Daniel Chang

Visit kff.org to read Daniel's bio.

dchang@kff.org
@dchangmiami

FDA Announces Recall of Heart Pumps Linked to Deaths and Injuries

KFF Health News Original

Some pumps used in end-stage heart failure caused a buildup of biological material that blocks blood flow from the device to the heart’s aorta. The FDA’s recall affects nearly 14,000 devices.

Becerra Joins the Fray Over Reproductive Rights

KFF Health News Original

Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra is racking up frequent-flier miles as he hopscotches the country to highlight health issues the White House hopes will become pivotal for voters this year — none more so than reproductive rights.  “No woman today should fear [not having] access to the care that she needs. President Biden […]

Biden Team, UnitedHealth Struggle to Restore Paralyzed Billing Systems After Cyberattack

KFF Health News Original

The cyberattack on a unit of UnitedHealth Group’s Optum division is the worst on the health care industry in U.S. history, hospitals say. Providers struggling to get paid for care say the response by the insurer and the Biden administration has been inadequate.

Opposition to Medicaid Expansion Thaws in an Unexpected Place: The Deep South

KFF Health News Original

For more than a decade, some Southern states have resisted Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act, even though data suggest it could help their residents. Today, the large majority of uninsured Americans who would gain coverage under Medicaid expansion — and who would benefit from affordable access to care — live in non-expansion states […]

Southern Lawmakers Rethink Long-Standing Opposition to Medicaid Expansion

KFF Health News Original

While many Republican state lawmakers remain firmly against Medicaid expansion, some key leaders in holdout states are showing a willingness to reconsider. Public opinion, financial incentives, and widening health care needs make resistance harder.

Patients Facing Death Are Opting for a Lifesaving Heart Device — But at What Risk?

KFF Health News Original

The HeartMate 3 is considered the safest mechanical heart pump of its kind, but a federal database contains more than 4,500 reports in which the medical device may have caused or contributed to a patient’s death.

DeSantis, Newsom to Tangle Over Hot-Button Health Issues

KFF Health News Original

Florida’s Republican presidential hopeful, Ron DeSantis,and Democratic firebrand Gavin Newsom of California square off today in a contest of governors that can best be described as the debate to determine ¿quién es más macho? — who is more manly — about protecting your freedoms.  Both men have led their respective states since 2019, and they’ve […]

La atención de salud, en el centro del debate entre DeSantis y Newsom

KFF Health News Original

El candidato presidencial republicano Ron DeSantis y el gobernador demócrata Gavin Newsom —rivales políticos y representantes de la América roja y azul— se enfrentarán en un debate sin precedentes el 30 de noviembre en Georgia.

Health Care Is Front and Center as DeSantis and Newsom Go Mano a Mano

KFF Health News Original

Florida’s Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and California’s Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom will square off in a first-of-its-kind debate on Nov. 30. KFF Health News compared the political rivals’ health care positions, showing how their policies have helped — or hindered — the health of their states’ residents.

Médicos son reacios a preguntar el estatus migratorio de pacientes, a pesar de nueva ley de Florida

KFF Health News Original

Médicos, enfermeras y expertos en política sanitaria afirman que la ley ataca a personas marginadas que ya tienen dificultades para navegar el sistema de salud y que les disuadirá aún más de buscar ayuda médica.

Doctors Hesitate to Ask About Patients’ Immigration Status Despite New Florida Law

KFF Health News Original

Florida’s new immigration law requires hospitals to ask patients about their immigration status at admission and in emergency rooms, and report that information plus the cost of care for residents without legal status. Doctors and nurses who oppose the policy seem reluctant to criticize lawmakers for fear of political retribution.

Medical Exiles: Families Flee States Amid Crackdown on Transgender Care

KFF Health News Original

As more states restrict gender-affirming care for transgender people, some are relocating to more welcoming destinations, such as California, Illinois, Maryland, and Nevada, where they don’t have to worry about being locked out of medical care.

Fraudsters Are Duping Homeless People Into Signing Up for ACA Plans They Can’t Afford

KFF Health News Original

Homeless people are being fraudulently enrolled in health plans on the Affordable Care Act’s marketplace, induced with cash payments from insurance agents and brokers. Those who sign up for an ACA plan are disqualified from other forms of free and low-cost care and risk disruption in treatment.

How a 2019 Florida Law Catalyzed a Hospital-Building Boom

KFF Health News Original

In Wesley Chapel, Fla., near Tampa, residents will soon have three general hospitals within a five-minute drive. The new construction is part of a hospital-building boom across Florida unleashed almost four years ago, when the state dropped a requirement that companies obtain government approval to open new hospitals.

US Officials Want to End the HIV Epidemic by 2030. Many Stakeholders Think They Won’t.

KFF Health News Original

The federal government’s ambitious plan to end the HIV epidemic, launched in 2019, has generated new ways to reach at-risk populations in targeted communities across the South. But health officials, advocates, and people living with HIV worry significant headwinds will keep the program from reaching its goals.