Listless And Lonely In Puerto Rico, Some Older Storm Survivors Consider Suicide
By Sarah Varney
May 10, 2018
KFF Health News Original
More than six months ago, Hurricane Maria upended routines and shuttered services on the island leading to a sense of despair and isolation, especially among older people.
At Meeting Of Key Medicare Advisers, Attendees Ponder: What Can Medicare Learn From Major League Baseball?
March 8, 2019
Morning Briefing
Members of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission met to discuss ways to curb high drug prices in Medicare Part B, the portion of Medicare that pays for drugs administered in a doctor’s office. The commission, which is made up of economists, doctors, and various other health policy experts, is not well-known outside of D.C., but their suggestions carry a lot of weight with lawmakers who are looking to improve Medicare.
As Proton Centers Struggle, A Sign Of A Health Care Bubble?
By Jay Hancock
May 2, 2018
KFF Health News Original
Companies pushed proton machines and counted on advertising, doctors and insurers to ensure a steady business treating cancer. But the dollars haven’t flowed in as expected.
Podcast: ‘What The Health?’ Should You Work For Your Medicaid Coverage?
January 12, 2018
KFF Health News Original
In this episode of “What The Health?” Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Sarah Kliff of Vox.com, Joanne Kenen of Politico and Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times discuss possible new work requirements for Medicaid recipients and the latest on renewing the Children’s Health Insurance Program, plus Rovner interviews Princeton health historian Paul Starr.
Podcast: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’ The State Of The (Health) Union
January 31, 2018
KFF Health News Original
In this episode of KHN’s “What the Health?” Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Alice Ollstein of Talking Points Memo and Julie Appleby and Sarah Jane Tribble of Kaiser Health News discuss President Donald Trump’s promises to reduce drug prices in his first State of the Union Address. The panelists also discuss the departure of the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention after conflict-of-interest reports and the efforts by some states to flout the Affordable Care Act.
Campus Voices: Should Student Health Centers Offer Abortion Pills?
By Ana B. Ibarra and Anna Gorman
March 9, 2018
KFF Health News Original
California lawmakers are considering a bill that would require student health centers at all of the state’s four-year public universities to carry the abortion pill. Students at campuses across the state sounded off on the proposal.
Podcast: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’ It’s Nerd Week
April 12, 2018
KFF Health News Original
In this episode of KHN’s “What the Health?” Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Sarah Kliff of Vox.com, Stephanie Armour of The Wall Street Journal and Paige Winfield Cunningham of The Washington Post discuss the Trump administration’s latest effort to revise rules for next year’s Affordable Care Act marketplaces. They also discuss state efforts to stabilize their individual markets in light of some of the changes being made at the federal level.
Podcast: ‘What The Health?’ CHIP (Finally) Gets Funded
January 25, 2018
KFF Health News Original
In this episode of “What The Health?” Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Joanne Kenen of Politico, Alice Ollstein of Talking Points Memo and Paige Winfield Cunningham of The Washington Post discuss the short-term spending bill passed by Congress that reopened the federal government and funded the Children’s Health Insurance Program for six years. The panelists also discussed the health programs still awaiting funding, and the intersection of religion and women’s health services at the Department of Health and Human Services.
In Weary Post-Storm Puerto Rico, Medicaid Cutbacks Bode New Ills
By Sarah Varney and Carmen Heredia Rodriguez
August 6, 2018
KFF Health News Original
The island’s government must squeeze $840.2 million in annual savings from Medicaid by 2023, part of the U.S. territory’s agreement with the federal government as Puerto Rico claws its way back from fiscal oblivion. Experts warn such drastic cuts defy actuarial science.
Following The Fire: Montana Scientists Seize Chance To Scrutinize Smoke Exposure
By Nora Saks, Montana Public Radio
February 27, 2018
KFF Health News Original
The health effects of extended smoke exposure are largely unknown because it’s difficult to conduct studies. But last summer’s wildfire season has handed scientists a unique opportunity for research.
Out-Of-Pocket Costs Put HIV Prevention Drug Out Of Reach For Many At Risk
By Shefali Luthra and Anna Gorman
July 3, 2018
KFF Health News Original
It’s getting increasingly difficult for patients to afford Truvada, also known as pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, because of the drug’s high price and insurance company efforts to restrict the use of coupons that shield patients from it.
Reversing An Overdose Isn’t Complicated, But Getting The Antidote Can Be
By Jake Harper, Side Effects Public Media
May 16, 2018
KFF Health News Original
Last month, U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams urged more Americans to carry and learn to use naloxone, which can save someone from an opioid overdose. But the drug, brand-name Narcan, can be difficult to get and expensive.
Si la Corte Suprema revoca Roe vs Wade, 22 estados podrían prohibir el aborto
By Julie Rovner
July 10, 2018
KFF Health News Original
La elección del presidente Donald Trump de un juez conservador como candidato a la Corte Suprema podría cambiar el mapa del aborto en el país.
KHN On NPR: The Uniquely American Problem Of High Prescription Drug Costs
February 12, 2018
KFF Health News Original
Kaiser Health News Editor-in-Chief Elisabeth Rosenthal discusses drug costs with Scott Simon, the host of NPR’s Weekend Edition. Listen to the broadcast and read a transcript of that conversation.
After Opioid Overdose, Only 30 Percent Get Medicine To Treat Addiction
By Martha Bebinger, WBUR
June 19, 2018
KFF Health News Original
Patients revived from an opioid overdose who get methadone or Suboxone treatment for addiction afterward are much more likely to be alive a year later, says a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Impact Of Drug Prices In TV Ads Mitigated If Consumers Think They Could Be Eligible For Free Treatment
January 24, 2019
Morning Briefing
A new study looked at the effectiveness of the Trump administration’s proposal to require drugmakers to state prices in TV commercials. While putting the costs in did affect consumers, the impact was muted if the ad’s language suggests that some people could get the treatment for free. In other pharmaceutical news: foreign drug pricing, the controversial 340B program, negotiating powers for Medicaid, and more.
Despite GOP Losing Control Of The House, Anti-Abortion Advocates Aren’t Worried About Movement’s Momentum
January 9, 2019
Morning Briefing
With Justice Brett Kavanaugh on the court, the anti-abortion movement is eager to see cases move through the judicial branch. “Our agenda is very focused on the executive branch, the coming election, and the courts,” said Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the anti-abortion organization Susan B. Anthony List. Abortion news comes out of Louisiana, as well.
Bristol-Meyers Announces $74B Merger With Celgene In Deal Primed To Have Sweeping Implications For Drug Industry
January 4, 2019
Morning Briefing
In the first major pharmaceutical deal of 2019, Bristol-Myers Squibb says it will buy Celgene, a maker of cancer-fighting drugs, in a merger valued at $74 billion. According to Stat, Bristol-Myers has been under pressure to set a new course since August 2016, when a big study of its cancer immunotherapy, Opdivo, failed to show a benefit in previously untreated patients with non-small cell lung cancer. Analysts look at what the deal means to the industry at large.
Male OB-GYNs Are Growing Rare. Is That A Problem?
By Alex Olgin, WFAE
April 27, 2018
KFF Health News Original
Nationally, women outnumber men as specialists in obstetrics and gynecology — yet women remain underrepresented in leadership roles. Many OB-GYN patients say they prefer female doctors, as residency programs strive for diversity in race, ethnicity and even gender.
New Health Industry Giant Emerges With Completion Of CVS’ $70B Acquisition Of Aetna
November 29, 2018
Morning Briefing
CVS faces a heavy lift in uniting two complicated companies with very different business models and approaches, but company leaders are optimistic that the merger will cut health care costs and improve consumers’ experience. The deal has been working its way through state and federal regulators for the past year, and finally gained the last go-ahead needed from New York this week.