The State of Vaccine Supply: ‘Opaque.’ Unpredictable. ‘Hard to Pin Down.’
By Julie Appleby
February 5, 2021
KFF Health News Original
Americans’ frustrations surrounding the amount of available covid vaccine hinges on several factors — not the least of which is that demand far exceeds supply.
LA County Authorities Cautious Despite Declining COVID Numbers
By Bernard J. Wolfson
September 3, 2020
KFF Health News Original
The county, a hotbed of coronavirus infection in California, has seen a steady reduction in positive test results, new cases, hospitalizations and deaths over the past few weeks. But officials are concerned about public behavior over the Labor Day holiday weekend and wary of relaxing strictures too soon.
Bipartisan Bill Would Alert Those Nearing Medicare Age About Late Fees
March 3, 2022
Morning Briefing
A growing number of Americans who don’t qualify for automatic enrollment at age 65 can get hit by Medicare Part B financial penalties if they don’t sign up by the time they are eligible. A Senate-introduced bill aims to inform people before that point — many of whom are unaware of the late-enrollment fees. Other Medicare news stories report on drug prices, nursing home quality, and more.
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Year-End Bill Holds Big Health Changes
January 5, 2023
Podcast
The year-end spending bill passed by Congress in late December contains a wide array of health-related provisions, including a structure for states to begin to disenroll people on Medicaid whose coverage has been maintained through the pandemic. Meanwhile, the Biden administration is taking steps to make the abortion pill more widely available. Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico, Rachel Cohrs of Stat, and Rachel Roubein of The Washington Post join KHN’s chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these topics and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Mark Kreidler, who reported and wrote the latest KHN-NPR “Bill of the Month” feature about a billing mix-up that took about a year to sort out.
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Biden Budget Touches All the Bases
March 10, 2023
Podcast
Very little in the proposed budget released by the Biden administration is likely to become law, particularly with Republicans in charge of the U.S. House. Still, the document is an important statement of the president’s policy priorities, and it’s clear health programs are among those he feels are important. Meanwhile, five women who were denied abortions when their pregnancies threatened their lives are suing Texas. Shefali Luthra of The 19th, Victoria Knight of Axios, and Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Harris Meyer, who reported and wrote the two latest KHN-NPR “Bill of the Month” features. Both were about families facing unexpected bills following childbirth.
The Cost Of People Who Went To The ER But Didn’t Need To? $47B Yearly
October 1, 2021
Morning Briefing
Modern Healthcare covers news about incorrect use of hospital emergency services and the huge costs incurred each year. Also in the news, a potential Kaiser Permanente strike; the struggle to train new nursing staff; medical AI company Dascena; ransomware attacks and more.
Ever Heard of a Surgical Assistant? Meet a New Boost to Your Medical Bills
By Markian Hawryluk
July 22, 2020
KFF Health News Original
A college student’s bill for outpatient knee surgery is a whopper — $96K — but the most mysterious part is a $1,167 charge from a health care provider she didn’t even know was in the operating room.
Stores Sold Out Of Covid Tests? Things May Improve As FDA OKs Another One
October 5, 2021
Morning Briefing
The at-home test from ACON Laboratories likely will double testing capacity in the next few weeks, a top FDA official said. The FDA also greenlighted a new at-home test kit for covid and influenza A/B for ages 2 and up that can be ordered by a physician.
KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: Who Will Pay For COVID-19 Care?
April 9, 2020
KFF Health News Original
The spread of COVID-19 is prompting changes in pricing, coverage and other health care issues that have been subjects of political debate for years. But the politics remain polarized. Paige Winfield Cunningham of The Washington Post and Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss this and more. Also, for extra credit, the panelists suggest their favorite health policy stories of the week that they think you should read, too.
Epidemia de obesidad en los Estados Unidos amenaza la eficacia de una vacuna contra COVID
By Sarah Varney
August 6, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Otras vacunas han demostrado ser menos efectivas en adultos obesos que en la población general, dejándolos más vulnerables a infecciones y enfermedades.
Main Flu Strain Has Mutated; Current Flu Vaccines May Not Prevent Infection
December 17, 2021
Morning Briefing
It’s bad news for the vaccine, said Scott Hensley, a professor of microbiology at the University of Pennsylvania who led the study. Flu vaccines protect against four strains: H3N2, H1N1 and two strains of influenza B. The study covers just H3N2, but that happens to be the main circulating strain.
KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Democrats in Array (For Now)
August 20, 2020
KFF Health News Original
In a highly produced, made-for-TV political convention, Democrats papered over their differences on a variety of issues, including health care, to show a unified front to defeat President Donald Trump in November. Meanwhile, COVID-19 continues to complicate efforts to get students back to school, and a federal judge blocks the Trump administration’s efforts to eliminate anti-discrimination protections for transgender people. Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Paige Winfield Cunningham of The Washington Post and Shefali Luthra of The 19th join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss this and more. Plus, for extra credit, the panelists recommend their favorite health stories of the week they think you should read, too.
Fauci Vs. His Republican Critics
November 29, 2021
Morning Briefing
Dr. Anthony Fauci is firing back at Republicans like Senator Ted Cruz, who have attacked him. In other news from the nation’s capital, the NIH director says it may be two or three weeks before scientists know enough about the new variant and the Supreme Court hearing an abortion case and a 340B case.
Congressional Candidates Go Head-To-Head On Health Care — Again
By Ana B. Ibarra
February 24, 2020
KFF Health News Original
The California Democratic members of Congress who flipped seven Republican seats two years ago made health care a major campaign issue, criticizing their opponents for voting to repeal the Affordable Care Act. As the Democrats defend their seats in this year’s elections, they are coming back to health care — but the issues are different.
Un sistema de salud pública devastado enfrenta más recortes en medio del virus
By Lauren Weber and Laura Ungar and Michelle R. Smith, The Associated Press and Hannah Recht and Anna Maria Barry-Jester
July 1, 2020
KFF Health News Original
El sistema de salud pública de los Estados Unidos ha subsistido en la precariedad durante décadas y carece de los recursos necesarios para enfrentar la peor crisis de salud en un siglo.
KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: All Coronavirus All The Time
April 2, 2020
KFF Health News Original
The COVID-19 pandemic is forcing changes to the U.S. health system that were previously unthinkable. Yet some fights ― including over the Affordable Care Act and abortion — persist even in this time of national emergency. Joanne Kenen of Politico, Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times and Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss this and more. Also, Rovner interviews KHN’s Liz Szabo about the latest installment of KHN-NPR’s “Bill of the Month.”
Listen: The Hard-Knock Health Law Turns 10 Amid Pandemic
By Julie Rovner
March 23, 2020
KFF Health News Original
On the 10th anniversary of the Affordable Care Act, Kaiser Health News chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner and Kaiser Family Foundation Executive Vice President Larry Levitt put the law in perspective.
Investigation Finds Medicare Insurers Drew $9.2B From Controversial Billing Practices
September 22, 2021
Morning Briefing
The Wall Street Journal reports on an investigation from Office of Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services that also determined that half of that money went to 20 insurers. Other Medicare and Medicaid developments are also in today’s news.
Newsom Touts California’s ‘Public Option.’ Wait — What Public Option?
By Ana B. Ibarra
February 11, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Gov. Gavin Newsom says the state already has a public option: Covered California, the state health insurance exchange. While there is no single definition of a public option, some health care experts say that’s a stretch.
When Green Means Stop: How Safety Messages Got So Muddled
By Nina Feldman, WHYY
August 4, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Philadelphia is in the “restricted green” reopening phase. What does that mean? And why does the U.S. have so many different pandemic safety rules?