Latest KFF Health News Stories
Texas Is Latest State To Attack Surprise Medical Bills
A new state law says hospitals and insurers will have to work it out among themselves when they can’t agree on a price — instead of sending huge bills to patients. “Bill of the Month” patient Drew Calver galvanized attention on the issue after he told his story to KHN, NPR and “CBS This Morning.”
Readers And Tweeters: No Rush To Judge Patients Who Leave The ER Without OK
Kaiser Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
Lawmakers Push To Stop Surprise ER Billing
Millions of Californians are vulnerable to hefty surprise medical bills from their trips to the emergency room. Now, state lawmakers are considering a measure to cap how much out-of-network hospitals can charge privately insured patients for emergency care, which could serve as a model for other states.
Escalada de violencia contra trabajadores de salud conmociona a los hospitales
Presionan a centros de salud a tomar más medidas de seguridad para prevenir una forma de violencia que ha sido considerada por largo tiempo como “parte del trabajo”.
Escalating Workplace Violence Rocks Hospitals
Incidents of serious workplace violence are four times more common in health care than in private industry, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
Hartos de esperar: pacientes abandonan las salas de emergencia sin recibir tratamiento
Los pacientes que dejan la sala de emergencias demasiado pronto “se exponen a un mayor riesgo de morbilidad e incluso de mortalidad”, dicen médicos.
As ER Wait Times Grow, More Patients Leave Against Medical Advice
Crowded emergency rooms are likely to blame. In 2017, the median ER wait time for patients before admission as inpatients to California hospitals was 336 minutes — or more than 5½ hours.
Listen: Trump’s Plan To End ‘Unpleasant Surprise’ Bills
President Donald Trump called for an end to the “unpleasant surprise” of certain medical bills on Thursday. NPR reporter Selena Simmons-Duffin covered the White House announcement, which featured two patients from the KHN-NPR “Bill of the Month” series.
She Was Dancing On The Roof And Talking Gibberish. A Special Kind Of ER Helped Her.
With mental health beds in short supply, emergency rooms increasingly have become the care of first and last resort for people in the grips of a psychiatric episode. Now, hospitals around the country are opening emergency units that calmly cater to patients with mental health needs.
Texas Lawmakers Take Aim At Surprise Medical Bills
A proposed state law with bipartisan, bicameral support is on the move in Texas. It would force hospitals and insurers to settle surprise bills — instead of relying on patients to start the mediation process. The KHN/NPR “Bill of the Month” series is a catalyst for the effort.
¡Miau-ch! Le cobran $48,152 por una droga contra la rabia
Una bióloga de Florida, amante de los animales, quiso alimentar a un gato callejero. Lo que siguió fue una pesadilla de gastos médicos inesperados.
An animal lover stopped to feed a hungry-looking stray cat outside Everglades National Park in Florida. First, the cat bit her finger — then the hospital billed her close to $50,000 for a treatment that typically costs about $3,000.
Discharged, Dismissed: ERs Often Miss Chance To Set Overdose Survivors On ‘Better Path’
Only a small percentage of people who survived an opioid overdose received in the next year some form of drug abuse treatment, according to an analysis of West Virginia Medicaid claims data. Experts say the findings underscore a national disconnect.
Texans Can Appeal Surprise Medical Bills, But The Process Can Be Draining
In Texas, many people have a right to mediation of medical bills. But the concept can be off-putting, and patients often think they need a lawyer, which isn’t the case.
La locura de los scooters en Austin pone a la velocidad como principal preocupación
Hay 14,000 patinetas eléctricas en la ciudad de Texas, en donde se han registrado múltiples accidentes, tanto de conductores como de peatones.
Scooter Madness In Austin Puts Safety Concerns In High Gear
As Austin and other cities across the USA deal with the invasion of e-scooters, injuries mount — along with calls for regulations. The findings from a CDC study may shed light on solutions.
Ideas To Curb Surprise Medical Bills Percolate With Rare Bipartisan Push
The recent declaration by President Donald Trump that taming unexpected medical bills would be a top priority for his administration echoed through the halls of Congress.
Resurge la metanfetamina, pero no hay drogas para combatir la adicción
Según los CDC, la tasa de muertes por sobredosis relacionadas con este estimulante se triplicó con creces entre 2011 y 2016.
Meth’s Resurgence Spotlights Lack Of Meds To Combat The Addiction
While headlines continue to focus on the nation’s opioid crisis, a growing toll of overdoses and deaths related to methamphetamine use suggests this drug is making an under-the-radar comeback.
En emergencias, paramédicos confrontan el prejuicio racial
El sesgo inconsciente puede ser sutil, pero, como muestra el informe, puede ser uno de los factores detrás de las disparidades de salud por raza en el país.
