The Collapse Of A Hospital Empire — And Towns Left In The Wreckage
By Barbara Feder Ostrov and Lauren Weber
Photos by Heidi de Marco
August 20, 2019
KFF Health News Original
Jorge A. Perez and his management company, EmpowerHMS, helped run an empire of rural hospitals. Now, in a staggering implosion, 12 of them have entered bankruptcy and eight have closed their doors, leaving hundreds of residents without jobs and their communities without lifesaving emergency medical care. So, what happened?
No Cash, No Heart. Transplant Centers Require Proof Of Payment.
By JoNel Aleccia
December 5, 2018
KFF Health News Original
The case of a Michigan woman told to fundraise $10,000 for a heart transplant sparked viral outrage, but experts say “wallet biopsies” are common.
Medicare Eases Readmission Penalties Against Safety-Net Hospitals
By Jordan Rau
September 26, 2018
KFF Health News Original
Penalties will total $566 million for all hospitals. But many that serve a large share of low-income patients will lose less money than they did in previous years.
Cáncer, qué importa. En California, el café sigue siendo el rey
By Ana B. Ibarra
August 31, 2018
KFF Health News Original
A pesar de la pasión de los californianos por el café, a los vendedores les preocupa que las advertencias sobre el cáncer publicadas en sus puertas no se vean exactamente como señales de bienvenida
Cancer, Schmancer. In California, Coffee Is King
By Ana B. Ibarra
August 31, 2018
KFF Health News Original
The Golden State, with the rare support of the Trump administration, is seeking to circumvent a court order that would require cancer warnings in every establishment that sells a hot cup of Joe.
A Parent-To-Parent Campaign To Get Vaccine Rates Up
By Alex Olgin, WFAE
February 25, 2019
KFF Health News Original
Kim Nelson started the group South Carolina Parents for Vaccines after learning that religious exemptions from vaccine requirements were way up in her community.
Must-Reads Of The Week From Brianna Labuskes
By Brianna Labuskes
April 5, 2019
KFF Health News Original
Newsletter editor Brianna Labuskes wades through hundreds of health articles from the week so you don’t have to.
¡Alerta para padres! Tu hijo puede estar “vapeando” más que tabaco
By Ana B. Ibarra
August 28, 2018
KFF Health News Original
Estudiantes de escuela media están empezando a consumir una mezcla de tabaco con marihuana en dispositivos que parecen bolígrafos o flash drives.
Parent Alert! Your Kid May Be Vaping More Than Nicotine
By Ana B. Ibarra
August 28, 2018
KFF Health News Original
Educators and researchers say that as vaping becomes more common among young people, some are putting pot in their pods.
How Genetic Tests Muddy Your Odds Of Getting A Long-Term-Care Policy
By Michelle Andrews
August 7, 2018
KFF Health News Original
Federal law bars insurers from using these test results for health coverage, but they can influence whether you get a plan covering long-term care.
How Much Difference Will Eli Lilly’s Half-Price Insulin Make?
By Bram Sable-Smith
March 12, 2019
KFF Health News Original
Eli Lilly released a half-price generic version of its own short-acting insulin. At $137.35 per vial, the generic insulin is priced at about the same level as Humalog was in 2012.
Podcast: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’ Insurance Enrollment Is Lagging — And There Are Lots Of Reasons Why
December 13, 2018
KFF Health News Original
Sign-ups for insurance under the Affordable Care Act are still well behind last year’s mark with just a week until the end of open enrollment in most states. The Supreme Court declines a case that could have allowed states to defund Planned Parenthood. And the Trump administration gets hundreds of thousands of comments about its proposed changes to immigration rules that could penalize people who use government-funded health care and other social service programs. Alice Ollstein of Politico, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News and Rebecca Adams of CQ Roll Call join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and, for “extra credit,” provide their favorite health policy stories of the week.
Podcast: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’ Is Health Spending The Next Big Political Issue?
December 6, 2018
KFF Health News Original
Diabetics dying because they can’t afford insulin. Organ transplant patients undergoing “wallet biopsies” to get on waiting lists. Are out-of-pocket costs going to dominate the health discussion in the next election? Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Joanne Kenen of Politico and Rebecca Adams of CQ Roll Call join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss this as well as new Trump administration rules giving states the ability to make major changes to the Affordable Care Act. Also, lame-duck lawmakers in Wisconsin and Michigan try to cement health changes before Democrats take over.
Durante los incendios, solo ciertas máscaras protegen de las partículas tóxicas
By Samantha Young and Ana B. Ibarra
November 15, 2018
KFF Health News Original
El humo de los incendios forestales es peligroso porque contiene partículas finas que pueden alojarse profundamente en los pulmones, empeorando problemas respiratorios como el asma.
Battle Lines Drawn As Abortion-Rights Activists Leave Their Mark Outside Clinics
By Ana B. Ibarra
August 22, 2018
KFF Health News Original
Armed with poster board and catchy advertising slogans, abortion-rights activists in California and elsewhere are taking to sidewalks, buses and mobile phone apps to fight a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling in favor of crisis pregnancy centers.
Smaller States Worry Sweeping $48B Opioid Settlement Won’t Be Fairly Divided In Terms Of Need
October 25, 2019
Morning Briefing
States have been trying to hammer out a settlement with drug companies, but with so many voices in the conversation, it’s been tricky to find compromises that satisfy everyone’s concerns. “Any global opioid settlement that doesn’t reflect the unique and unprecedented damage imposed on West Virginia through the opioid epidemic should be DOA,” West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey tweeted. In other news on the opioid epidemic: hospitals take a page from the cities and states; overdose deaths go beyond fentanyl; and how doctors are avoiding pain patients.
Planned Parenthood To Spend $45M On 2020 Elections; Trump Gets Reward For Fulfilling Anti-Abortion Promises
January 17, 2020
Morning Briefing
Planned Parenthood said the $45 million will fund canvassing and grassroots operations, along with digital and TV ads in nine key states. “Our country is at a crossroads, but now it’s time for us to reclaim our power,” said Jenny Lawson, executive director of Planned Parenthood Votes. Meanwhile, Susan B. Anthony List and its affiliated super PAC will launch a $52 million effort to reelect President Donald Trump, who scored big victories for the anti-abortion movement during his time in office.
Watch: What You Should Know About The New Rule On Short-Term Health Plans
August 2, 2018
KFF Health News Original
Under the Trump administration’s new rule, these plans can now last as long as 12 months — instead of the Obama-era 90-day limit — and be renewed for two additional years. Critics say these changes are part of another swipe at the Affordable Care Act.
FTC Likely To Prevail In Demands That Health Systems Report Information On Certificates Of Public Advantage
October 25, 2019
Morning Briefing
Section 6(b) of the Federal Trade Commission Act, which the FTC cited in its information demands, gives the agency broad investigative authority to demand information from companies for use in research, legal experts point out. Other health system and hospital news comes out of Florida, Illinois, New York, Oregon and Wisconsin.
Have Cancer, Must Travel: Patients Left In Lurch After Hospital Closes
By Sarah Jane Tribble
Photos by Christopher Smith
July 1, 2019
KFF Health News Original
As the rural town of Fort Scott, Kan., grapples with the closure of its hospital, cancer patients face new challenges as they try to continue their treatments in different locations.