Latest KFF Health News Content

Latest KFF Health News Stories

Surprise Attack On Farm Bill May Have Tanked Efforts To Set Work Requirements For Food Stamps

Morning Briefing

Conservative Republicans in the House refused to support the farm bill unless they got a separate vote on immigration legislation, disappointing Speaker Paul Ryan, who couldn’t get Democratic votes on the bill because it would have added the work requirements.

HHS Chief Seeks To Rally Support For Trump’s Lackluster Drug Price Plan

Morning Briefing

Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar is trying to show that the president is not turning back from campaign promises to take on the drug industry, even though the plan no longer includes ideas such as negotiating prices for Medicare drugs or allowing the importation of drugs from other countries.

Trump Administration Moves To Withdraw Funding From Clinics That Provide Abortions

Morning Briefing

The Trump administration’s proposal meets a key conservative goal: to withhold some federal funding for Planned Parenthood. The proposed rules now under review would require facilities receiving Title X grants to be physically separate from those that perform abortion; would eliminate the requirement that women with unintended pregnancies be counseled on a full range of reproductive options; and would ban abortion referrals.

When Is Insurance Not Really Insurance? When You Need Pricey Dental Care.

KFF Health News Original

Even under a decent plan, you’ll have to dig deep in your pocket for crowns, bridges and implants. The mouth isn’t covered by insurance the same way as the rest of the body, and this division has deep roots in history and tradition.

Trump Proposes Cutting Planned Parenthood Funds. What Does That Mean?

KFF Health News Original

The Trump administration is pulling out an old regulation that it believes will be able to meet a key conservative goal: withholding some federal funding for Planned Parenthood in the government’s family planning program.

Trump Nominates Acting VA Secretary To Lead Troubled Agency

Morning Briefing

President Donald Trump surprised Robert Wilkie Friday with the Veterans Affairs nomination announcement. “The president’s gift underscores his promise to do all that he can for veterans, which includes supporting those who care for our veterans,” Wilkie said at the briefing.

The Big Risks And Rewards Of Artificial Intelligence Playing A Role In Doctors’ Visits

Morning Briefing

The technology could improve care and revolutionize burdensome record-keeping practices, but it also carries thorny questions about who owns the data and how it’s used. In other public health news: strokes, emergency contacts, suicide, labor, acupuncture, cancer, the E. coli outbreak, and more.

New Allegations Emerge Against University of Southern California’s Longtime Campus Gynecologist

Morning Briefing

For years, medical workers had accused the Dr. George Tyndall of touching women inappropriately during pelvic exams, as well as making racist and sexual remarks about patients’ bodies. The University of Southern California has come under fire for not immediately reporting him to the state medical board and for not making the allegations about him public until only after the university was approached by The Los Angeles Times.

Most Americans Think The Opioid Epidemic Is A Problem — Just Not One That’s In Their Backyard

Morning Briefing

Less than a quarter of the people surveyed feel it’s an emergency in their community, U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams said. In other news on the crisis: the FDA criticizes a big data provider over a mistake concerning the amount of fentanyl prescribed over the past year; Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) wants information on steps a drugmaker has taken to mitigate the opioid epidemic; a House panel advances a package of bills dealing with the epidemic; and more.

$10B Deal To Overhaul VA’s Digital Health Records Signed Despite Warnings It Could Prove To Be Boondoggle

Morning Briefing

Acting VA Secretary Robert Wilkie said in a statement that the 10-year deal would make much-needed improvements that “will modernize the VA’s health care IT system and help provide seamless care.” Critics say that the contract is not written in a way that guarantees success for VA patients.