Latest KFF Health News Stories
People With HIV Are Less Likely To Get Cancer Treatment
New research finds that patients infected with the virus that causes AIDS are less likely to get treatment for nine common cancers than are people who don’t have HIV.
Study Of Birth Defects, Folic Acid In Foods Finds More Questions Than Answers
But the authors caution against concluding that folic acid is ineffective.
Questions Emerge About The Impact Of State Autism Insurance Mandates
New research finds that the impact of these mandates varies because of differences in states’ coverage requirements and the availability of treatment options.
A May Health Affairs study examines how Medicare’s eligibility age affects spending and prices, as well as the volume of services used by patients.
Expectant Moms: You Have Nine Months For Delivery Decisions, You Better Shop Around
A nonprofit patient safety group devised nationally standardized measures to help pregnant women gauge hospitals on quality of maternity care.
Shortages Of Essential Emergency Care Drugs Increase, Study Finds
The problems persist even after Congress in 2012 gave the FDA enhanced powers to respond when drug levels are low.
Medicare Pays Bonuses To 231 Hospitals With Lower Quality Because Of Cheaper Costs
New research highlights the paradox in the federal program to improve hospital quality.
Opioid Epidemic Fueling Hospitalizations, Hospital Costs
New research sheds light on the growing costs to the health care system associated with painkiller and heroin abuse.
HHS Acts To Help More Ex-Inmates Get Medicaid
Obama administration broadens eligibility for those in halfway houses, but advocates for former prisoners say HHS and states must do far more.
Even As Birth Rates Fall, Teens Say They Are Getting Less Sex Education
A report by the Guttmacher Institute finds that the proportion of teenagers who are getting instructions in birth control methods is declining.
Study: Medicaid Expansion Encourages More Poor Adults To Get Health Care
Doctor visits and hospital stays were more likely for low-income adults in states after they expanded Medicaid under Obamacare, researchers reported in the Annals of Internal Medicine Monday.
Rise In Oncologists Working For Hospitals Spurs Higher Chemo Costs: Study
Researchers found that the facility fees hospitals and their clinics routinely add to the bill helps drive the price increases.
Prices And Health Care Quality: Many Consumers Don’t See A Link
A study in the journal Health Affairs found a majority of people don’t associate price and quality in health care services.
Study: More Collaboration Aids Health Care For At-Risk Populations
A new study from the National Academies of Sciences seeks best practices for health providers whose patients are disproportionately disadvantaged.
Hospital Software Often Doesn’t Flag Unsafe Drug Prescriptions, Report Finds
A survey conducted by the Leapfrog Group finds that though many hospitals have computer-based medication systems in place to protect against errors, many still fall short in highlighting possible problems.
IRS Could Help Find Many Uninsured People, But Doesn’t
Many low-income households that claim earned income tax credit lack health insurance, Urban Institute finds.
By Not Discussing Cost Issues, Doctors, Patients May Miss Chances To Lower Out-Of-Pocket Expenses
A study published in Health Affairs examines how physician-patient interactions often present missed opportunities to control patients’ health care spending.
Study: Primary Care Doctors Often Don’t Help Patients Manage Depression
Physicians were less likely to use “care management processes” with patients who have depression than with those who had other chronic conditions, the researchers found.
It’s Not Just Doctors And Nurses, Patients Need To Wash Their Hands, Too
New research indicates that patients who leave the hospital for post-acute care facilities carry superbugs with them.
Managing Depression A Challenge In Primary Care Settings, Study Finds
Primary care physicians see many patients with depression. New research finds they continue to struggle to apply the treatment strategies used for other chronic illnesses.
