Need to Get Plan B or an HIV Test Online? Facebook May Know About It
By Darius Tahir Simon Fondrie-Teitler, The Markup
June 30, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Twelve of the largest drugstores in the U.S. sent shoppers’ sensitive health information to Facebook or other platforms, according to an investigation by The Markup and KFF Health News.
New Social Security Report Shows Growing Overpayment Problem Tops $23B
By Jodie Fleischer, Cox Media Group KFF Health News Staff
November 17, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Social Security has been overpaying recipients for years, then demanding the money back, leaving people with bills for up to tens of thousands of dollars or more.
Proposed PFAS Rule Would Cost Companies Estimated $1B; Lacks Limits and Cleanup Requirement
By Michael Scaturro
July 10, 2023
KFF Health News Original
A proposed Environmental Protection Agency rule calls for companies to disclose PFAS manufactured or imported since 2011. The chemical industry is upset because such compliance would cost an estimated $1 billion, while environmental health advocates worry because the rule wouldn’t ban the chemicals outright.
Patients Squeezed in Fight Over Who Gets to Bill for Pricey Infusion Drugs
By Samantha Liss
July 5, 2023
KFF Health News Original
To drive down costs, insurers are bypassing hospital system pharmacies and delivering high-priced infusion drugs, including some used in chemotherapy, via third-party pharmacies. Smarting from losing out on billing for those drugs, hospitals and clinics are trying to convince states to limit this practice, known as “white bagging.”
Misinformation Clouds America’s Most Popular Emergency Contraception
By Sarah Varney
June 7, 2022
KFF Health News Original
At a moment when half of U.S. states stand poised to outlaw or sharply curtail abortion services, the nation’s most popular emergency contraception brand rests in the unlikely stewardship of two private equity firms.
Schools, Sheriffs, and Syringes: State Plans Vary for Spending $26B in Opioid Settlement Funds
By Aneri Pattani
November 22, 2022
KFF Health News Original
The cash represents an unprecedented opportunity to derail the opioid epidemic, but with countless groups advocating for their share of the pie, the impact could depend heavily on geography and politics.
Payback: Tracking the Opioid Settlement Cash
April 20, 2023
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Featured Story Map of Opioid Settlement Cash Table of state councils Localize The Data If you are a journalist who wants to investigate opioid settlement transparency data for your area, here’s how you can do that. Curious to See How Much Opioid Settlement Cash Your Locality Received? Share Your Settlement Story Do you have concerns […]
A Needle Exchange Project Modeled on Urban Efforts Aims to Save Lives in Rural Nevada
By Jazmin Orozco Rodriguez
August 24, 2022
KFF Health News Original
Five years after HIV tore through a rural Indiana town as a result of widespread drug use, a syringe and needle exchange program was set up in rural Nevada to prevent a similar event.
As Big Pharma and Hospitals Battle Over Drug Discounts, Patients Miss Out on Millions in Benefits
By Sarah Jane Tribble Emily Featherston, InvestigateTV
November 16, 2021
KFF Health News Original
The number of pharmacies dispensing 340B discounted drugs soared to more than 31,000 this year. Drugmakers struck back by halting some discounts. Hospitals say they are losing millions of dollars — and cutting back services to patients — as a result.
Journalists Discuss Medicaid Rules, Opioid Settlement Funds, and the Public Health Workforce
December 3, 2022
KFF Health News Original
KHN and California Healthline staff made the rounds on national and local media this week to discuss their stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.
Out for Blood? For Routine Lab Work, the Hospital Billed Her $2,400
By Rachana Pradhan
November 21, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Convenient as it may be, beware of getting your blood drawn at a hospital. The cost could be much higher than at an independent lab, and your insurance might not cover it all.
Medicare Enrollees Can Switch Coverage Now. Here’s What’s New and What to Consider.
By Julie Appleby
October 16, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Fall is the time when enrollees in the federal program for older people and people with certain disabilities can make changes to their health and drug plans. The decision can be complicated, but here are some key points to keep in mind.
Florida Sen. Rick Scott Off Base in Claim That Rise in Medicare Premiums Is Due to Inflation
By Phil Galewitz
November 24, 2021
KFF Health News Original
The Republican senator says President Joe Biden’s “inflation crisis” caused Medicare to raise monthly premiums, which will add hundreds of dollars to beneficiaries’ costs. But Medicare experts say inflation was not to blame and most beneficiaries will shoulder a much smaller increase than what Rick Scott claims.
A Guide to Help You Keep Up With the Omicron Subvariants
By Louis Jacobson, PolitiFact
May 6, 2022
KFF Health News Original
How different are the seemingly endless stream of emerging omicron subvariants from one another and how protected are we?
Ohio Voted on Abortion. Next Year, 11 More States Might, Too.
By Bram Sable-Smith
November 8, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Ohio is the latest state where voters have directly weighed in on abortion, and the next wave of such ballot measures is in the works in at least 11 other states, including Missouri.
Watch: She Almost Died. The $250K Debt Took Their House.
June 21, 2022
KFF Health News Original
CBS Evening News spotlights Jim and Cindy Powers, who faced crippling medical debt.
For Young People on Medicare, a Hysterectomy Sometimes Is More Affordable Than Birth Control
By Gina Jiménez
March 7, 2023
KFF Health News Original
While Medicare was designed as health insurance for those 65 and older, it also covers people with disabilities who are young enough to still get pregnant. Yet they often struggle to get their birth control covered and end up with large medical bills — or instead opt for hysterectomies or tubal ligations, which Medicare sometimes will cover.
A GOP Talking Point Suggests Birth Control Is Not at Risk. Evidence Suggests Otherwise.
By Julie Rovner
August 5, 2022
KFF Health News Original
Republicans say Democrats are wrong to claim that birth control could be the Supreme Court’s next target. But Democrats have plenty of evidence that it might be.
Grandes farmacéuticas y hospitales pelean por los descuentos en medicamentos, y los pacientes pierden millones en beneficios
By Sarah Jane Tribble Emily Featherston, InvestigateTV
November 16, 2021
KFF Health News Original
Fabricantes de medicamentos se niegan a ofrecer descuentos a miles de farmacias contratadas por los hospitales, diciendo que el programa ha crecido más allá de su uso previsto.
Clinics Say State’s New Medicaid Drug Program Will Force Them to Cut Services
By Samantha Young
January 10, 2022
KFF Health News Original
On Jan. 1, California started buying prescription drugs for its nearly 14 million Medicaid enrollees, a responsibility that had primarily been held by managed-care insurance plans. State officials estimate California will save hundreds of millions of dollars by flexing its purchasing power, but some health clinics expect to lose money.
