Latest KFF Health News Stories
How Genetic Tests Muddy Your Odds Of Getting A Long-Term-Care Policy
Federal law bars insurers from using these test results for health coverage, but they can influence whether you get a plan covering long-term care.
Once Its Greatest Foes, Some Doctors Are Now Embracing Single-Payer
Young physicians are pushing the medical establishment to rethink its long-held opposition. The political fallout could be substantial.
Medicaid Expansion Making Diabetes Meds More Accessible To Poor, Study Shows
The number of diabetes drug prescriptions filled for low-income people enrolled in Medicaid rose sharply in states that expanded eligibility for the program under the Affordable Care Act, according to a new study.
La otra crisis de Puerto Rico: más de un millón en riesgo por recortes a Medicaid
La isla, que todavía está recuperándose de las tormentas de 2017, sufrirá un nuevo revés sanitario: fuertes recortes a Medicaid pueden impactar en la atención médica de los más vulnerables.
Expansión de Medicaid facilita el acceso de los más pobres a drogas anti diabetes
El estudio revela que las recetas para drogas contra la diabetes aumentaron un 40% en los estados que expandieron Medicaid bajo ACA. También lo hicieron los diagnósticos.
Opinion writers express views on these health topics and others.
Different Takes: Is ‘Medicare For All’ The New Health Care Debate Or Just An Old One?
Editorial pages focus on the controversy over “Medicare For All” and other health care costs.
Media outlets report on news from California, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Michigan, Connecticut, Georgia and Florida.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who presides over the Texas Senate also came out forcefully against the idea. In other news, media outlets offer a deeper look at the men behind two mass shootings.
Prosecutors had alleged that Prime Healthcare Services unnecessarily admitted Medicare patients who were being treated at the emergency rooms of several hospitals in its system. Medicare pays more for patients who are admitted to hospitals than those who are treated as outpatients.
There are questions about whose bottom-line the new health care initiative founded by Amazon, JPMorgan Chase, and Berkshire Hathaway will benefit despite CEO Dr. Atul Gawande’s reassurances.
In Effort To Increase Transparency, Administration To Require Hospitals To Post Prices Online
Pushing price transparency has been a main goal of the Trump administration’s top health officials. Uncompensated care and Medicare reimbursement rates make the news as well.
Pharma Scores A Victory With New Jersey Supreme Court’s Ruling On Product Liability Litigation
The ruling essentially tightens the rules for what kind of testimony could be used against pharmaceutical companies being sued over allegations that their medications harm patients.
Billionaire Finds Himself At Center Of Contentious Debate Over VA Privatization
Steve Cohen’s organization funded mental health clinics for veterans across the country. The network of facilities has been closely watched by both sides of the debate — to find proof that the private sector can do the job better than the VA or as a way to highlight the dangers of directing taxpayer money to unaccountable private groups.
Ebola Cases Rise In Congo Where War Zone Makes Fighting Deadly Virus An ‘Unprecedented’ Challenge
In a stable region of the country, health officials took months to end the outbreak and now focus on strategies to contain new flare-ups. Meanwhile, the World Health Organization is waiting to find out if the new Ebola outbreak is one for which a vaccination can be used.
Genealogical Sleuthing Sets Scientists On The Trail To Better Understanding Inherited ALS
A small town in Appalachia and a family there could offer clues about the debilitating disease. In other public health news: pregnancy, organ donors, alcohol, soy milk and more.
If Legal Immigrants Used Medicaid They Could Be Denied Green Card Under Proposed Plan From Trump
Under long-standing federal law, a noncitizen can be denied admission or permanent legal status if immigration authorities determine the person is likely to become a “public charge” — that is, someone reliant on government programs. The Trump administration’s proposal would dramatically expand the criteria used to determine whether someone is likely to become a burden.
Lawmakers Turn Up The Heat On Painkiller-Makers In Investigation Of Their Role In Opioid Crisis
The House Energy and Commerce Committee wants Purdue Pharma, Mallinckrodt, and Insys Therapeutics to provide documents about their relationships with doctors and sales reps, among other things. Meanwhile, singer Demi Lovato speaks out about her addiction after being hospitalized for an overdose.
But U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw also directed the ACLU to create a steering committee to work with the federal government in its efforts to locate the parents. Meanwhile, new numbers show that far fewer parents than the government first reported waived the chance to be back together with their children before being deported.
Just Because Extended Short-Term Plans Are Allowed Doesn’t Mean Insurers Are Ready To Offer Them
With such short notice for the upcoming year, experts predict consumers will see more changes in insurers’ plans in 2019 rather than an immediate rush to make sweeping changes.