Latest KFF Health News Stories
After Congress Fails to Add Dental Coverage, Medicare Weighs Limited Benefit Expansion
Medicare can pay for some dental care if it is medically necessary to safely treat another covered medical condition, and federal officials have asked for suggestions on whether that list of conditions should be expanded.
Lawsuit by KHN Prompts Government to Release Medicare Advantage Audits
The lawsuit was filed three years ago to learn about vast overcharges by the popular health plans that are detailed in audits the government refused to release to the public.
Will Covid Spike Again This Fall? 6 Tips to Help You Stay Safe
Recent research suggests that the covid virus is mutating to better dodge people’s immune defenses. It could soon evade monoclonal antibodies used to treat covid. KHN examines what public health officials believe is on the horizon and how best to fight the disease.
5 Things to Know About Colorado’s Psychedelics Ballot Initiative
The good, the bad, and the unknown about the Centennial State’s proposal to decriminalize and regulate magic mushrooms and plant-based psychedelics.
You may have seen the ads that promise weight loss and better health — phone apps, rings, and other devices — by giving you data on how your body reacts to food, exercise, and sleep. Is this information enough to help consumers achieve their goals?
KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Finally Fixing the ‘Family Glitch’
The Biden administration has decided to try to fix the so-called “family glitch” in the Affordable Care Act without an act of Congress. The provision has prevented workers’ families from getting subsidized coverage if an employer offer is unaffordable. Meanwhile, Medicare’s open enrollment period begins Oct. 15, and private Medicare Advantage plans are poised to cover more than half of Medicare’s 65 million enrollees. Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico, and Rachel Cohrs of Stat join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these topics and more. Plus, for extra credit, the panelists recommend their favorite health policy stories of the week they think you should read.
La nueva generación de medicamentos para la pérdida de peso es prometedora, pero tiene un precio
Algunos pacientes, según los especialistas en medicina de la obesidad, experimentan una disminución de la presión arterial, un mejor control de la diabetes, menos dolor en las articulaciones y un mejor sueño gracias a estos nuevos tratamientos.
As Giant Hospitals Get Bigger, an Independent Doctor Feels the Pinch
Independent medical practices keep closing as doctors join behemoth hospital groups or leave the field. Research suggests that’s bad news for patients. Studies repeatedly conclude that consolidation in the health care industry is driving up costs while showing no clear evidence of improved care.
‘An Arm and a Leg’: Checking Up on California’s DIY Insulin Project
California put up $100 million to produce its own insulin. How did this plan come to be, and what might stand in the state’s way?
Baby, That Bill Is High: Private Equity ‘Gambit’ Squeezes Excessive ER Charges From Routine Births
Hospitals, boosted by private equity-backed staffing companies, have embraced a new idea: the obstetrics emergency department. Often, it is just a triage room in the labor-and-delivery area, but it bills like the main emergency department.
New Generation of Weight Loss Medications Offer Promise — But at a Price
People now have at their disposal more medicines that are effective at reducing weight, but none can counter obesity alone. One big problem: Insurance coverage remains spotty, and the costly drugs may be needed long term.
Índice de masa corporal: una medida errónea del peso que afecta el tratamiento de la obesidad
Los tratamientos actuales para la obesidad y los trastornos alimentarios, y sus costos, muchas veces se basan en esta medida que no está amparada en la ciencia.
El humo de los incendios forestales perjudica más la salud en lugares donde faltan especialistas
Los miembros de la tribu local y otros residentes de la zona se encuentran entre los millones de personas del país que este año experimentarán una mala calidad del aire debido a los incendios forestale
Votantes, más motivados para ir a las urnas tras prohibición del aborto, revela encuesta
El sondeo también mostró que la mayoría de los votantes, ya sean demócratas o republicanos, no cree que el aborto deba prohibirse en casos de violación o incesto, ni apoyan las leyes que establecen condenas para los proveedores de abortos y las mujeres que abortan.
Abortion Bans Are Motivating Midterm Voters, Poll Shows
A new KFF poll shows Democrats and those living in states where abortion is illegal say the issue has made them more motivated to vote. It also shows that 70% of Republicans oppose total abortion bans.
‘Separate and Unequal’: Critics Say Newsom’s Pricey Medicaid Reforms Leave Most Patients Behind
MLK Community Hospital in South Los Angeles is surrounded by poverty, homeless encampments, and food deserts. Even though California Gov. Gavin Newsom is funneling billions of taxpayer money into an ambitious initiative to provide some low-income patients with social services, hospital executives and other critics say it won’t improve access to basic care.
Climate Change Magnifies Health Impacts of Wildfire Smoke in Care Deserts
Smoke- and ash-filled air can trigger or exacerbate severe respiratory conditions. But the medical specialists who treat these illnesses are often scarce where they are most in need.
BMI: The Mismeasure of Weight and the Mistreatment of Obesity
The human body mass index — a simple mathematical equation — is tied to a measure of obesity invented almost 200 years ago. On the downside, it can stand between patients and treatment for weight issues. It particularly mismeasures Black women and Asians.
Watch: What Experts Advise for Seniors Living Under the Long Shadow of Covid
For older people, the pandemic is as taxing and worrisome as ever. Experts in geriatric care, mental health, social services, and infectious disease joined a KHN-Hartford Foundation panel to talk about a third covid winter and its outsize toll on seniors.
Al planificar tu muerte, ¿considerarías que tu cuerpo se usara como fertilizante?
California se ha convertido en el quinto estado que permite este método de eliminación de cadáveres, conocido comúnmente con el nombre más científico de “reducción orgánica natural”.
