Latest KFF Health News Stories
Listen: After Its Hospital Closes, A Pioneer Kansas Town Searches For What Comes Next
Deep questions underlie what is happening in Fort Scott, Kan.: Do small communities like this one need a traditional hospital at all? And, if not, what health care do they need?
Dealing With Hospital Closure, Pioneer Kansas Town Asks: What Comes Next?
After depending on the local hospital for more than a century, Fort Scott residents now are trying to cope with life without it.
Midterm Election Boosts Medicaid Expansion, But Challenges Remain
Following the vote, nearly 500,000 uninsured adults in five states are poised to gain Medicaid coverage under the Affordable Care Act, say advocates. But many conservatives remain opposed to the expansion.
Babies Dependent On Opioids Need Touch, Not Tech
One doctor in Kansas works to make sure every hospital in the state can provide the soft start, ideally with their mothers, that babies with neonatal abstinence syndrome need.
Federal Officials Say No-Go To Lifetime Limits On Medicaid
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services rejects a plan by Kansas to cap benefits at three years.
Medicaid Expansion Takes A Bite Out Of Medical Debt
Medical debt is down across the country. In states that expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, the reduction is sharper.
To Get Disability Help In Kansas, Thousands Face A 7-Year Medicaid Waitlist
Nick Fugate has a cognitive disability but held a job and was independent for years. Then he lost his dishwashing job and learned there are long delays getting help he needs from Medicaid in Kansas.
Three Hospitals Hope To Spark A Reduction In Surgeries By Inexperienced Doctors
The prestigious facilities are seeking to improve patient safety by getting surgeons and hospitals to pledge to meet minimum thresholds for 10 high-risk procedures.
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.
UnitedHealthcare To Exit All But ‘Handful’ Of Obamacare Markets In 2017
UnitedHealthcare said Tuesday it will leave most of the 34 states in which it offers health insurance under Obamacare, but Nevada and Virginia are two markets it will retain a presence.