Latest KFF Health News Content

Latest KFF Health News Stories

American In China Experiences Same Symptoms As Diplomats In Cuba Reported After Mysterious Sonic Attack

Morning Briefing

Previously, 24 U.S. personnel in Havana suffered a slew of health problems that resemble those that result from mild brain trauma. U.S. officials still have not determined what happened. Now, an American government employee in China is experiencing similar issues. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said medical teams are headed to China to examine the incident.

Semantics Of New Title X Funding Rule May Come Down To Difference Between Counseling And Referrals

Morning Briefing

While critics call the new restrictions a “gag rule,” HHS says that it is simply stripping away a policy that requires organizations that receive Title X funding to counsel women about abortion and provide them with referrals to abortion services. So which side is right?

The Price Tag To Help Make Health Insurance Affordable For Americans? Nearly $700 Billion A Year

Morning Briefing

In total, the federal subsidies to help Americans pay for coverage under the Affordable Care Act and other government programs are equivalent to about 3.4 percent of the U.S. gross domestic product. Meanwhile, premiums are expected to rise an average of 15 percent next year and an additional three million will be uninsured, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

Legislation Revamping VA Health System, Expanding Private Care For Veterans Sent To President

Morning Briefing

The sweeping measure would allow veterans to see private doctors when they do not receive the treatment they expected. Critics say the measure goes too far toward privatized care, which could undermine the Veterans Affairs Department.

‘Time’s Up’: Covered California Takes Aim At Hospital C-Section Rates

KFF Health News Original

Starting in less than two years, if state hospitals haven’t met targets for safety and quality, they’ll risk being excluded from the “in-network” designation of health plans sold on the state’s insurance exchange.

Don’t Swap Your Sunscreen Lotion For Pills, FDA Warns

Morning Briefing

No matter what companies may claim, ingesting a sunscreen capsule instead of lathering up will put you at risk. In other public health news: the health effects of alcohol and tobacco, coal miner’s disease, superbugs, and air pollution.

Ebola Vaccine Faces Real-Time Effectiveness Test With The World Watching

Morning Briefing

“Today marks a turning point in how we deal with Ebola. We are moving from a strategy of containment to one of offering communities protection and care,” WHO official Peter Salama said of the new vaccine. However, even as scientists celebrate, real challenges stand in the way of success.

As Involuntary Rehab Rates Rise In Midst Of Crisis, Doctors Warn That The Practice Usually Doesn’t Work

Morning Briefing

Lawmakers in some states hit hard by the drug epidemic are trying to create or strengthen laws allowing authorities to force people into treatment, but experts say success stories are rare. In other news on the crisis: a cycle of despair for women who end up in and out of jails for crimes related to their drug addiction; death rates in Massachusetts; a “dangerous batch” of K2 in New York; and more.

Virginia Democrats Walk Back From ‘Nuclear’ Threat As State Senate Delays Medicaid Expansion Debate

Morning Briefing

But a key Republican in the state’s upper chamber said that there is a good possibility the legislation to expand the program will pass. “The question is, in what form?” said Senate Majority Leader Thomas K. Norment Jr.