KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Dancing Under the Debt Ceiling
April 27, 2023
Podcast
House Republicans passed their plan to raise the nation’s debt ceiling, along with major cuts to health (and other domestic) programs. Unlikely to become law, it calls for new work requirements for adults on Medicaid. Meanwhile, state efforts targeting trans people bear a striking resemblance to the fight against abortion rights. Jessie Hellmann of CQ Roll Call, Shefali Luthra of The 19th, and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet join KFF Health News chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Renuka Rayasam, who reported the latest KFF Health News-NPR “Bill of the Month” feature, about a specialist’s demand to be paid as much as $15,000 before treating a woman’s serious pregnancy complication.
Biden Moves to Overturn Trump Birth Control Rules
By Julie Rovner
April 14, 2021
KFF Health News Original
Return to pre-Trump policy is second win of the week for abortion-rights backers.
Morning Briefing for Thursday, June 16, 2022
June 16, 2022
Morning Briefing
Thursday’s roundup covers medical debt, covid vaccines, 340B payments, abortion, monkeypox, baby formula, guns, forever chemicals, and more.
America’s Obesity Epidemic Threatens Effectiveness of Any COVID Vaccine
By Sarah Varney
August 6, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Vaccines engineered to protect the public from influenza, hepatitis B, tetanus and rabies are less effective for obese people, leaving them more vulnerable to serious illness. As scientists race to develop a COVID-19 vaccine, experts say obesity could prove an impediment — a sobering prospect for a nation in which nearly half of all adults are obese.
New FDA-Approved Hemophilia Gene Therapy Is World’s Priciest Medicine
November 23, 2022
Morning Briefing
Drugmaker CSL Bering says the $3.5 million price tag for its Hemgenix treatment is justified because it would ultimately reduce long-term health care costs associated with treating patients living with hemophilia B.
Covid Vaccine Makers Decline To Refund Covax $1.4B For Canceled Orders
February 1, 2023
Morning Briefing
The New York Times reports that Gavi, the global foundation that tried to increase access to covid vaccines to the world’s poor via its Covax program, is trying to negotiate with companies to get back some of the prepayments for vaccine orders that were ultimately canceled. The manufacturers involved made $13.8 billion on the vaccines distributed through Covax.
After Pandemic Ravaged Nursing Homes, New State Laws Protect Residents
By Susan Jaffe
August 20, 2021
KFF Health News Original
This year, 23 states passed more than 70 pandemic-related provisions affecting nursing homes, including measures setting minimum staffing levels, expanding visitation protections and limiting owners’ profit margins.
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Maybe It’s a Health Care Election After All
March 14, 2024
Podcast
Health care wasn’t expected to be a major theme for this year’s elections. But as President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump secured their respective party nominations this week, the future of both Medicare and the Affordable Care Act appears to be up for debate. Meanwhile, the cyberattack of the UnitedHealth Group subsidiary Change Healthcare continues to do damage to the companies’ finances with no quick end in sight. Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, and Joanne Kenen of Johns Hopkins University and Politico Magazine join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Kelly Henning of Bloomberg Philanthropies about a new, four-part documentary series on the history of public health, “The Invisible Shield.” Plus, for “extra credit” the panelists suggest health policy stories they read this week that they think you should read, too.
‘Not Quite on Board’: Parents Proving a Tough Sell on Covid Vax for Teens
By Jenny Gold and Samantha Young
November 2, 2021
KFF Health News Original
California offers a lens on the challenges officials face in persuading parents to embrace covid shots for young children. While the state has a strong showing in overall vaccination rates, just 59% of kids 12 to 17 — eligible for a shot since May — are fully vaccinated.
Hospital Executive Charged In $1.4B Rural Hospital Billing Scheme
By Lauren Weber and Barbara Feder Ostrov
June 30, 2020
KFF Health News Original
In an investigation last year, KHN detailed the rise and fall of Miami businessman Jorge A. Perez’s rural hospital empire, which spanned eight states and encompassed half of the rural hospital bankruptcies in 2019.
Readers and Tweeters Weigh In on Medical Debt, the Obesity Epidemic, and Opioid Battles
June 24, 2022
KFF Health News Original
KHN gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
Funcionarios advierten sobre sitios de pruebas para covid de dudosa calidad
By Michelle Andrews
January 18, 2022
KFF Health News Original
Lo sitios de pruebas de covid han proliferado en casi todas las grandes ciudades. Pero no todos ofrecen un servicio de calidad. Cómo detectarlos.
Research Finds Catching Covid Offers Protection Like Vaccines Do
February 17, 2023
Morning Briefing
“Natural immunity” from a covid infection provides strong, lasting protection against severe outcomes, new research says — on a par with two doses of an mRNA vaccine. Separately, a study showed that for adults hospitalized with omicron, the death rate is 1.5 times that of influenza A or B.
Supreme Court Reinstates Medicare Drug Reimbursements To 340B Hospitals
June 16, 2022
Morning Briefing
Hospitals participating in the 340B program will be able to recoup billions in drug payments that Supreme Court justices unanimously decided were improperly cut. The Trump administration reduced the Medicare subsidies, and the Biden administration defended the policy.
Kaiser Permanente’s Third Quarter Finances Show $1.5B Loss
November 7, 2022
Morning Briefing
Meanwhile, a financially-troubled Mississippi hospital failed to reach a deal with a medical campus that was planning to take over the facility, AP reports. In other news, Microsoft has an AI tool that transcribes doctor-patient discussions, at the expense of sharing sensitive info with tech giants.
Patent Battle Over Generic Versions Of Gilead HIV Drug Settled
September 13, 2022
Morning Briefing
Five drugmakers had proposed generic versions of Gilead’s HIV and hepatitis B drugs and are now licensed to sell them from around 2031 onward. Also in the news: Medicare advantage star ratings, and more.
Lady Gaga and J.Lo Sell ‘Well’ Building Seal, But It’s a Payday, Not a PSA
By Michael McAuliff
May 26, 2021
KFF Health News Original
A company sees the pandemic as an opportunity to push its ‘Well’ seal. It would like the indoor wellness logo to become as ubiquitous as the LEED green building halo — and make a profit, too.
Old TB Vaccine Doesn’t Work On Covid, But It May Have Other Benefits
April 27, 2023
Morning Briefing
The tuberculosis vaccine, known as B.C.G., was being tested on health care workers in 2020. But the rapid development of mRNA covid vaccines made it impossible to complete the trial because health care workers were first in line to get the newly available mRNA shots, The New York Times says.
Study: Millennials Using More Health Services Than Other Generations
March 10, 2023
Morning Briefing
A new study found that Millennials are seeking more help for health matters than ever. In other startling news, Newsweek says data show murder-suicides have reached a record high in the country. Hepatitis B, Havana Syndrome, treating obesity in children, and more are among other subjects in the news.
Many Health Plans Now Must Cover Full Cost of Expensive HIV Prevention Drugs
By Michelle Andrews
January 5, 2021
KFF Health News Original
Most private insurance will be required to cover drugs, like Truvada, that offer protection against HIV infection, without making plan members share the cost.