Need to Get Plan B or an HIV Test Online? Facebook May Know About It
By Darius Tahir Simon Fondrie-Teitler, The Markup
June 30, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Twelve of the largest drugstores in the U.S. sent shoppers’ sensitive health information to Facebook or other platforms, according to an investigation by The Markup and KFF Health News.
Misinformation Clouds America’s Most Popular Emergency Contraception
By Sarah Varney
June 7, 2022
KFF Health News Original
At a moment when half of U.S. states stand poised to outlaw or sharply curtail abortion services, the nation’s most popular emergency contraception brand rests in the unlikely stewardship of two private equity firms.
Proposed PFAS Rule Would Cost Companies Estimated $1B; Lacks Limits and Cleanup Requirement
By Michael Scaturro
July 10, 2023
KFF Health News Original
A proposed Environmental Protection Agency rule calls for companies to disclose PFAS manufactured or imported since 2011. The chemical industry is upset because such compliance would cost an estimated $1 billion, while environmental health advocates worry because the rule wouldn’t ban the chemicals outright.
Patients Squeezed in Fight Over Who Gets to Bill for Pricey Infusion Drugs
By Samantha Liss
July 5, 2023
KFF Health News Original
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.”
Schools, Sheriffs, and Syringes: State Plans Vary for Spending $26B in Opioid Settlement Funds
By Aneri Pattani
November 22, 2022
KFF Health News Original
The cash represents an unprecedented opportunity to derail the opioid epidemic, but with countless groups advocating for their share of the pie, the impact could depend heavily on geography and politics.
Payback: Tracking the Opioid Settlement Cash
April 20, 2023
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Featured Story Map of Opioid Settlement Cash Table of state councils Localize The Data If you are a journalist who wants to investigate opioid settlement transparency data for your area, here’s how you can do that. Curious to See How Much Opioid Settlement Cash Your Locality Received? Share Your Settlement Story Do you have concerns […]
A Needle Exchange Project Modeled on Urban Efforts Aims to Save Lives in Rural Nevada
By Jazmin Orozco Rodriguez
August 24, 2022
KFF Health News Original
Five years after HIV tore through a rural Indiana town as a result of widespread drug use, a syringe and needle exchange program was set up in rural Nevada to prevent a similar event.
As Big Pharma and Hospitals Battle Over Drug Discounts, Patients Miss Out on Millions in Benefits
By Sarah Jane Tribble Emily Featherston, InvestigateTV
November 16, 2021
KFF Health News Original
The number of pharmacies dispensing 340B discounted drugs soared to more than 31,000 this year. Drugmakers struck back by halting some discounts. Hospitals say they are losing millions of dollars — and cutting back services to patients — as a result.
Journalists Discuss Medicaid Rules, Opioid Settlement Funds, and the Public Health Workforce
December 3, 2022
KFF Health News Original
KHN and California Healthline staff made the rounds on national and local media this week to discuss their stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.
Florida Sen. Rick Scott Off Base in Claim That Rise in Medicare Premiums Is Due to Inflation
By Phil Galewitz
November 24, 2021
KFF Health News Original
The Republican senator says President Joe Biden’s “inflation crisis” caused Medicare to raise monthly premiums, which will add hundreds of dollars to beneficiaries’ costs. But Medicare experts say inflation was not to blame and most beneficiaries will shoulder a much smaller increase than what Rick Scott claims.
Grandes farmacéuticas y hospitales pelean por los descuentos en medicamentos, y los pacientes pierden millones en beneficios
By Sarah Jane Tribble Emily Featherston, InvestigateTV
November 16, 2021
KFF Health News Original
Fabricantes de medicamentos se niegan a ofrecer descuentos a miles de farmacias contratadas por los hospitales, diciendo que el programa ha crecido más allá de su uso previsto.
A Guide to Help You Keep Up With the Omicron Subvariants
By Louis Jacobson, PolitiFact
May 6, 2022
KFF Health News Original
How different are the seemingly endless stream of emerging omicron subvariants from one another and how protected are we?
Clinics Say State’s New Medicaid Drug Program Will Force Them to Cut Services
By Samantha Young
January 10, 2022
KFF Health News Original
On Jan. 1, California started buying prescription drugs for its nearly 14 million Medicaid enrollees, a responsibility that had primarily been held by managed-care insurance plans. State officials estimate California will save hundreds of millions of dollars by flexing its purchasing power, but some health clinics expect to lose money.
Watch: She Almost Died. The $250K Debt Took Their House.
June 21, 2022
KFF Health News Original
CBS Evening News spotlights Jim and Cindy Powers, who faced crippling medical debt.
A GOP Talking Point Suggests Birth Control Is Not at Risk. Evidence Suggests Otherwise.
By Julie Rovner
August 5, 2022
KFF Health News Original
Republicans say Democrats are wrong to claim that birth control could be the Supreme Court’s next target. But Democrats have plenty of evidence that it might be.
‘Drinking Through a Lead Straw’ — $15B Approved to Fix Dangerous Water Pipes
By Sandy West
November 8, 2021
KFF Health News Original
The infrastructure bill passed Friday funnels $15 billion into lead pipe remediation. Water quality experts say the cost of getting rid of all lead pipes could ultimately cost $60 billion. Still, some health advocates say the new funding will be transformative in allowing communities such as Houston’s Fifth Ward to fix its pipes.
For Young People on Medicare, a Hysterectomy Sometimes Is More Affordable Than Birth Control
By Gina Jiménez
March 7, 2023
KFF Health News Original
While Medicare was designed as health insurance for those 65 and older, it also covers people with disabilities who are young enough to still get pregnant. Yet they often struggle to get their birth control covered and end up with large medical bills — or instead opt for hysterectomies or tubal ligations, which Medicare sometimes will cover.
Guía para entender a las subvariantes de ómicron
By Louis Jacobson, PolitiFact
May 6, 2022
KFF Health News Original
¿Qué tan diferentes son estas subvariantes entre sí? ¿Puede la infección por una subvariante proteger a alguien de la infección por otra? Y, ¿qué tan bien funcionan contra estas variantes las vacunas que se desarrollaron antes de la aparición de ómicron?
A Windfall in Health Insurance Rebates? It’s Not as Crazy as It Sounds
By Julie Appleby
June 7, 2023
KFF Health News Original
The billion-dollar amount cited by former Sen. Al Franken, while an estimate, is likely very close to what insurers will owe this year under a provision of the Affordable Care Act that compels rebates when insurers spend too little on actual medical care.
NYC Makes Clear Its Intent to Lead on Abortion Access
By Michelle Andrews
February 28, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Mayor Eric Adams’ announcement this year to provide abortion pills free of charge at four of New York’s sexual health clinics is the city’s latest move on abortion access. Other jurisdictions are also taking steps.
