HHS Enforcement Of 340B Program Up In Air With Conflicting Court Rulings
November 8, 2021
Morning Briefing
As hospitals and pharmaceutical companies fight in court over the prescription drug discount program, the oversight power of the Health Resources and Services Administration is also at issue.
Study Finds A Cancer Drug Could Help Quash HIV Infections
January 27, 2022
Morning Briefing
Pembrolizumab, also known as Keytruda, may be able to flush out HIV from immune cells in people who’ve controlled their infections. Among other news, a Gilead anti-cancer drug may have hit a serious safety snag in trials, and out-of-pocket expenses for hepatitis B drugs have been rising.
KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Still Waiting for That Trump Health Plan
August 6, 2020
KFF Health News Original
President Donald Trump keeps promising a comprehensive plan to replace the Affordable Care Act. And he keeps not delivering. Meanwhile, members of Congress and White House officials seem unable to agree on a new COVID-19 relief bill. And Missouri becomes the sixth state where voters approved a Medicaid expansion ballot measure. Tami Luhby of CNN, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico and Kimberly Leonard of Business Insider join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss this and more. Plus, for extra credit, the panelists recommend their favorite health stories of the week they think you should read, too.
Proposed 340B Rule Retracted That Would Have Jolted Community Clinics
October 1, 2021
Morning Briefing
The Health Resources and Services Administration pulled back a rule proposed by the Trump administration that would have required community health clinics to pass savings from reduced 340B pricing on insulin and Epi-Pens directly to patients instead of reinvesting in local services.
‘No Mercy’ Explores the Fallout After a Small Town Loses Its Hospital
By Sarah Jane Tribble
September 29, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Listen to “Where It Hurts,” each episode debuting on Tuesdays, from Sept. 29 through Nov. 10. When Mercy Hospital Fort Scott shut its doors, locals lost care. Health workers lost jobs. The hole left behind is bigger than a hospital. Season One is “No Mercy.”
COVID Crackdowns at Work Have Saved Black and Latino Lives, LA Officials Say
By Anna Almendrala
October 15, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Strict enforcement of coronavirus protocols at factories and shops where some of the worst outbreaks have occurred has reduced the racial and ethnic disparities in COVID deaths and illness, say public health officials. They want to expand the effort by creating workplace safety councils.
Trump Administration Approves First Medicaid Block Grant, in Tennessee
By Phil Galewitz
January 8, 2021
KFF Health News Original
The plan, long endorsed by conservatives, would give the state broad authority in running the health insurance program for the poor in exchange for capping its annual federal funding.
KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: High Court’s Surprising Abortion Decision
June 29, 2020
KFF Health News Original
In a decision that surprised both sides of the polarized abortion debate, the Supreme Court struck down a Louisiana law that would require doctors who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico and Jennifer Haberkorn of the Los Angeles Times join KHN’s Julie Rovner to break down what happened, what comes next and how this case could provide a clue to the one challenging the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act.
Republican Convention, Day 2: Pomp, the Pandemic and Planned Parenthood
By the staffs of KHN and PolitiFact
August 26, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Tuesday night’s speakers offered positive views on President Donald Trump’s handling of the pandemic. The first lady and Trump, himself, took advantage of the trappings of the White House in setting the scene.
As Drug Prices Keep Rising, State Lawmakers Propose Tough New Bills to Curb Them
By Harris Meyer
February 12, 2021
KFF Health News Original
The measures would impose taxes on increases in the price of drugs that don’t reflect improved clinical value and set the rates paid by state-run and commercial health plans to a benchmark based on prices in Canada.
In Search of the Shot
February 25, 2021
KFF Health News Original
KHN readers detail their frustrations and successes as they hunt for a scarce covid-19 vaccine.
Bipartisan Bill Would Alert Those Nearing Medicare Age About Late Fees
March 3, 2022
Morning Briefing
A growing number of Americans who don’t qualify for automatic enrollment at age 65 can get hit by Medicare Part B financial penalties if they don’t sign up by the time they are eligible. A Senate-introduced bill aims to inform people before that point — many of whom are unaware of the late-enrollment fees. Other Medicare news stories report on drug prices, nursing home quality, and more.
Cities Brace For ‘Collision Course’ Of Heat Waves And COVID-19
By Brett Dahlberg, WXXI
June 25, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Rochester, New York, and other cities have already weathered the first blasts of excessive heat, and they have done it while cooling centers and spray parks have been closed due to the pandemic.
B.1.1.7 Is Now ‘Alpha’: WHO To Rename Covid Variants
June 1, 2021
Morning Briefing
The current series of complex numbers and letters makes it hard to keep B.1.351 straight from B.1.671.2. So the World Health Organization is set to unveil a new naming convention that uses the Greek alphabet instead. Experts also hope that the change will alleviate location stigmas associated with virus variants.
‘An Arm And A Leg’: The $7,000 COVID Test And Other Lessons From SEASON-19
By Dan Weissmann
June 1, 2020
KFF Health News Original
“An Arm and a Leg” wraps an all-COVID podcast season with three different perspectives on what the pandemic is costing us — and what might come next.
Stop Blaming Tuskegee, Critics Say. It’s Not an ‘Excuse’ for Current Medical Racism.
By April Dembosky, KQED
March 25, 2021
KFF Health News Original
The Tuskegee syphilis study is often cited as a reason Black Americans might hesitate to take the covid-19 vaccine. But many people say that current racism in health care and lack of access deserve more attention to move more Black Americans toward vaccine protection.
‘All You Want Is to Be Believed’: The Impacts of Unconscious Bias in Health Care
By April Dembosky, KQED
October 21, 2020
KFF Health News Original
One woman shares her experience trying to get care in a Bay Area hospital for COVID symptoms. At nearly every turn, a doctor dismissed her complaints. Is bias part of why people of color are disproportionately affected by the coronavirus?
KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: Protests And The Pandemic
June 4, 2020
KFF Health News Original
The outrage over the death of an African American man, George Floyd, after he was restrained and knelt on by Minneapolis police officers has sparked national protests, including in places where the coronavirus is still spreading. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump’s attempt to withdraw the U.S. from the World Health Organization could have ramifications for Americans. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Mary Agnes Carey of KHN and Joanne Kenen of Politico join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss this and more. Also, Rovner interviews Jonathan Oberlander, a University of North Carolina health policy professor and the editor of the Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law, about articles examining the COVID-19 pandemic through the lens of health inequity and structural racism.
Watch: Teaching Teens How To Navigate Racism In America
June 26, 2020
KFF Health News Original
KHN Midwest correspondent Cara Anthony appeared on KSDK’s “Today in St. Louis” with host Rene Knott to discuss the unwritten rules that Black teens learn to try to safely navigate other people’s racist assumptions.
KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: A Little Good News and Some Bad on COVID-19
October 22, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Glimmers of hope are beginning to appear in the fight against the coronavirus, such as a decreasing death rate. But there’s not-so-good news, too, including a push for “herd immunity,” which could result in millions more deaths. Meanwhile, the Trump administration doubles down on work requirements for Medicaid. Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Paige Winfield Cunningham of The Washington Post and Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Plus, for extra credit, the panelists recommend their favorite health policy stories of the week they think you should read, too.
