B6 Linked With Lowered Anxiety; FDA Approves Opzelura For Vitiligo Treatment
July 20, 2022
Morning Briefing
Read about the biggest pharmaceutical developments and pricing stories from the past week in KHN’s Prescription Drug Watch roundup.
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': 100 Days of Health Policy Upheaval
May 1, 2025
Podcast
Members of Congress are back in Washington, and Republicans are struggling to find ways to reduce Medicaid spending without cutting benefits. Meanwhile, confusion continues to reign at the Department of Health and Human Services. Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, and Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more.
Bill Gates Injects $20B Into His Foundation To Help Global Recovery
July 14, 2022
Morning Briefing
The massive donation is aimed at curbing suffering caused by global issues like covid, AP reports. Gates says the foundation plans to spend $9 billion yearly in aid by 2026. Meanwhile, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital boosted investment in its plan to study and combat pediatric diseases.
Biden Releases a New Plan to Combat Covid, but Experts Say There’s Still a Ways to Go
By Victoria Knight Julie Appleby
September 15, 2021
KFF Health News Original
There’s agreement that the plan includes important action items but also elements that will trigger political opposition.
‘Injections, Injections, Injections’: Troubling Questions Follow Closure of Sprawling Pain Clinic Chain
By Anna Maria Barry-Jester 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.
To Resolve Veteran Hearing Loss Lawsuit, 3M Sets Aside $1B
July 27, 2022
Morning Briefing
NBC News reports on how a lawsuit centering on earplug protection for U.S. service makers has impacted maker 3M. The high income of health care CEOs, sales of new heart drugs, GSK’s profits, Biogen’s ALS therapy, health insurance pricing data, and more are also in industry news.
Sen. Wyden: $3.5T Budget May Have to Trim but It Can Set a Path to ‘Ambitious Goals’
By Michael McAuliff
July 20, 2021
KFF Health News Original
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), who is helping to negotiate the health care spending framework for the Democrats’ budget plan, said lawmakers may have to settle for very basic versions of programs deployed in the package. But the key, he added, is to get the “architecture of these changes, bold changes,” started and show people what is possible.
‘Not Quite on Board’: Parents Proving a Tough Sell on Covid Vax for Teens
By Jenny Gold 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.
Medicare Rule Change Could Lift Outpatient Provider Payments By $6.2B
July 18, 2022
Morning Briefing
Modern Healthcare reports on the complexities of a proposed Medicare reimbursements rule change that could take effect next year, increasing payments to outpatient providers. Meanwhile, UnitedHealthcare is set to offer $0 insulin and epipens under certain limited conditions.
‘An Arm and a Leg’: How to Avoid a Big Bill for Your COVID Test
By Dan Weissmann
November 30, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Tests for the coronavirus are supposed to be free. And, usually, they are. But sometimes … things happen. Here’s how to avoid getting a surprise bill for a test.
US, World Bank Give Ukraine $1.7B To Pay Health Workers
July 13, 2022
Morning Briefing
Funds come from the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Treasury Department, and the World Bank and are to support the complex and stressed health system in the country during the invasion. USA Today reports that telehealth assistance is also coming from U.S. doctors.
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': The Struggle Over Who Gets the Last Word
February 1, 2024
Podcast
As science skepticism pervades politics, the Supreme Court will soon consider two cases that seek to define the power of “experts.” Meanwhile, abortion opponents are laying out plans for how Donald Trump, if reelected as president, could effectively curtail abortion even in states where it remains legal. Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call, Joanne Kenen of Johns Hopkins University and Politico Magazine, and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Samantha Liss, who reported and wrote the latest KFF Health News-NPR “Bill of the Month” feature about a husband and wife who got billed for preventive care that should have been fully covered.
Este dispositivo dental debía arreglar las mandíbulas de los pacientes. Las demandas afirman que les destrozó los dientes
By Brett Kelman Anna Werner, CBS News
March 9, 2023
KFF Health News Original
A los pocos meses de usar AGGA, una paciente dijo que sus dientes estaban tan flojos que podía sentir cómo se movían cuando se untaba crema hidratante en las mejillas. Besar a su novio le resultaba incómodo.
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': On Abortion Rights, Ohio Is the New Kansas
August 10, 2023
Podcast
Nearly a year to the day after Kansas voters surprised the nation by defeating an anti-abortion ballot question, Ohio voters defeated a similar, if cagier, effort to limit access in that state. This week, they rejected an effort to raise the threshold for approval of future ballot measures from a simple majority, which would have made it harder to protect abortion access with yet another ballot question come November. Meanwhile, the number of Americans without health insurance has dropped to an all-time low, though few noticed. Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico, Rachel Roubein of The Washington Post, and Emmarie Huetteman of KFF Health News join KFF Health News’ chief Washington correspondent, Julie Rovner, to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Kate McEvoy, executive director of the National Association of Medicaid Directors, about how the “Medicaid unwinding” is going, as millions have their eligibility for coverage rechecked.
Gun Manufacturers Defend Industry At Hearing; AR-15s Made Makers $1B
July 28, 2022
Morning Briefing
News outlets report on how gun manufacturers faced questions, including from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, on gun violence and white supremacy. AP notes the AR-15 weapons used in recent mass shootings were big earners for a decade. HIV/AIDS cures, vitamin D and more are also reported.
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': All About the (Government) Funding
January 11, 2024
Podcast
With days to go until a large chunk of the federal government runs out of money needed to keep it operating, Congress is still struggling to find a compromise spending plan. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court agreed to hear — this year — a case that pits federal requirements for emergency treatment against state abortion bans. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet, and Tami Luhby of CNN join KFF Health News chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews American Medical Association President Jesse Ehrenfeld about the choppy waters facing the nation’s physicians in 2024.
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.
Amazon Wants You To Be Its Patient, Buying One Medical In $3.9B Deal
July 22, 2022
Morning Briefing
Media outlets explain why the move is significant for Amazon and the future of the health care industry, and also highlight early concerns about the deal’s impact on medical data privacy.
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': 2023 Is a Wrap
December 21, 2023
Podcast
2023 was another busy year in health care. As the covid-19 pandemic waned, policymakers looked anew at long-standing obstacles to obtaining and paying for care in the nation’s health care system. Meanwhile, abortion has continued to be an issue in much of the nation, as states respond to the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision overturning the constitutional right to the procedure. This week, Rachel Cohrs of Stat, Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call, and Joanne Kenen of Johns Hopkins University and Politico Magazine join KFF Health News chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and wrap up the year in health. Also this week, Rovner interviews KFF Health News’ Jordan Rau about his joint KFF Health News-New York Times series “Dying Broke.”
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Alabama’s IVF Ruling Still Making Waves
February 29, 2024
Podcast
Lawmakers in Congress and state legislatures are scrambling to react to the ruling by the Alabama Supreme Court that frozen embryos created for in vitro fertilization are legally children. Abortion opponents are divided among themselves, with some supporting full “personhood” for fertilized eggs, while others support IVF as a moral way to have children. Rachel Cohrs of Stat, Riley Griffin of Bloomberg News, and Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins University schools of nursing and public health and Politico Magazine join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews University of Pittsburgh law professor Greer Donley, who explains how a 150-year-old anti-vice law that’s still on the books could be used to ban abortion nationwide. Plus, for “extra credit,” the panelists suggest health policy stories they read this week that they think you should read, too.
