Lawmakers Push To Stop Surprise ER Billing
By Ana B. Ibarra
May 29, 2019
KFF Health News Original
Millions of Californians are vulnerable to hefty surprise medical bills from their trips to the emergency room. Now, state lawmakers are considering a measure to cap how much out-of-network hospitals can charge privately insured patients for emergency care, which could serve as a model for other states.
Must-Reads Of The Week From Brianna Labuskes
By Brianna Labuskes
January 24, 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.
Drug Deals And Food Gone Bad Plague Corner Stores. How Neighbors Are Fighting Back.
By Cara Anthony
November 22, 2019
KFF Health News Original
Corner stores that provide groceries for those using the federal food stamp program have become magnets for violence just outside St. Louis. Gunshots ring out under the cover of darkness, windows are postered over, and the quality of food doesn’t make a trip to the corner store worth the risk. Now local residents are putting their feet down.
U.S. Medical Panel Thinks Twice About Pushing Cognitive Screening For Dementia
By Judith Graham
February 25, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Because seniors are at higher risk of cognitive impairment, proponents say screening asymptomatic older adults is an important strategy to identify people who may be developing dementia and to improve their care. But the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force cited insufficient evidence the tests are helpful.
‘An Arm And A Leg’: Journalist Learns The Hard Way That CPAP Compliance Pays
By Dan Weissmann
July 17, 2019
KFF Health News Original
Check the fine print. When you get a prescription for expensive medical equipment, you may need to follow the doctor’s orders — to the letter — to get your health insurance company to pay up.
Kathy Brandt, A Hospice Expert Who Invited The World Into Her Own Last Days With Cancer, Dies
By JoNel Aleccia
August 5, 2019
KFF Health News Original
Kathy Brandt and her wife, Kim Acquaviva, national experts in hospice and palliative care, shared intimate details of Brandt’s experience with terminal cancer before her death Sunday.
In The Fight For Money For The Opioid Crisis, Will The Youngest Victims Be Left Out?
By Blake Farmer, Nashville Public Radio
December 13, 2019
KFF Health News Original
The opioid epidemic is intergenerational, with tens of thousands of babies born every year dependent on opioids. Advocates worry that settlement dollars resulting from lawsuits against the drug industry might not benefit these children.
As Sanders Officially Revives Medicare-For-All, Plan B For Democrats Gains Traction
By Shefali Luthra
April 11, 2019
KFF Health News Original
“Medicare for America” seeks to avoid some of the predictable obstacles of a full-blown expansion of Medicare. Can it survive the politics of health reform?
Podcast: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’ The State Of The Abortion Debate — A Deep Dive
May 30, 2019
KFF Health News Original
For our 100th episode, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Jen Haberkorn of the Los Angeles Times and Sandhya Ramen of CQ Roll Call join KHN’s Julie Rovner to take a deep dive into the abortion debate, discussing everything from the latest news to the history of the Supreme Court’s jurisprudence as well as how states are trying to further expand or restrict abortion rights and access. Also, Rovner interviews KHN’s Lauren Weber about the latest “Bill of the Month” installment.
‘An Arm And A Leg’: Real Lessons Doctors Can Learn From Fake Patients
By Dan Weissmann
July 24, 2019
KFF Health News Original
Are physicians asking patients the right questions in order to provide good care? Laser-focused on biomedical symptoms, some doctors miss the psychosocial factors that can be a barrier to good health. In Episode 7 of the podcast, we hear about a creative study that uncovers how some medical errors happen.
The Money And Politics Of Prescription Drugs: What You Need To Know
By Jon Greenberg, PolitiFact
May 8, 2019
KFF Health News Original
America spends about as much on prescription drugs as all the revenues of the three big car makers combined. Tracking where the money goes is hard. PolitiFact has some charts to help.
State Bans Pesticide Linked To Developmental Problems
By Ana B. Ibarra
May 9, 2019
KFF Health News Original
California officials announced a ban on chlorpyrifos, a widely used pesticide that has been linked to lower IQs, lower birth weights and other developmental issues in children, even as the federal government fights to protect it.
California prohíbe pesticida vinculado a problemas de desarrollo
By Ana B. Ibarra
May 9, 2019
KFF Health News Original
Varios estudios han relacionado la exposición prenatal al clorpirifos con bajo peso al nacer, reducción del coeficiente intelectual, trastorno por déficit de atención y síntomas del autismo en niños.
¿Quieres retirarte y vivir en el exterior? Medicare no viaja muy bien
By Michelle Andrews
July 23, 2019
KFF Health News Original
De 2012 a 2017, el número de trabajadores jubilados que vivían en países extranjeros y que recibían beneficios del Seguro Social creció casi un 15%, a más de 413,000, según la Administración del Seguro Social.
Administration To Extend $5B In Aid To Nursing Homes To Cope With COVID Surge
July 23, 2020
Morning Briefing
The funds, announced by President Donald Trump Wednesday, are part of renewed efforts to help facilities that care for seniors respond more effectively to the pandemic. Nursing homes in hard-hit areas will be prioritized first.
An Atlanta Nonprofit Brings Medical Care And Connection To The Homeless
By Sam Whitehead, WABE
December 4, 2019
KFF Health News Original
“Street medicine” programs seek out people living in back alleys and under highways. It’s a public health approach designed to build trust and eventually connect homeless patients to other services.
Rural Seasonal Workers Worry About Montana Medicaid’s Work Requirements
By Corin Cates-Carney, Montana Public Radio
November 7, 2019
KFF Health News Original
Montana is one of several states that want Medicaid recipients to prove they work a steady, minimum number of hours monthly. Will federal courts allow the Montana rule change to stand?
KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: Despite Booming Economy, Uninsured Rate Ticks Up
September 12, 2019
KFF Health News Original
Nearly 2 million more Americans were uninsured in 2018 than in the previous year, according to the Census Bureau’s annual report. Plus, the Trump administration announced plans to ban flavored vape liquids, and Congress is back and working to address high prescription drug prices and “surprise” medical bills. This week, Joanne Kenen of Politico, Tami Luhby of CNN and Rebecca Adams of CQ Roll Call join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more.
Conceived Through ‘Fertility Fraud,’ She Now Needs Fertility Treatment
By Lauren Bavis, Side Effects Public Media and Jake Harper, Side Effects Public Media
January 28, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Years ago, doctors sometimes lied about whose sperm they used for artificial inseminations. Could it happen now? Some argue regulation is weak in the multibillion-dollar fertility treatment industry.
Effort To Control Opioids In An ER Leaves Some Sickle Cell Patients In Pain
By Sam Whitehead, WABE
January 6, 2020
KFF Health News Original
People with sickle cell disease aren’t fueling the opioid crisis, research shows. Yet some ER doctors still treat patients seeking relief for agonizing sickle cell crises as potential addicts.