Hospital Investigated for Allegedly Denying an Emergency Abortion After Patient’s Water Broke
By Harris Meyer
November 1, 2022
KFF Health News Original
Federal officials have ordered the probe after reports that a woman whose water broke at 18 weeks could not get medical care recommended by her doctors to end the pregnancy because hospital officials were concerned about Missouri’s strict abortion law.
Inflation Reduction Act Contains Important Cost-Saving Changes for Many Patients — Maybe for You
By Michael McAuliff
August 12, 2022
KFF Health News Original
The legislation, which the House is expected to pass Friday, would allow the federal government, for the first time, to negotiate the price of some drugs that Medicare buys. It also would extend the enhanced subsidies for people who buy insurance on the Affordable Care Act marketplaces.
Will the US Overcome Its Covid Complacency Even as the Threat Returns?
By Elisabeth Rosenthal
June 15, 2022
KFF Health News Original
One million Americans have died from covid-19 — far more per capita than in any other developed country. A new variant is doubling case rates in some states, and more than 300 people are dying a day. But our nation’s pandemic response has become mild-mannered and performative, backed by neither money, urgency, nor enforcement.
Hospitals Push For Medicare Advantage Boost To Cover 340B Drugs
April 23, 2024
Morning Briefing
Hospitals are arguing that since a Supreme Court ruling has reversed cuts made to 340B rates in 2018, Medicare Advantage reimbursement must be adjusted accordingly. Separately, a study shows drug representatives who meet with doctors have no effect on cancer patients’ survival rates.
PBMs, the Brokers Who Control Drug Prices, Finally Get Washington’s Attention
By Arthur Allen
May 11, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Drugmakers, pharmacies, and physicians blame pharmacy benefit managers for high drug prices. Congress is finally on board, too, but will it matter?
Medicare Paid $2B On Thousands Of Unessential Back Surgeries: Analysis
November 14, 2024
Morning Briefing
In other news, University of Illinois nurses strike; Baystate Health makes leadership cuts; St. Louis University tackles a lack of palliative care; and more.
Asheville, NC, Finally Has Clean Water To Drink, Nearly 2 Months After Helene
November 19, 2024
Morning Briefing
A boil-water notice — put in place because of lingering sediment from the destructive September storm — was lifted Monday. In related news, the Biden administration has asked Congress for $100B in emergency disaster funds.
If You’re Taking Toddlers Abroad, Get MMR Jabs, CDC Advises
March 19, 2024
Morning Briefing
The vaccine advice comes amid rising U.S. and international cases of measles. But it’s also norovirus and flu season, and influenza B in particular is surging, USA Today reports.
Morning Briefing for Friday, October 27, 2023
October 27, 2023
Morning Briefing
Vaccine, HIV relief funds, “yellow flag” gun laws, health worker burnout, 340B discounts, covid, miscarriages, and more are in the news.
Congress Scrambles For Plan B After Trump, Musk Torpedo Spending Deal
December 19, 2024
Morning Briefing
The stopgap bill was stuffed with unrelated policy measures, which President-elect Donald Trump blasted on social media as “[giving] the Democrats everything they want.” The clock is now ticking on a Friday night deadline for a federal government shutdown.
KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Roe v. Wade’s (Possibly Last) Anniversary
January 20, 2022
KFF Health News Original
Jan. 22 marks the 49th — and very likely last — anniversary of the Supreme Court’s landmark abortion decision, Roe v. Wade. The court’s conservative supermajority seems poised to overturn later this year the ruling that legalized abortion nationwide. Also this week, the Biden administration turns 1, with much of its domestic and health agenda yet unrealized. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Shefali Luthra of the 19th, and Kimberly Leonard of Insider join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the Susan B. Anthony List, about what a post-Roe world might look like.
While Inflation Takes a Toll on Seniors, Billions of Dollars in Benefits Go Unused
By Judith Graham
September 12, 2022
KFF Health News Original
With prices of necessities rising dramatically, many older Americans are having trouble making ends meet. They often don’t know that help is available from a variety of programs, and some sources of financial assistance are underused.
Concerns Rise Over Vitamin B3 And Link To Heart Health Risks
February 20, 2024
Morning Briefing
News outlets report on worrying results from a study that linked niacin — vitamin B3 — with increased risks of heart attack and stroke. The vitamin is, by law, added to cereal products. Also in the news: lab-grown testicles; inflammatory bowel disease drugs; and more.
Many Preventive Medical Services Cost Patients Nothing. Will a Texas Court Decision Change That?
By Julie Appleby
September 9, 2022
KFF Health News Original
A federal judge in Texas issued a decision this week that affects the Affordable Care Act. It says one way that preventive services are selected for no-cost coverage is unconstitutional.
Supreme Court Won’t Hear PhRMA Appeal Of Arkansas’ Contract Pharmacy Law
December 10, 2024
Morning Briefing
The drug industry’s application for a hearing was declined by the Supreme Court Monday. Arkansas’ law allows hospitals to use contract third-party pharmacies while participating in the federal 340B discount program. Other states have similar laws.
Cancer Screenings In The US Cost Roughly $43B A Year, Study Shows
August 6, 2024
Morning Briefing
The study’s author says that figure is probably higher, though, because of limitations on the data collected. Despite the hefty price tag, the American Cancer Society chief executive maintains that “early detection allows a better chance of survival. Full stop.”
As Links to MS Deepen, Researchers Accelerate Efforts to Develop an Epstein-Barr Vaccine
By Liz Szabo
October 19, 2022
KFF Health News Original
Recent leaps in medical research have lent urgency to the quest to develop a vaccine against Epstein-Barr, a ubiquitous virus that has been linked to a range of illnesses, from mononucleosis to multiple sclerosis and several cancers.
Hidden Costs Of Extreme Heat Landed California With $7.7B Bill
July 10, 2024
Morning Briefing
A new report says a decade’s worth of indirect costs from heat waves, such as lost productivity and health care for heat-related injuries, totaled more than $7.7 billion in California. Separately, the Sacramento Bee reports on how California police are spending $50 million on wellness care.
Insurers Bilked $50B From Medicare For Dubious Diagnoses, Review Finds
July 8, 2024
Morning Briefing
In its analysis of the Medicare Advantage program, The Wall Street Journal looked at details of “doctor visits, hospital stays, prescriptions and other care.” Separately, a Stat review has found that more than two dozen Medicare Advantage insurers now qualify for big taxpayer-funded bonuses.
In California, Abortion Could Become a Constitutional Right. So Could Birth Control.
By Rachel Bluth
August 5, 2022
KFF Health News Original
Proposition 1, the constitutional amendment that would enshrine abortion in California’s constitution, would also lock in a right that has gotten less attention: the right to “choose or refuse” contraception.
