This Dental Device Was Sold to Fix Patients’ Jaws. Lawsuits Claim It Wrecked Their Teeth.
By Brett Kelman and Anna Werner, CBS News
March 1, 2023
KFF Health News Original
A dental device called AGGA has been used on about 10,000 patients without FDA approval or proof that it works. In lawsuits, patients report irreparable harm. The AGGA’s inventor and manufacturer have denied all liability in court.
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.
When False Information Goes Viral, COVID-19 Patient Groups Fight Back
By Alex Smith, KCUR
November 12, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Fear and uncertainty about the coronavirus have made online patient support groups fertile ground for the spread of misinformation. But some in these groups make fact-checking a part of the mission to support fellow COVID sufferers.
‘An Arm and a Leg’: David vs. Goliath: How to Beat a Big Hospital in Small Claims Court
By Dan Weissmann
November 2, 2020
KFF Health News Original
In a classic — and hilarious — David vs. Goliath story, Jeffrey Fox takes on a huge hospital over an outrageous bill, and wins.
Pediatricians Want Kids to Be Part of COVID Vaccine Trials
By Arthur Allen
December 15, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Some years from now, infants and school-aged children will probably be the mainstay of a universal vaccination program against COVID-19 in the United States. But first, doctors want to be sure that newfangled vaccines won’t harm them.
‘Injections, Injections, Injections’: Troubling Questions Follow Closure of Sprawling Pain Clinic Chain
By Anna Maria Barry-Jester and Jenny Gold
February 22, 2022
KFF Health News Original
In May 2021, Lags Medical Centers, one of California’s largest chains of pain clinics, abruptly closed its doors amid a cloaked state investigation. Nine months later, patients are still in the dark about what happened with their care and to their bodies.
US Will Spend Over $2B To Back White House Biomanufacturing Plan
September 15, 2022
Morning Briefing
The plan, outlined with new details Wednesday, is about expanding drug manufacturing capabilities in the U.S., with an eye on future pandemic responses. Meanwhile, Roll Call notes “pandemic fatigue” may threaten funding efforts in the battle against monkeypox. The polio outbreak is also reported.
Paying Billions for Controversial Alzheimer’s Drug? How About Funding This Instead?
By Judith Graham
July 6, 2021
KFF Health News Original
Aduhelm, approved by the Food and Drug Administration last month despite questions about its efficacy, could be prescribed to at least 1 million patients a year, for a price tag of about $56 billion. Experts suggest there might be better ways to spend that money.
Study Predicts Over 50% More Deaths From Liver Cancer By 2040
October 7, 2022
Morning Briefing
Analysis suggests cases of Hepatitis B and C, more alcohol usage, higher body weight, and more diabetes will be to blame. Separately, a slight drop in food poisonings from salmonella and listeria is reported, but pandemic restrictions are thought to have played a part in the fall.
California Counties ‘Flying the Plane as We Build It’ in a Plodding Vaccine Rollout
By Anna Maria Barry-Jester
January 14, 2021
KFF Health News Original
In California, the largest vaccination campaign in U.S. history is run largely by the same overworked and underfunded local health departments tasked with covid-19 testing and contact tracing. It’s a daunting undertaking as the pandemic continues to surge.
‘No Mercy’ Chapter 3: Patchwork of Urgent Care Frays After a Rural Hospital Closes
By Sarah Jane Tribble
October 13, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Fort Scott, Kansas, went without an ER for 18 days, after the local hospital shut down. Documenting local trauma during that “dark period” helped investigative reporter Sarah Jane Tribble unravel some of the complications that come after a rural hospital closes.
‘No Mercy’ Chapter 2: Unimaginable, After a Century, That Their Hospital Would Close
By Sarah Jane Tribble
October 6, 2020
KFF Health News Original
After Mercy Hospital Fort Scott shut its doors, investigative reporter Sarah Jane Tribble traveled to Kansas and spent time with former hospital president Reta Baker and City Manager Dave Martin — to understand what their town lost.
How to Pull Off a COVID-Era Music Festival
By Chaseedaw Giles
December 16, 2020
KFF Health News Original
One woman’s attempt to create a festival celebrating diverse music ran up against the reality of the pandemic this year. But it also yielded lessons in how to reimagine events in the COVID era.
Court Reinstates Tennessee’s 6-Week Abortion Ban
June 29, 2022
Morning Briefing
As Indiana and Iowa also look to roll back abortion access, Wisconsin’s attorney general is challenging the state’s 173-year-old ban. And birth control and Plan B controversy takes root in Missouri.
Watch: Are Administration Medical Experts Muzzled?
June 18, 2020
KFF Health News Original
KHN Editor-in-Chief Elisabeth Rosenthal joins a panel of health journalists on CNN to discuss the lack of public briefings on coronavirus by key medical experts in the Trump administration.
Judge: HHS Must Restore Full 340B Drug Payments Until 2023
September 30, 2022
Morning Briefing
Modern Healthcare reports on a decision from District of Columbia Judge Rudolph Contreras, who found that a Health and Human Services Department lower reimbursement rate was “defective.” Meanwhile, Michigan joins efforts to crimp costs from contract travel nurses.
Montana Tribe Welcomes Back Tourists After Risky Shutdown Pays Off
By Aaron Bolton, MTPR
June 21, 2021
KFF Health News Original
When the Blackfeet tribe shut down the roads leading to the eastern side of Glacier National Park, businesses worried for their future. But it worked, and with one of the nation’s highest covid vaccination rates, the reservation has reopened to visitors.
Consejos para inscribirse bien en Medicare durante la complicada inscripción abierta
By Bernard J. Wolfson
November 24, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Medicare se reduce fundamentalmente a dos alternativas: la tarifa por servicio del Medicare Tradicional o el enfoque de atención administrada de Medicare Advantage.
In Unusual Move, EU Blocks $7B Merger Of 2 American Biotech Firms
September 7, 2022
Morning Briefing
A U.S. judge had already approved the merger of Illumina, headquartered in San Diego, and Grail, which is based in Menlo Park, California. The European Union says the deal would stifle innovation in an emerging market for early cancer-detection blood tests, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Listen: Tough Talk On Capitol Hill
By Julie Rovner
May 15, 2020
KFF Health News Original
KHN’s Julie Rovner joined other journalists on Friday’s ‘On Point’ broadcast to talk about health news, including states relaxing their stay-at-home orders and Capitol Hill hearings featuring testimony before Congress by Drs. Anthony Fauci and Rick Bright.