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Latest KFF Health News Stories

Employers Press Congress To Cement Health Price Transparency Before Trump’s Return

KFF Health News Original

Donald Trump’s first administration advanced rules forcing hospitals and insurers to reveal prices for medical services. Employers don’t want to risk backtracking during Trump’s second administration.

‘Bill of the Month’: The Series That Dissects and Slashes Medical Bills

KFF Health News Original

Since 2018, readers and listeners sent KFF Health News-NPR’s “Bill of the Month” thousands of questionable bills. Our crowdsourced investigation paved the way for landmark legislation and highlighted cost-saving strategies for all patients.

Cómo Estados Unidos perdió el control de la gripe aviar, abriendo las puertas a otra pandemia

KFF Health News Original

Casi un año después del primer brote de gripe aviar en el ganado, el virus no muestra señales de detenerse. El gobierno estadounidense no consiguió eliminar el virus de los tambos cuando estaba confinado a un puñado de estados.

Federal ACA Marketplace Enrollment Lagging

KFF Health News Original

It’s open enrollment season for the Affordable Care Act — and there are ongoing challenges. First up, enrollment. New and returning sign-ups through healthcare.gov — the federal marketplace that serves 31 states — are well below last year’s rate. New enrollments were just over 730,000 in early December, compared with 1.5 million at the same time last year. To give consumers in those states more time to […]

Obamacare Sign-Ups Lag After Trump Election, Legal Challenges

KFF Health News Original

The number of new and returning enrollees using healthcare.gov — the federal marketplace that serves 31 states — is well below last year’s as of early December. Also, a Biden administration push to give “Dreamers” access to Obamacare coverage and subsidies is facing court challenges.

Elección de Trump y desafíos legales retrasan las inscripciones en el Obamacare

KFF Health News Original

Las nuevas inscripciones bajo la Ley de Cuidado de Salud a Bajo Precio (ACA) parecen ser hasta un millón menos que el  número récord del año pasado, especialmente por problemas con el programa que enfrenta la saliente administración Biden.

Democratic Senators Ask Watchdog Agency To Investigate Georgia’s Medicaid Work Rule

KFF Health News Original

A group of Democratic senators asked the Government Accountability Office to examine a Georgia program that requires some Medicaid enrollees to work, study, or volunteer 80 hours a month for coverage. They cited KFF Health News’ reporting, which has documented the program’s high costs and low enrollment.

New Colorado Gun Law Aims To Shore Up Victim Services

KFF Health News Original

A new tax on guns and ammunition in Colorado is set to take effect in the spring. Voters approved the tax, with most of the proceeds going to support services for crime victims and other social programs.

Trump Threat to Immigrant Health Care Tempered by Economic Hopes

KFF Health News Original

Donald Trump’s second term is reigniting mistrust in health services among California immigrants, making it harder for community health workers to get people enrolled in Medi-Cal. Yet the president-elect is also seen as someone who could improve their lives with a better economy, even if that means forgoing health care.

Trump’s Picks for Top Health Jobs Not Just Team of Rivals but ‘Team of Opponents’

KFF Health News Original

The president-elect’s choices to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, as well as agencies such as the National Institutes of Health, FDA, and CDC, hold positions on issues including abortion and vaccination that are often at odds.

Inmigrantes temen por su salud bajo Trump, pero tienen esperanzas en la economía

KFF Health News Original

Los inmigrantes sin papeles han temido durante mucho tiempo que participar en programas gubernamentales los convierta en blanco fácil de las autoridades migratorias, y la elección de Trump ha exacerbado estas preocupaciones, según defensores comunitarios.

Helicopters Rescued Patients in ‘Apocalyptic’ Flood. Other Hospitals Are at Risk, Too.

KFF Health News Original

The helicopter evacuation of 70 people from a Tennessee hospital during Hurricane Helene is considered a success story. The building was destroyed by floodwaters, but no one died. In hindsight, why was it built next to a river?

How Are States Spending Opioid Settlement Cash? We Built a Database of Answers

KFF Health News Original

From addiction treatment to toy robot ambulances, we uncovered how billions in opioid settlement funds were used by state and local governments in 2022 and 2023. Find out where the money went.

Native American Patients Are Sent to Collections for Debts the Government Owes

KFF Health News Original

Federal law says Native Americans aren’t liable for medical bills the Indian Health Service promises to pay. Some are billed anyway as a result of backlogs or mistakes from the agency, financial middlemen, or health systems.

California’s ‘Care Courts’ Are Falling Short

KFF Health News Original

California’s controversial experiment to order mental illness and drug treatment for some of its sickest residents is rolling out statewide, but the latest data shows the new initiative is falling far short of early objectives. The Community Assistance, Recovery and Empowerment Act — known as Care — recently expanded from 11 pilot counties to all […]

Removing a Splinter? Treating a Wart? If a Doctor Does It, It Can Be Billed as Surgery

KFF Health News Original

Minor interventions are increasingly being rebranded and billed as surgery, for profit. This means a neurologist spending 40 minutes with a patient to tease out a diagnosis can be paid less for that time than a dermatologist spending a few seconds squirting a dollop of liquid nitrogen onto the skin.