Latest KFF Health News Stories
GOP’s Timetable For Getting Repeal To Trump May Be Ambitious
Republicans say they plan to pass a bill to overhaul the federal health law in the 17 days between when Congress convenes and Inauguration Day. But past congressional budget veterans say that could prove to be very difficult.
Senate Approves Landmark Mental Health Bill As Part Of 21st Century Cures Act
The U.S. Senate passed a landmark bill to help millions of Americans suffering from mental illness.
Legislation To Improve Mental Health Care For Millions Sails Through House Vote
Sponsors of Congressional action up for vote Wednesday have championed mental health changes since the 2012 Newtown shootings.
Long-Stalled FDA Reform Sits On Senate’s Lame-Duck Calendar
The legislation would give federal officials more flexibility in evaluating the effectiveness and safety of drugs and devices and add billions of dollars to NIH funding. But critics say it could endanger patients’ safety and doesn’t do enough to stop spiraling drug prices.
California Reforms Target Workers’ Compensation Fraud
Two new laws will prohibit felons from billing for workers’ comp and rein in unsanctioned treatment.
A Bygone Era: When Bipartisanship Led To Health Care Transformation
A federal law enacted shortly after the end of World War II provided grants and loans to fund hospital construction that have left a lasting legacy.
Candidates Decry High Drug Prices, But They Have Few Options For Voters
Drug prices rise for a variety of reasons but opportunities for the government to control them is limited.
How Can Parents, Pediatricians Discuss Guns In The House?
Research suggests pediatricians shy away from the topic, but parents generally are open to discussing firearms in the context of safe storage.
Report: Hungry Teens Often Feel Responsibility To Help Feed The Family
After interviewing scores of teenagers, researchers report that many who face hunger are not aware of assistance programs or think they don’t qualify.
Under a new state law, California consumers could get money back if they were charged out-of-network prices after going to a medical provider who was listed in their health plan’s network.
Did It Hurt Or Help? Researchers Analyze Ohio’s 2011 Abortion Law
A new study finds that women may have suffered more complications and needed more follow-up care as a result of the law. The law’s advocates question the findings.
California Doctors And Hospitals Tussle Over Role Of Nurse-Midwives
Legislation that would allow nurse-midwives to practice independently is mired in a dispute about whether hospitals should be allowed to hire them.
Report: ‘Convergence Science’ Has Potential To Accelerate The Research-To-Product Pipeline
Some say this trend is the future of biomedical research. But along with its potential, it also faces significant challenges.
Gingrich, Kennedy Take On Opioid Addiction — The KHN Conversation
Patrick Kennedy, a former congressman from Rhode Island, and Newt Gingrich, who was once the House speaker, are advancing policies to combat this national crisis.
California Drug Price Measure Fiercely Opposed By Pharmaceutical Industry
Proposed legislation would require drugmakers to disclose and justify price hikes. The industry has taken to Facebook and Twitter, warning that the proposal could lead to medication shortages in some regions of the state.
Calif. Senate Nixes Bill Requiring Disclosures From Disciplined Doctors
The proposal would have required physicians and other medical clinicians to tell their patients if they were on probation for serious offenses.
Rushing To Move Excluded Immigrants Into Obamacare — Before Obama Exits
In California, backers of a plan to allow adults living in the country illegally to buy coverage on the state’s exchange hurry to get federal approval — fearing opposition or inaction under a new administration.
Will Covered California Sell Health Coverage To The Undocumented?
California is inching closer to a first-in-the-nation request for a federal ruling that would allow the state’s Obamacare exchange to sell health plans to immigrants who are living in the country illegally.
Tainted Scope Infections Far Exceed Earlier Estimates
House panel concludes inquiry on superbug outbreaks; one member prepares legislation “to make sure these situations don’t happen again.”
A Dearth Of Hospital Beds For Patients In Psychiatric Crisis
A California Assembly bill would require creating a mandatory registry for available psychiatric hospital beds, but the state hospital association calls it unworkable.
