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.
Some Academics Quietly Take Side Jobs Helping Tobacco Companies In Court
By Blake Farmer, Nashville Public Radio
November 12, 2019
KFF Health News Original
Faced with lawsuits from sick smokers, tobacco firms argue the health risks were “common knowledge” for decades, and they often pay professors to help make that point as expert witnesses.
New Budget Boosts Health Coverage For Low-Income Californians
By Ana B. Ibarra
June 25, 2019
KFF Health News Original
California lawmakers spent big on Medi-Cal in the 2019-20 state budget, voting to cover more older residents and people with disabilities, restore benefits cut during the recession and open the program to eligible young adults who are in the country illegally.
Bayer Pays Up To $4B For NC-Based Gene Therapy Firm AskBio
October 26, 2020
Morning Briefing
Bayer is offering $2 billion up front, and could pay out another $2 billion if the firm hits certain milestones, Stat reports.
How Lifesaving Organs For Transplant Go Missing In Transit
By JoNel Aleccia
February 10, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Scores of organs — mostly kidneys — are trashed each year and many more become critically delayed while being shipped on commercial airliners, a new investigation finds.
Coronavirus Stress Test: Many 5-Star Nursing Homes Have Infection-Control Lapses
By Jordan Rau
March 4, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Since the beginning of 2017, inspectors have cited more nursing homes for failing to ensure that all workers follow federal prevention and control protocols than for any other type of violation, according to federal records.
‘An Arm And A Leg’: How Much For Stitches In The ER? Hard To Gauge Upfront
By Dan Weissmann
December 5, 2019
KFF Health News Original
Consumers are admonished to be “smart shoppers,” but that’s difficult if health care prices are clear as mud. When Sarah Macsalka’s son needed stitches, she did her best to avoid the ER and still ended up with a $3,000 bill.
Searching For Safety: Where Children Hide When Gunfire Is All Too Common
By Cara Anthony
May 28, 2020
KFF Health News Original
The overall crime rate has dropped during the pandemic, but unfortunately gun violence has not. In St. Louis, at least 11 children have been killed by gunfire so far this year. Living in neighborhoods with frequent violence has forced some families to improvise ways to keep their children safe, even in the place they are supposed to be most secure: their home. The stress of growing up in these conditions could lead to chronic health problems into adulthood.
Cuando la masculinidad se vuelve “tóxica”: un perfil de género de los tiroteos masivos
By Phillip Reese
October 3, 2019
KFF Health News Original
A nivel nacional, hubo 53 tiroteos masivos en áreas públicas durante ese tiempo, y todos menos tres involucraron a sospechosos de género masculino.
Must-Reads Of The Week From Brianna Labuskes
By Brianna Labuskes
May 1, 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.
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.
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.
Trump’s New Executive Order Could Cut How Much Medicare Pays For Drugs
September 14, 2020
Morning Briefing
President Donald Trump’s latest drug pricing executive order calls for Medicare to test a “most favored nations” pricing scheme for prescription drugs bought by Medicare Part B and Medicare Part D. The pharmaceutical industry strongly opposes the plan.
Medicare To Pay Hospitals $3.5B More For Acute Inpatient Services
September 3, 2020
Morning Briefing
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services issued a final rule estimated to boost Medicare spending by 2.7% for acute care inpatient hospital services.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.