Brett Kelman

Visit kff.org to read Brett's bio.

bkelman@kff.org
@BrettKelman

This Ballad Hospital, Flooded by Hurricane Helene, Will Be Rebuilt for $44M in a Flood Plain

KFF Health News Original

Ballad Health, the nation’s largest state-sanctioned hospital monopoly, plans to rebuild Unicoi County Hospital on land that two climate modeling companies say is at risk of flooding.

At Least 170 US Hospitals Face Major Flood Risk. Experts Say Trump Is Making It Worse.

KFF Health News Original

As a warming climate intensifies storms, KFF Health News has identified more than 170 U.S. hospitals at risk of significant and potentially dangerous flooding. Climate experts warn that the Trump administration’s cuts leave the nation less prepared.

Ballad Health’s Hospital Monopoly Underperformed. Then Tennessee Lowered the Bar.

KFF Health News Original

Ballad Health, a state-sanctioned hospital monopoly in Tennessee and Virginia, can now be deemed a “clear and convincing” benefit to the public with performance that would earn a “D” on most grading scales, according to Tennessee state documents.

Pain Clinic CEO Faced 20 Years for Making Patients ‘Human Pin Cushions.’ He Got 18 Months.

KFF Health News Original

Michael Kestner, CEO of Pain MD, was convicted of 13 fraud felonies after his company gave patients hundreds of thousands of questionable injections at clinics in Tennessee, Virginia, and North Carolina.

Con el fin de las becas de diversidad, jóvenes científicos temen por el futuro de sus carreras

KFF Health News Original

Adelaide Tovar, científica de la Universidad de Michigan que investiga genes relacionados con la diabetes, solía sentirse como una impostora en el laboratorio. Tovar, de 32 años, creció en la pobreza y fue la primera de su familia en graduarse de la secundaria. Durante su primer año en la universidad, se dio cuenta de que […]

Firings at Federal Health Agencies Decimate Offices That Release Public Records

KFF Health News Original

The Department of Health and Human Services’ mass firings included people who fulfill Freedom of Information Act requests for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institutes of Health, and FDA, which result in the release of records about government handling of infectious diseases, medical products, and safety problems in health facilities.

Trump Says He’ll Stop Health Care Fraudsters. Last Time, He Let Them Walk.

KFF Health News Original

In his first term, President Donald Trump granted pardons or clemency to more than 60 convicted fraudsters, including health care executives who defrauded Medicare out of hundreds of millions of dollars, courts and juries found. Now, Trump says cracking down on fraud is a priority.

With Few Dentists and Fluoride Under Siege, Rural America Risks New Surge of Tooth Decay

KFF Health News Original

The anti-fluoride movement has more momentum than ever. In rural counties with few dentists, tooth decay could surge to levels that have not been seen in decades, experts warn.

Con pocos dentistas y el flúor en el banquillo, zonas rurales corren el riesgo de una nueva oleada de caries

KFF Health News Original

Decenas de comunidades han decidido dejar de fluorar su agua en los últimos meses. Eso, sumado a la escasez de dentistas, puede crear una tormenta perfecta para las caries, dicen expertos.

Pain Clinics Made Millions From ‘Unnecessary’ Injections Into ‘Human Pin Cushions’

KFF Health News Original

Pain MD, which once ran as many as 20 clinics across three states, gave chronic-pain patients about 700,000 total injections near their spines, according to court documents. Last year, federal prosecutors proved at trial that the shots were medically unnecessary and part of an extensive fraud scheme.

Six Years Into an Appalachia Hospital Monopoly, Patients Are Fearful and Furious

KFF Health News Original

Ballad Health, with the largest state-sanctioned hospital monopoly in the nation, has failed for years to meet many quality-of-care goals, leaving some patients afraid of their local hospitals but with no other nearby options.

Dentists Are Pulling ‘Healthy’ and Treatable Teeth To Profit From Implants, Experts Warn

KFF Health News Original

Americans are getting dental implants more than ever — and at costs reaching tens of thousands of dollars. Experts worry some dentists have lost sight of the soul of dentistry: preserving and fixing teeth.

Tennessee Tries To Rein In Ballad’s Hospital Monopoly After Years of Problems

KFF Health News Original

Ballad Health, a 20-hospital system with the nation’s largest state-sanctioned hospital monopoly, serves patients in Tennessee, Virginia, Kentucky, and North Carolina.

Tennessee Agrees To Remove Sex Workers With HIV From Sex Offender Registry

KFF Health News Original

For years, Tennessee has required anyone convicted of prostitution while HIV-positive to register as a sex offender for life. In response to DOJ and ACLU discrimination suits, the state has agreed to reverse course.

‘A Bottomless Pit’: How Out-of-Pocket TMJ Costs Drive Patients Into Debt

KFF Health News Original

Millions of Americans suffer from temporomandibular joint, or TMJ, disorders. The high cost and poor insurance coverage of TMJ care can bury patients in debt even as the treatments do more harm than good.