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Latest KFF Health News Stories

Ticked Off Over Preauthorization: Walk-In Patient Avoided Lyme Disease but Not a Surprise Bill

KFF Health News Original

A Maine woman sought care at a clinic for a tick bite, then paid full price after her insurer denied coverage. Its reason? She didn’t have preapproval for the walk-in visit, even though testing later detected the pathogen that causes Lyme disease.

El ICE puede estar en el hospital con un paciente bajo custodia. Pero los detenidos tienen derechos

KFF Health News Original

Expertos legales explican que los agentes del ICE pueden estar en áreas públicas de un hospital y pueden acompañar a pacientes que ya están detenidos mientras reciben atención médica, lo que refleja el alcance de la autoridad federal.

FDA’s Plan To Boost Biosimilar Drugs Could Stall at the Patent Office

KFF Health News Original

Drug industry officials and analysts praised the FDA’s plans to streamline regulation of “biosimilars,” which are cheaper alternatives to biologic drugs. But patents that block such drugs from the U.S. market are getting harder to fight.

Once a Patient’s in Custody, ICE Can Be at Hospital Bedsides — But Detainees Have Rights

KFF Health News Original

Federal law allows Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to guard detainees at health care facilities, but patients can ask to speak privately with medical providers and lawyers.

Listen: New Federal Guidelines Could Weaken Consumer Protections Against Medical Debt

KFF Health News Original

The Trump administration has taken another step to weaken protections for Americans with medical debt, issuing rules that undercut state efforts to keep these debts off consumers’ credit reports.

Conflicting Advice on Covid Shots Likely To Ding Already Low Vaccine Rates, Experts Warn

KFF Health News Original

About 1 in 4 American adults got a covid vaccine shot during the 2024-25 virus season, a fraction health care experts warn could be smaller this year as millions wrestle with conflicting advice from the government and trusted medical organizations about the value of a shot.

ICE Crackdown Heightens Barriers for Immigrant Domestic Violence Victims

KFF Health News Original

Immigrant victims of domestic violence have long encountered hurdles when seeking help from police and courts. The Trump administration’s immigration crackdown has made victims without legal status even more afraid to report abuse, advocacy groups say.

‘They Don’t Return Home’: Cities Across US Fail To Curb Traffic Deaths

KFF Health News Original

Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Houston reported more traffic fatalities than homicides last year. Despite local, state, and federal safety initiatives, such as Vision Zero, traffic deaths across the U.S. are higher than they were a decade ago.

Health Care Costs Jump to the Fore as Candidates Jockey To Be California Governor

KFF Health News Original

During a California gubernatorial debate, candidates promised to protect people’s access to health care and fight back against Trump administration cuts. With the contest a year away, polling shows voters want the next governor to minimize out-of-pocket health care costs, increase mental health care, and expand caregiving services.

Shutdown Has Highlighted Washington’s Retreat From Big Ideas on Health Care

KFF Health News Original

As voters feel financial pressure from runaway health care costs and crave innovations that would provide relief, the standoff in Congress has been firmly rooted in the status quo — keeping an existing provision of the Affordable Care Act alive.

As Health Companies Get Bigger, So Do the Bills. It’s Unclear if Trump’s Team Will Intervene.

KFF Health News Original

As health systems, doctor groups, and insurers merge into ever-bigger giants, patient care gets more expensive. Yet the Trump administration has sent mixed signals about its willingness to intervene — and shown some disdain for Biden officials’ more aggressive approach.