Medicare Releases Draft Proposal For Patient Observation Notice
By Susan Jaffe
June 15, 2016
KFF Health News Original
Although there is widespread agreement on the need to let people know if they haven’t been admitted, the language proposed by federal officials hasn’t satisfied everyone.
Medicare’s Drug-Pricing Experiment Stirs Opposition
By Julie Appleby
May 25, 2016
KFF Health News Original
A proposal to change the way Medicare pays for some drugs has set off intense reaction and lobbying — all tied to a common theme: How far should the government go in setting prices for prescription drugs?
Another Reason To Diet: Experts Find Additional Evidence Of Obesity-Cancer Link
By Zhai Yun Tan
August 24, 2016
KFF Health News Original
A review by the International Agency for Research on Cancer reaffirms earlier findings that excess body fat increases the risks for certain cancers.
In Philadelphia, Neighbors Learn How To Help Save Shooting Victims
By Taunya English, WHYY
September 7, 2016
KFF Health News Original
A first-aid class in Philadelphia is designed to help people learn how to keep shooting victims alive until the paramedics arrive. It teaches skills such as applying tourniquets to stop bleeding.
Candidates Decry High Drug Prices, But They Have Few Options For Voters
By Julie Rovner
September 16, 2016
KFF Health News Original
Drug prices rise for a variety of reasons but opportunities for the government to control them is limited.
Doctors Get Creative To Distract Tech-Savvy Kids Before Surgery
By Jenny Gold
Photos by Heidi de Marco
July 12, 2016
KFF Health News Original
Anxiety before surgery can be dangerous for kids. Medication can help calm them down. But an anesthesiologist in California has come up with a safer, cheaper and much more entertaining alternative.
Advance Planning For Your End-Of-Life Care
By Emily Bazar
July 7, 2016
KFF Health News Original
A new health benefit available to millions of Californians encourages people to discuss end-of-life care options with their doctors.
Researchers Identify A Key Weapon of Zika Virus
By Carmen Heredia Rodriguez
August 11, 2016
KFF Health News Original
University of Southern California scientists determined the virus uses certain types of protein to interrupt the brain development of fetuses. The finding is a step toward the possible development of an intervention that could prevent the infection from leading to microcephaly.
Gov’t Task Force Finds Evidence Lacking to Support Visual Skin Cancer Screenings
By Carmen Heredia Rodriguez
July 26, 2016
KFF Health News Original
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force concluded that insufficient evidence exists regarding the benefits and harms of visual skin cancer exams.
Pricey New Treatment Roils Issues Of How To Treat Prostate Cancer
By Julie Appleby
October 5, 2016
KFF Health News Original
High-intensity focused ultrasound, often not covered by insurance, leads to discussions about which patients benefit in the real world.
‘Don’t Cut Me!’: Discouraged By Experts, Episiotomies Still Common In Some Hospitals
By Jocelyn Wiener
July 19, 2016
KFF Health News Original
Overall rates are falling in California and nationally but data point to certain hospitals with extremely high percentages.
Despite New Access To Health Insurance, Drug-Treatment Rates For Ex-Offenders Barely Changed
By Jay Hancock
June 6, 2016
KFF Health News Original
More emerging prisoners are covered by Medicaid, but they still face barriers in navigating the health system, researchers said.
FAQ: Medicare Lays Out Plans For Changing Doctors’ Pay
By Mary Agnes Carey
April 29, 2016
KFF Health News Original
The effort, which will replace a controversial reimbursement schedule that began in 1997, is designed to move away from paying for quantity of services and focus instead on quality.
FAQ: Hospital Observation Care Can Be Costly For Medicare Patients
By Susan Jaffe
August 29, 2016
KFF Health News Original
A guide to help Medicare patients receiving observation care.
5 Things To Know About The Supreme Court’s Texas Abortion Decision
By Julie Rovner
July 1, 2016
KFF Health News Original
It was a big win for pro-abortion rights advocates, but abortion opponents are not daunted. Stay tuned for how it will affect presidential politics and the next generation of women voters.
Will Covered California Sell Health Coverage To The Undocumented?
By Ana B. Ibarra
April 26, 2016
KFF Health News Original
California is inching closer to a first-in-the-nation request for a federal ruling that would allow the state’s Obamacare exchange to sell health plans to immigrants who are living in the country illegally.
Medicaid Block Grants Advocated By GOP Could Reduce Federal Spending By $150B Over 5 Years
February 7, 2017
Morning Briefing
The analysis by consulting firm Avalere also suggests states would have to put in more money to keep the same services. In other news, efforts to overhaul the health law raise concerns about new Medicaid coverage among the homeless, Medicaid issues are on the agenda in the Kansas legislature and a doctor staffing company agrees to pay $60 million to settle allegations that it overbilled Medicaid and Medicare.
Young Boy’s Struggle To Survive Sparked Push For Drugs For Terminally Ill
By Liz Szabo
October 3, 2016
KFF Health News Original
Ten-year-old Josh Hardy died last month. His struggle to survive helped to spur laws to get unapproved drugs to the terminally ill.
Medicare To Test New Payment Approaches For Some Prescription Medications
By Julie Appleby
March 9, 2016
KFF Health News Original
Regulators unveiled a two-part plan that will change payments and test ways in which the Medicare Part B program can change the incentives that some policy experts say encourage doctors to choose higher-cost medications.
Factors Beyond Coverage Limit Mental Health Care Access
By Shefali Luthra
June 6, 2016
KFF Health News Original
According to a new study, the health law’s insurance expansions have helped more people gain access to mental health services. But racial and ethnic disparities continue.
