Latest KFF Health News Stories
Nursing Home Disaster Plans Often Faulted As ‘Paper Tigers’
Too often enforcement of rules for dealing with crisis is lax, advocates for nursing home residents say.
Florida Law Will Let Patients Get All Their Drug Renewals At The Same Time
The new law will help people with chronic conditions that require multiple prescriptions cut down on their shuttles to the drug store and could improve adherence to their drugs.
Two Medicare Advantage Insurers Settle Whistleblower Lawsuit For $32 Million
Freedom Health and Optimum HealthCare agreed to settle a lawsuit alleging they overbilled Medicare.
Florida Congressman Draws Jeers At Home For Backing Failed GOP Health Care Plan
Rep. Brian Mast, a first-term Republican congressman, defends his party’s push to repeal Obamacare in a meeting with constituents but concedes its health care plan needs more work.
A Health Reporter Walks Into Reagan National Airport …
Half-believing he could be free for just one night from covering Republican efforts to repeal and replace Obamacare, writer Phil Galewitz instead experiences eerie close encounters of the senatorial kind.
What Made Obamacare Succeed In Some States? Hint: It’s Not Politics
A study of five states looks at the market conditions that make or break the health insurance marketplaces set up by the Affordable Care Act.
Genetically Engineered Mosquitoes Split A Straw-Poll Vote In The Florida Keys
A plan to test the effectiveness of so-called “Frankenflies” is being closely watched by nearby Miami-Dade County as a possible way to combat the spread of Zika.
Reporter’s Notebook: Pregnant And Caught In Zika Test Limbo
Pregnant women in South Florida can get free Zika tests through the state’s health department. But delays in getting back the results are heightening worries and may affect medical options.
As Aerial Spraying Continues In Miami’s Zika Fight, Effectiveness Up In Air
As Miami-Dade doubles down on aerial spraying of the insecticide naled to combat the mosquitoes that spread Zika, experts question that approach.
A Young Woman Dies, A Teen Is Saved After Amoebas Infect The Brain
In Florida, perfect timing and alert medical staff saved a teen from almost certain death. But in North Carolina, one young woman died of an amoeba infection after rafting at a popular tourist site.
Fighting HIV In Miami, One Dirty Needle At A Time
A Miami doctor spent five years working to pass a needle exchange law for Miami-Dade County that he hopes will reduce HIV and other infections. The doctor’s battle inspired a patient who was infected with HIV and Hepatitis C from a shared needle.
The Costs Of The Pulse Nightclub Shooting
Mario Perez was grazed by a bullet at the Pulse Nightclub. His bill from Orlando Regional Medical Center’s emergency department was $20,000.
Florida’s Mosquito Control Forces Mobilize Against Zika Threat
Local mosquito control authorities prepare spray-and-trap offensive to halt Zika-carrying mosquitos in damp breeding grounds.
Gaps In Women’s Health Care May Derail Zika Prevention In Texas, Florida
In these two high-risk states, public health workers face challenges in educating women about the virus and minimizing its impact.
Florida Stores Help Consumers Buy Imported Drugs Despite Federal Ban
Thousands of Floridians patronize storefront businesses that help them buy cheaper drugs online from Canada and other countries, but the Food and Drug Administration calls the practice illegal and risky.
United’s Departure From Marketplaces Could Impact Consumers’ Costs, Access
Florida and Oklahoma counties are among the hardest hit by UnitedHealthcare’s pullout from health law exchanges.
Free Clinics Expanding Mission To Help Insured Patients With High Expenses
Although many people thought the federal health law would nip the need for free clinics, they are still booming.
More Sickle Cell Patients Survive, But Care Is Hard To Find For Adults
For many years, most people with sickle cell died in childhood or adolescence, and the condition remained in the province of pediatrics. During the past two decades, advances in routine care have allowed many people to live into middle age and beyond, but barriers to care remain.
Hispanic Children’s Uninsured Rate Hits Record Low, Study Finds
About 300,000 Hispanic children gained insurance in 2014 from 2013, dropping the number of uninsured to 1.7 million, researchers said, and two-thirds of 1.7 million uninsured Hispanic kids live in five states.
Obamacare Recruiters Seek Uninsured At Food Fairs And Churches
Floridians without health insurance query experts and ponder options as the health law’s open enrollment season gets underway.
