Latest KFF Health News Stories
Geriatricians Can Help Aging Patients Navigate Multiple Ailments
Aging adults with complex needs can get special assistance from doctors trained as geriatricians.
Docs In Northwest Tweak Aid-In-Dying Drugs To Prevent Prolonged Deaths
Some terminal patients, typically high-dose opioid users, who choose to end their lives have taken many hours, even days, to die.
Health Law’s 10 Essential Benefits: A Look At What’s At Risk In GOP Overhaul
The woman set to run the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services told senators last week that maternity coverage should be optional in individual and small group plans. But other services could also be left on the cutting room floor.
Former FDA Chief Cites 5 Things To Watch On Drug Approvals And Keeping Drugs Safe
Former FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf shares his views about drug approvals, regulations and safety concerns after stepping down from the giant agency.
Drugmaker Marathon ‘Pausing’ Delivery Of $89,000-A-Year Muscular Dystrophy Drug
After hearing complaints about its high price, Marathon Pharmaceuticals is pausing the launch of an $89,000 drug for a rare disease.
Grassley Launches Inquiry Into Orphan Drugs After KHN Investigation
Citing a Kaiser Health News investigation, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley vows to examine the orphan drug program and possible fixes.
Pharmacies Thrive Selling Opioids For Depressed Small Town Pain
Prescription pain pills are strong sellers in this southeastern Kentucky region that’s long struggled with high rates of joblessness and poor health.
Luke Whitbeck’s life was saved by a rare disease drug, but it costs $300,000 a year.
Women Fear Drug They Used To Halt Puberty Led To Health Problems
Despite questions about Lupron’s lasting side effects and minimal study into its safety, the FDA sped approval of the drug to market. Years later, some young women are still living with the consequences.
Prescribing Opioids To Seniors: It’s A Balancing Act
An expert geriatrician says the benefits for the patient, such as alleviating pain and maintaining independence, must be weighed against the possible risks. Her motto: ‘start low and go slow.’
Drug Prices, Opioids, And Obamacare: A Conversation With Assemblyman Jim Wood
Wood, who chairs the Assembly Health Committee, lays out his priorities for 2017.
Spreading The Word About HIV Prevention For African-American Women
African-American women are more likely to be infected with HIV than other women. So the District of Columbia is launching an effort to inform them about PrEP, medication that can reduce their risk.
KHN Video: Orphan Drugs Creating Gold Rush For Pharmaceutical Firms
The designation, which is made by the Food and Drug Administration, allows drugmakers to claim seven years of market exclusivity.
Sky-High Prices For Orphan Drugs Slam American Families And Insurers
Orphan drugs for rare diseases have helped or saved hundreds of thousands of patients like 2-year-old Luke Whitbeck, but families and insurers are picking up the astronomical cost.
Una investigación de Kaiser Health News analiza las acciones de compañias farmacéuticas para manipular los precios de medicamentos huérfanos, utilizados para tratar enfermedades raras.
Drugmakers Manipulate Orphan Drug Rules To Create Prized Monopolies
Drugmakers have brought almost 450 orphan drugs to market and collected rich incentives but nearly a third of those products aren’t new or were repurposed multiple times, an investigation shows.
Follow the twists and turns of the orphan drug industry over the past three decades.
Millones de personas buscan medicamentos más baratos fuera de EE.UU.
Por los altos precios de los medicamentos, millones de personas, en general respetuosas de la ley, han reaccionado cometiendo un acto ilegal: comprándolos fuera de los Estados Unidos.
Faced With Unaffordable Drug Prices, Tens Of Millions Buy Medicine Outside U.S.
Eight percent of those polled by the Kaiser Family Foundation say they have purchased medications outside of the U.S. to save money.
A Frenzy Of Lobbying On 21st Century Cures
Three lobbyists for every member of Congress in a push to pass a bill that increases research funding and speeds up approvals.