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.
Purdue Pharma Pleads Guilty, Will Pay $8.3B To Settle Criminal Charges Over Opioid Sales
October 22, 2020
Morning Briefing
The massive settlement deal also covers civil cases against the maker of the painkiller OxyContin.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Listen: Young Undocumented Californians Cheer Promise Of Health Benefits
By Sammy Caiola, Capital Public Radio
July 12, 2019
KFF Health News Original
California is the first in the nation to expand Medicaid to young adults living there without legal permission.
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.
In The Fight For Money For The Opioid Crisis, Will The Youngest Victims Be Left Out?
By Blake Farmer, Nashville Public Radio
December 13, 2019
KFF Health News Original
The opioid epidemic is intergenerational, with tens of thousands of babies born every year dependent on opioids. Advocates worry that settlement dollars resulting from lawsuits against the drug industry might not benefit these children.
Dream Of Retiring Abroad? The Reality: Medicare Doesn’t Travel Well
By Michelle Andrews
July 23, 2019
KFF Health News Original
More than 400,000 U.S. workers have retired in foreign countries and their ranks are rising. But Medicare doesn’t cover most expenses overseas, so these expats will need to confront the cost of finding alternative insurance.
Lawmakers Push To Stop Surprise ER Billing
By Ana B. Ibarra
May 29, 2019
KFF Health News Original
Millions of Californians are vulnerable to hefty surprise medical bills from their trips to the emergency room. Now, state lawmakers are considering a measure to cap how much out-of-network hospitals can charge privately insured patients for emergency care, which could serve as a model for other states.
Kathy Brandt, A Hospice Expert Who Invited The World Into Her Own Last Days With Cancer, Dies
By JoNel Aleccia
August 5, 2019
KFF Health News Original
Kathy Brandt and her wife, Kim Acquaviva, national experts in hospice and palliative care, shared intimate details of Brandt’s experience with terminal cancer before her death Sunday.
‘An Arm And A Leg’: Journalist Learns The Hard Way That CPAP Compliance Pays
By Dan Weissmann
July 17, 2019
KFF Health News Original
Check the fine print. When you get a prescription for expensive medical equipment, you may need to follow the doctor’s orders — to the letter — to get your health insurance company to pay up.
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.
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.
‘An Arm And A Leg’: Real Lessons Doctors Can Learn From Fake Patients
By Dan Weissmann
July 24, 2019
KFF Health News Original
Are physicians asking patients the right questions in order to provide good care? Laser-focused on biomedical symptoms, some doctors miss the psychosocial factors that can be a barrier to good health. In Episode 7 of the podcast, we hear about a creative study that uncovers how some medical errors happen.
As Sanders Officially Revives Medicare-For-All, Plan B For Democrats Gains Traction
By Shefali Luthra
April 11, 2019
KFF Health News Original
“Medicare for America” seeks to avoid some of the predictable obstacles of a full-blown expansion of Medicare. Can it survive the politics of health reform?
