials say
Senior officials say HHS Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr is eviscerating the CDC. Washington Correspondent Susan Jaffe reports.
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Susan Jaffe @susanjaffe.bsky.social · 27/08/2025
Especially for older adults w severe hearing loss: "These glasses translate speech to text in real time and project captions of conversations to the wearer's field of view," writes @jonkalish. www.pcmag.com/articles/wife-profoun…
pcmag.com
My Wife Has Profound Hearing Loss. What She Likes About Smart Captioning Glasses and Where They Can Improve
Xander Captioning Glasses are 'a miraculous breakthrough,' my wife concluded after a brief road test. But there are a few things to know before forking over $5,000 for a pair of your own.
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Susan Jaffe @susanjaffe.bsky.social · 23/08/2025
"I live in #Brooklyn, where real estate is pricey even for the dead," writes @paula_span. www.nytimes.com/2025/08/23/health/g…
nytimes.com
When I Go, I’m Going Green
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Susan Jaffe @susanjaffe.bsky.social · 12/08/2025
"There are already huge numbers of vacancies for #nursinghome workers... If the immigrants who are now filling those jobs [leave], they just won't be filled," @huntercollege.bsky.social's Dr. David Himmelstein tells @newshour.bsky.social
pbs.org
How Trump's immigration policies are affecting caregivers and nursing homes
More than one million immigrants work in healthcare and make up an increasing share of caregivers for elderly and disabled Americans. That includes not only medical professionals, but also workers who...
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Susan Jaffe @susanjaffe.bsky.social · 08/08/2025
Minors’ Ability to Consent to Contraception and Abortion Services www.kff.org/1d6f093/
kff.org
Minors’ Ability to Consent to Contraception and Abortion Services | KFF
This brief examines state consent requirements for minors accessing contraceptive and abortion care, processes for minors to attempt to obtain abortion without parental involvement, and trends in stat...
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Susan Jaffe @susanjaffe.bsky.social · 25/07/2025
"This seismic shift in the US health-care system was opposed by nearly every major health-care provider and industry organisation." #OBBBA @thelancet.com www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
thelancet.com
Millions to lose Medicaid coverage under new law
President Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act makes the largest cuts to Medicaid since its creation, with doctors warning that patients will suffer. Susan Jaffe reports.
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Susan Jaffe @susanjaffe.bsky.social · 17/07/2025
background in aging issues not required, fellowship includes travel expenses to GSA annual meeting in Boston and a writing stipend  www.geron.org/Resources/Jo... @lizseegert.bsky.social @paulkleyman.bsky.social
geron.org
Journalists in Aging Fellows Program
The Journalists in Aging Fellows Program invites U.S. journalists covering aging issues to apply for its 2025 cohort. Supported by various foundations, the program offers training, networking, and res...
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Susan Jaffe @susanjaffe.bsky.social · 16/07/2025
Micaela Camozzi writes: "I Was Laid Off from CDC...." "As a probationary worker, I have also remained on indefinite leave and ironically received a cash performance award even though the alleged basis of my termination was poor performance." www.milbank.org/2025/07/i-wa...
milbank.org
I Was Laid Off from CDC. Here’s Why We Need to Bolster State and Local Supports to Protect Public Health  | Milbank Memorial Fund
I moved to Atlanta in August 2024 to begin my dream job at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). After making it to the semi-finalist
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Susan Jaffe @susanjaffe.bsky.social · 10/07/2025
Nine top US pharmacy groups urge health insurance companies to continue covering #vaccines at little or no cost to patients, regardless of changes to the #CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (#ACIP) news.ashp.org/news/ashp-ne...
news.ashp.org
ASHP, Pharmacy Organizations Urge Insurers to Maintain Vaccine Coverage-ASHP
This week, ASHP, along with the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, the American Association of Psychiatric Pharmacists, the American College of Clinical Pharmacy, the Hematology/Oncology Ph...
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Susan Jaffe @susanjaffe.bsky.social · 26/06/2025
'You Lied': Physician Lawmaker Confronts RFK Jr. About ACIP Firings via @medpagetoday.bsky.social www.medpagetoday.com/publichealth...
medpagetoday.com
'You Lied': Physician Lawmaker Confronts RFK Jr. About ACIP Firings
Kennedy will be responsible for 'every death' from vaccine-preventable illness, pediatrician said
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Susan Jaffe @susanjaffe.bsky.social · 26/06/2025
Health insurers promised @HHSgov this week they'll streamline prior authorization, reducing delays and red tape. Does that mean #medicareadvantage and employer-sponsored plans will increase spending on medical care? Not likely, financial analysts tell Modern Healthcare. tinyurl.com/4uawpm52
tinyurl.com
Prior authorization pledge seen as negligible to insurer finances
Modern Healthcare – Tuesday, June 24, 2025 By Nona Tepper The health insurance industry’s promise to cut red tape for providers and patients isn’t likely to cost them very much, […]
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Susan Jaffe @susanjaffe.bsky.social · 26/06/2025
Need a good reason to get the shingles vaccine? #PaulaSSpan has one that may surprise you. www.nytimes.com/2025/06/14/h...
nytimes.com
Many Older People Embrace Vaccines. Research Is Proving Them Right.
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Susan Jaffe @susanjaffe.bsky.social · 12/06/2025
Deadline 7/18 for full-time & freelance reporters to apply for @geronsociety.bsky.social fellowship includes $1,500 stipend + expenses to attend Boston conference. Info, projects & past recipients (includg moi!) at tinyurl.com/yc5c33jn #AgingIssues background not required @lizseegert.bsky.social
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Susan Jaffe @susanjaffe.bsky.social · 09/06/2025
www.geron.org/Resources/Journalists…
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Susan Jaffe @susanjaffe.bsky.social · 08/06/2025
From today's @AmerMedicalAssn meeting: "I'm terrified for my patients," says #OBGYN @AllieConry re: elimination of abortions from required emergency medical care (#EMTALA). "People will die because of this..." ‪@joycefr.bsky.social‬ & @medpagetoday.bsky.social‬ www.medpagetoday.com/meetingcover...
medpagetoday.com
AMA Urged to Speak Out Against EMTALA Guidelines Withdrawal
'People will die because of this, and our AMA needs to be on the right side'
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Susan Jaffe @susanjaffe.bsky.social · 26/05/2025
"...Since the legislation’s inception five years ago, more than $72 million has been infused into the local community media ecosystem." #LocalNews #independentjournalism www.journalism.cuny.edu/2025/05/nyc…
journalism.cuny.edu
NYC Policy Directs $72 Million to Community Media Over Five Years, New Report Finds - Newmark J-School
A new report spotlights the transformative impact of New York City’s groundbreaking legislation supporting community media outlets.
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Reposted by Susan Jaffe
Alt CDC (they/them) @altcdc.altgov.info · 16/05/2025
Medicaid work requirements don’t hold corporations accountable—they punish low-wage workers. It’s upside-down policy. ❌ They stigmatize people trying to survive ✔️ While protecting corporate bottom lines Let’s call it what it is: corporate welfare, plain and simple.
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Susan Jaffe @susanjaffe.bsky.social · 09/05/2025
If the Trump Administration imposes tariffs on #imported #drugs and/or their active ingredients, can companies here produce enough products to meet the demand? How long would it take to boost production? via @thelancet.bsky.social www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
thelancet.com
Trump works towards US tariffs on drug imports
Observers warn of the negative health consequences if US President Donald Trump follows through on his promise to impose tariffs on pharmaceuticals. Susan Jaffe reports.
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Susan Jaffe @susanjaffe.bsky.social · 25/04/2025
@thelancet.bsky.social editorial April 25, 2025: “The pursuit of rigorous medical science is not compatible with capitulation to government demands aimed at weaponising and eroding science.” www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
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Susan Jaffe @susanjaffe.bsky.social · 10/04/2025
Daughters of an 82-year-old woman w/memory problems put a camera in their mother's assisted living apartment. It told them what their mother couldn't, writes @paula_span. www.nytimes.com/2025/04/07/h...
nytimes.com
Why Cameras Are Popping Up in Eldercare Facilities (Gift Article)
Roughly 20 states now have laws permitting families to place cameras in the rooms of loved ones. Facility operators are often opposed.
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Susan Jaffe @susanjaffe.bsky.social · 10/04/2025
www.citizensforethics.org/legal-action... @crew.bsky.social
citizensforethics.org
CREW sues to challenge destruction of CDC FOIA office - CREW | Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington
The closure of the CDC's entire FOIA office violates both FOIA and the Administrative Procedure Act and the CDC must be compelled to follow the law.
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Susan Jaffe @susanjaffe.bsky.social · 03/04/2025
Disability Advocates Sue Social Security Administration and DOGE to Stop Unlawful Cuts to Social Security Services justiceinaging.org/ssa-doge-law...
justiceinaging.org
Disability Advocates Sue Social Security Administration and DOGE to Stop Unlawful Cuts to Social Security Services - Justice in Aging
The lawsuit alleges that recent mass staffing reductions, policies requiring individuals to seek services in person at field offices, and the elimination of critical offices within the SSA unlawfully ...
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Susan Jaffe @susanjaffe.bsky.social · 27/03/2025
Your risk of #AlzheimersDisease might be LESS than you think, writes @paula_span for @nytimes.com. www.nytimes.com/2025/03/22/h...
nytimes.com
Dementia May Not Always Be the Threat It Is Now. Here’s Why. (Gift Article)
The number of cases will increase, but the rates seem to be declining with every birth cohort that reaches advanced ages, researchers said.
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Susan Jaffe @susanjaffe.bsky.social · 21/03/2025
NIH researchers develop eye drops that slow vision loss in animals www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releas…
nih.gov
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Susan Jaffe @susanjaffe.bsky.social · 21/03/2025
www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releas…
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Susan Jaffe @susanjaffe.bsky.social · 04/03/2025
Latest @kff.org poll: "A majority of the public expect [dissolving #USAID] will lead to increased humanitarian and health crises globally." www.kff.org/c2cafa9/
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Susan Jaffe @susanjaffe.bsky.social · 27/02/2025
Rose Girone, Oldest Holocaust Survivor, Dies at 113 "Her secret to longevity was simple, she would say: dark chocolate and good children." www.nytimes.com/2025/02/27/us/rose-…
nytimes.com
Rose Girone, Oldest Holocaust Survivor, Dies at 113 (Gift Article)
She fled Nazi Germany in 1939 with her husband and baby only to be forced into a Jewish ghetto in Shanghai. Still, she would often say, “Aren’t we lucky?”
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Susan Jaffe @susanjaffe.bsky.social · 25/02/2025
"On Monday, when President Emmanuel Macron of France met with Mr. Trump at the White House, the French press corps decided that a Paris-based reporter from @apnews.com would ask their first question during the planned joint news conference." www.nytimes.com/2025/02/24/u...
nytimes.com
Judge Declines to Intervene in AP Lawsuit Over Trump Access (Gift Article)
The wire service had sued Trump administration officials after they restricted reporters from press events citing The A.P.’s references to the Gulf of Mexico in articles.
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Susan Jaffe @susanjaffe.bsky.social · 15/02/2025
Look up #NIH funding cuts in your state www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/02…
nytimes.com
How Trump’s Medical Research Cuts Would Hit Colleges and Hospitals in Every State
Changes to a key funding formula will reduce research grants at hospitals and universities by billions — and may discourage future research.
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Susan Jaffe @susanjaffe.bsky.social · 05/02/2025
Fake shops where #dementia patients can "buy" real cups of coffee or a warm scarf. @nytimes.com's #PaulaSpan explores the pros and cons. www.nytimes.com/2025/02/01/h...
nytimes.com
These Settings Aren’t Real. But for Dementia Patients, What Is?
Fake nurseries and town squares seem to comfort patients. But some experts wonder whether they are patronizing, even infantilizing.
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Susan Jaffe @susanjaffe.bsky.social · 02/02/2025
US spells out life-saving HIV treatment that can continue during aid pause @reuters.com www.reuters.com/business/hea...
reuters.com
US spells out life-saving HIV treatment that can continue during aid pause
The U.S. State Department said on Saturday that the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) — the world's leading HIV initiative - was covered by a waiver for life-saving humanitarian assistance during a 90-day pause in foreign aid.
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Susan Jaffe @susanjaffe.bsky.social · 01/02/2025
Stymied by a federal health communications pause, journalists worry about what comes next www.poynter.org/reporting-ed...
poynter.org
Stymied by a federal health communications pause, journalists worry about what comes next - Poynter
The pause has potentially left the public in the dark about updates to scientific research and public health issues like flu outbreaks
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Susan Jaffe @susanjaffe.bsky.social · 29/01/2025
#RFK, 71, tells @senatefinance.bsky.social he has #MedicareAdvantage and is "happy with it"
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Reposted by Susan Jaffe
Marisa Kabas @marisakabas.bsky.social · 28/01/2025
“There’s still this idea that news is only ‘real’ once it’s confirmed by big corporate outlets. After all, could one woman with absolutely zero institutional backing in leggings and a sweatshirt in her NYC apartment really be the one to break such an important story? Now we know the answer is yes.”
thehandbasket.co
Breaking: The Handbasket is first to report catastrophic OMB funding memo
Posted on Bluesky earlier this evening, other major outlets have since confirmed.
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Susan Jaffe @susanjaffe.bsky.social · 24/01/2025
#HHS says: “This is a short pause to allow the new team to set up a process for review and prioritization. There are exceptions for announcements that HHS divisions believe are mission critical, but they will be made on a case-by-case basis.” wapo.st/4hw4SZ4
wapo.st
Health researchers alarmed as Trump administration pauses travel, communications
The halt has frozen research grants, meetings and key health updates. “Everything is basically in chaos,” said one cancer researcher.
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Susan Jaffe @susanjaffe.bsky.social · 09/01/2025
Critics say "U.S. #foreignaid [for #healthcare] favors...mainly U.S.-based private companies [with] scant knowledge of local conditions & little collaboration with local groups," reports @NewsHour. #USAID www.pbs.org/newshour/show/is-u-s-fo…
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Susan Jaffe @susanjaffe.bsky.social · 30/12/2024
Before making New Year's resolutions, get some wise advice from 102-year-old Hilda Jaffe (no relation) and other older adults in this inspiring conversation hosted by @kffhealthnews.bsky.social columnist @judygraham.bsky.social www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fu6l...
youtube.com
Going It Alone: A Conversation About Growing Old in America
YouTube video by KFF Health News
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