Hospitals Block ‘Surprise Billing’ Measure In California
By Ana B. Ibarra
July 11, 2019
KFF Health News Original
California lawmakers on Wednesday pulled legislation that would have protected some patients from surprise medical bills for emergency care, citing opposition from hospitals. They vowed to resurrect the bill next year.
Medi-Cal Enrollment Among Immigrant Kids Stalls, Then Falls. Is Fear To Blame?
By Ana B. Ibarra
July 9, 2019
KFF Health News Original
Enrollment among undocumented immigrant children in California’s Medicaid program started strong before stagnating and then falling. Although this decline is similar to an enrollment decline among all children in Medicaid nationwide, experts believe there are different reasons behind it.
Some Academics Quietly Take Side Jobs Helping Tobacco Companies In Court
By Blake Farmer, Nashville Public Radio
November 12, 2019
KFF Health News Original
Faced with lawsuits from sick smokers, tobacco firms argue the health risks were “common knowledge” for decades, and they often pay professors to help make that point as expert witnesses.
Democratic Debate Brings ‘Medicare For All’ Divide Into Focus
July 1, 2019
KFF Health News Original
Reverberations from the Democratic presidential debate last week continue. One of the key issues that the candidates discussed was health care, and they had some differences in their plans, especially their views of a “Medicare for All” policy. Julie Rovner, the chief Washington correspondent for Kaiser Health News, joined NPR’s Sarah McCammon on “Weekend Edition […]
‘An Arm And A Leg’: How Much For Stitches In The ER? Hard To Gauge Upfront
By Dan Weissmann
December 5, 2019
KFF Health News Original
Consumers are admonished to be “smart shoppers,” but that’s difficult if health care prices are clear as mud. When Sarah Macsalka’s son needed stitches, she did her best to avoid the ER and still ended up with a $3,000 bill.
In Tornado Alley, Storms Are Even More Dangerous For People With Disabilities
By Jackie Fortiér, StateImpact Oklahoma
February 20, 2020
KFF Health News Original
As climate change bears down, a haphazard web of weather safeguards is a particular blow to the disabled. In Oklahoma, no state laws require homeowners or landlords to install storm shelters. If a community wants to open a storm shelter for the public, that’s up to local officials, But there’s no database that Oklahomans can consult showing where public or wheelchair-accessible shelters are located.
Want Ammo? Be Prepared For A Background Check
By Ana B. Ibarra
July 2, 2019
KFF Health News Original
A new law took effect Monday that requires anyone buying ammunition in California to undergo a background check at the time of each purchase. Public health leaders hope this, and other provisions of Proposition 63, will help reduce the rate of gun violence.
Must-Reads Of The Week From Brianna Labuskes
By Brianna Labuskes
February 14, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Newsletter editor Brianna Labuskes wades through hundreds of health care policy stories each week, so you don’t have to.
What To Do If Your Home Health Care Agency Ditches You
By Judith Graham
February 4, 2020
KFF Health News Original
If you’re told Medicare’s home health benefits have changed, don’t believe it: Coverage rules haven’t been altered and people are still entitled to the same types of services. All that has changed is how Medicare pays agencies.
A Conservative Group Paints Trump’s Drug-Pricing Experiment As ‘Socialist.’ Is It?
By Shefali Luthra
July 22, 2019
KFF Health News Original
The Americans for Tax Reform commercial takes too broad a brush against an initiative under consideration by the administration that would be part of the president’s promise to curb high drug prices.
Cuando la masculinidad se vuelve “tóxica”: un perfil de género de los tiroteos masivos
By Phillip Reese
October 3, 2019
KFF Health News Original
A nivel nacional, hubo 53 tiroteos masivos en áreas públicas durante ese tiempo, y todos menos tres involucraron a sospechosos de género masculino.
New Budget Boosts Health Coverage For Low-Income Californians
By Ana B. Ibarra
June 25, 2019
KFF Health News Original
California lawmakers spent big on Medi-Cal in the 2019-20 state budget, voting to cover more older residents and people with disabilities, restore benefits cut during the recession and open the program to eligible young adults who are in the country illegally.
U.S. Medical Panel Thinks Twice About Pushing Cognitive Screening For Dementia
By Judith Graham
February 25, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Because seniors are at higher risk of cognitive impairment, proponents say screening asymptomatic older adults is an important strategy to identify people who may be developing dementia and to improve their care. But the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force cited insufficient evidence the tests are helpful.
For Artist Inspired By Illness, ‘Gratitude Outweighs Pain’
By Cara Anthony
December 2, 2019
KFF Health News Original
After surviving two double lung transplants, Dylan Mortimer, a Kansas City artist, turns his battle with cystic fibrosis into joyous, whimsical art. Now Mortimer buys glitter by the pound and uses it to create mixed-media collages and sculptures for hospitals, private collectors and public spaces.
Must-Reads Of The Week From Brianna Labuskes
By Brianna Labuskes
January 24, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Newsletter editor Brianna Labuskes wades through hundreds of health care policy stories each week, so you don’t have to.
Administration To Extend $5B In Aid To Nursing Homes To Cope With COVID Surge
July 23, 2020
Morning Briefing
The funds, announced by President Donald Trump Wednesday, are part of renewed efforts to help facilities that care for seniors respond more effectively to the pandemic. Nursing homes in hard-hit areas will be prioritized first.
Listen: Abortion Laws Could Have Unexpected Consequences
May 15, 2019
KFF Health News Original
KHN’s Julie Rovner discusses on WBUR’s “Here and Now” some of the surprising ramifications that could follow abortion restrictions passed recently in some states.
Hepatitis A Races Across The Country
By Laura Ungar
August 13, 2019
KFF Health News Original
In the wake of the opioid crisis, the highly communicable hepatitis A virus is spreading in more than half the states and making its way into the general public. Underfunded health officials are valiantly trying to fight it with vaccines.
Drug Deals And Food Gone Bad Plague Corner Stores. How Neighbors Are Fighting Back.
By Cara Anthony
November 22, 2019
KFF Health News Original
Corner stores that provide groceries for those using the federal food stamp program have become magnets for violence just outside St. Louis. Gunshots ring out under the cover of darkness, windows are postered over, and the quality of food doesn’t make a trip to the corner store worth the risk. Now local residents are putting their feet down.
Funding Bill Advancing In House Has $24B In COVID Emergency Money
July 14, 2020
Morning Briefing
The emergency funding, that is part of a larger spending bill, was approved by the House Appropriations Committee Monday. Continued pandemic response is expected to be at the center of fierce congressional debate over the next few weeks.
