Latest News On Legislation

Latest KFF Health News Stories

California Lawmakers Send Contested Vaccine Bill To Governor. Will He Sign It?

KFF Health News Original

The state Senate on Wednesday sent a measure to Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom that would tighten the rules for children’s medical exemptions from vaccines. Newsom, who said in June that he would sign the measure after amendments had been made at his request, now wants more changes.

Starving Seniors: How America Fails To Feed Its Aging

KFF Health News Original

One out of every 13 older Americans struggles to find enough food to eat while the federal program intended to help hasn’t kept pace with the graying population.

Trump Wants To Take Guns Away From People In Crisis. Will That Work?

KFF Health News Original

So-called red flag laws that let police take guns away from people with mental illness have support from both advocates and opponents of gun control. But it won’t alleviate gun violence.

Trump quiere quitarles las armas a las personas en crisis, ¿funcionará?

KFF Health News Original

Pidió una expansión de las leyes conocidas como órdenes de protección contra riesgos extremos, que permiten que una corte intervenga cuando alguien muestra señales de alarma de violencia inminente.

The Real-Life Conversion Of A Former Anti-Vaxxer

KFF Health News Original

Kelley Watson Snyder, a mother who for years opposed mandatory childhood vaccinations and joined with like-minded parents who espoused similar views, today runs a pro-vaccination Facebook page. What changed?

KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: Cue The Drug Price Debate

KFF Health News Original

Democrats and Republicans on the Senate Finance Committee unveiled their long-awaited proposal to try to rein in prescription drug costs, even as bipartisan leaders of the other Senate committee that oversees health announced it would not bring its drug price bill to the Senate floor until fall. Paige Winfield Cunningham of The Washington Post, Rebecca Adams of CQ Roll Call and Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss this, plus court actions on health issues.

Surprise Medical Bill Legislation Takes A Step Forward, But Will It Lead To A Step Back?

KFF Health News Original

A House committee approved its version of legislation to solve the problem of surprise medical bills. But the measure includes a key provision that’s got less support in the Senate.

Hospitals Block ‘Surprise Billing’ Measure In California

KFF Health News Original

California lawmakers on Wednesday pulled legislation that would have protected some patients from surprise medical bills for emergency care, citing opposition from hospitals. They vowed to resurrect the bill next year.

KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: All About ‘Medicare for All’

KFF Health News Original

Need to know more about “Medicare for All?” It’s a top issue in the Democratic presidential primary campaign. This holiday week, we are rerunning our explainer on the subject. But first, KHN’s “What the Health?” host Julie Rovner talks to KHN’s Shefali Luthra about how health played out in the first Democratic candidate debates last week.

AMA Abortion Lawsuit Puts Doctors In The Thick Of Debate

KFF Health News Original

The doctors’ group, which had not been very vocal in recent years on the issue, is taking an assertive stance. The AMA said North Dakota’s laws interfere with doctor-patient relationships.

KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: Dems Debate Health Care

KFF Health News Original

Democratic presidential candidates disagreed on how to fix health care in their first debate Wednesday, although they all called for boosting insurance coverage and lowering prices. Meanwhile, the Trump administration is keeping health care in the news, too, with a new plan to make medical prices more available to the public. Stephanie Armour of The Wall Street Journal, Rebecca Adams of CQ Roll Call and Anna Edney of Bloomberg News join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss this, plus the latest in news about bipartisan progress on catch-all legislation to address “surprise” medical bills. Plus, Rovner interviews NPR’s Jon Hamilton about the latest KHN-NPR “Bill of the Month” installment.

Early Abortion Bans: Which States Have Passed Them?

KFF Health News Original

So far in 2019, nine states have passed laws to outlaw abortion or forbid it past a certain point in pregnancy. None of these laws are in effect, and many are being litigated in the courts.

Sen. Alexander Details His Plan To Fix Surprise Medical Bills

KFF Health News Original

A legislative package from Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.) would handle surprise medical bills by having insurers pay them the “median in-network rate,” meaning the rate would be similar to what the plan charges other doctors in the area for the same procedure.

Senators Agree Surprise Medical Bills Must Go. But How?

KFF Health News Original

The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee is scheduled next week to mark up a massive legislative package on curbing health costs, but some of the details remain unresolved, including what formula to use to pay doctors and hospitals involved in surprise medical bills.