Latest KFF Health News Stories
‘Financial Ruin Is Baked Into the System’: Readers on the Costs of Long-Term Care
Thousands of people shared their experiences and related to the financial drain on families portrayed in the “Dying Broke” series, a joint project by KFF Health News and The New York Times that examined the costs of long-term care.
Journalists Delve Into Gun Violence, Medicaid’s ‘Unwinding,’ Opioid Lawsuits, and More
KFF Health News and California Healthline staffers made the rounds on national and local media this week to discuss their stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.
El daño colateral de la crisis de Medicaid: miles están perdiendo beneficios de alimentos
Las familias de bajos ingresos que necesitan servicios como ayuda alimentaria y dinero en efectivo, se ven afectadas por la carrera burocrática para determinar si decenas de millones de personas aún califican para Medicaid.
Medicaid ‘Unwinding’ Makes Other Public Assistance Harder to Get
The bottleneck caused by states’ reevaluation of Medicaid enrollees has swept up low-income families that rely on other safety-net services.
Anti-Abortion Groups Shrug Off Election Losses, Look to Courts, Statehouses for Path Forward
Anti-abortion groups have lost seven consecutive elections on state ballot measures about abortion. They say they’re unfazed and plan to keep focusing on lawmakers and courts to notch wins.
Legisladores de Texas, Florida y otros estados socavan esfuerzos de vacunación contra covid
El cambio en la información sobre salud sigue la retórica de políticos, principalmente republicanos, que han dado marcha atrás en sus posturas sobre las vacunas de covid.
How Lawmakers in Texas and Florida Undermine Covid Vaccination Efforts
State legislatures and politicians are pressuring public health officials to keep quiet about covid vaccines.
Ohio votó a favor del aborto. Podrían seguir otros 11 estados el próximo año
El impulso para llevar el polémico tema a los votantes llega después de la serie de victorias en las votaciones del año pasado a favor del derecho al aborto en seis estados: California, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Montana y Vermont.
Ohio Voted on Abortion. Next Year, 11 More States Might, Too.
Ohio is the latest state where voters have directly weighed in on abortion, and the next wave of such ballot measures is in the works in at least 11 other states, including Missouri.
“Peor de lo que la gente cree”, cambios en Medicaid crean caos en los estados
Tanto beneficiarios como defensores de pacientes dicen que los funcionarios de Medicaid enviaron formularios de renovación obligatoria a direcciones viejas, calcularon mal los niveles de ingresos e hicieron malas traducciones de los documentos.
‘Worse Than People Can Imagine’: Medicaid ‘Unwinding’ Breeds Chaos in States
As Medicaid programs across the nation review enrollees’ status in the wake of the pandemic, patients struggle to navigate the upheaval.
Who Polices Hospitals Merging Across Markets? States Give Different Answers
Increasingly, hospitals are merging across separate markets within states. It’s a move that health economists and the Federal Trade Commission have been closely watching, as evidence shows such mergers raise prices for patients with no improvement in care.
Abortion Bans Fuel a Rise in High-Risk Patients Heading to Illinois Hospitals
High-risk patients from states that heavily restrict abortion are coming to hospitals in states such as Illinois that protect abortion rights. The journey can mean more medical risks and higher bills.
Artificial Intelligence May Influence Whether You Can Get Pain Medication
To contain the opioid crisis, health and law enforcement agencies have turned to technology to monitor doctor and patient prescription data. Experts have raised questions about how these systems work and worry about their accuracy and potential biases. Some patients and doctors say they’re being unfairly targeted.
She Paid Her Husband’s Hospital Bill. A Year After His Death, They Wanted More Money.
A widow encountered a perplexing reality in medical billing: Providers can come after patients to collect well after a bill has been paid.
Funyuns and Flu Shots? Gas Station Company Ventures Into Urgent Care
A Tulsa-based gas station chain is using its knowledge of how to serve customers and locate shops in easy-to-find spots to enter the urgent care industry, which has doubled in size over the past decade. Experts question how the explosion of convenient clinics will affect care costs and wait times.
Feds Say Hospitals That Redistribute Medicaid Money Violate Law
Federal officials are trying to clamp down on private arrangements among some hospitals to pay themselves back for the Medicaid taxes they’ve paid. State health officials and the influential hospital industry argue that regulators have no jurisdiction over the agreements.
New Alzheimer’s Drug Raises Hopes — Along With Questions
Clinics serving Alzheimer’s patients are working out the details of who will get treated with the new drug Leqembi. It won’t be for everyone with memory-loss symptoms.
Lost Medicaid Health Coverage? Here’s What You Need to Know
Patient advocates are tackling the “overwhelming task” of connecting people with health insurance as millions lose coverage due to the end of pandemic protections on Medicaid eligibility.
Patients Squeezed in Fight Over Who Gets to Bill for Pricey Infusion Drugs
To drive down costs, insurers are bypassing hospital system pharmacies and delivering high-priced infusion drugs, including some used in chemotherapy, via third-party pharmacies. Smarting from losing out on billing for those drugs, hospitals and clinics are trying to convince states to limit this practice, known as “white bagging.”
