Fearing Deportation, Parents Worry About Undocumented Kids In Medicaid Program
By Ana B. Ibarra
May 18, 2017
KFF Health News Original
A 2016 California law allowed children without papers to sign up for full Medicaid benefits. More than 189,000 children have been covered, but some families now fear renewing coverage or signing up their kids for the first time.
In Preparation Of Its Acquisition Of Aetna, CVS Sells $40B Of Bonds
March 7, 2018
Morning Briefing
Regulators aren’t expected to pass judgment on the $69 billion Aetna purchase until late this year, but CVS issued the debt this week to avoid the risk that interest rates continue to rise.
Grassley Wades Into Hotly Contested 340B Drug Debate With Transparency Legislation
March 2, 2018
Morning Briefing
The 340B program requires pharmaceutical companies to give steep discounts to hospitals and clinics that serve high volumes of low-income patients. Through Medicare, the federal government then reimburses the facilities for the drugs at a higher rate. A bill from Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) would require hospitals to disclose how much they pay for drugs under the program.
Under Trump, Hospitals Face Same Penalties Embraced By Obama
By Jordan Rau
August 3, 2017
KFF Health News Original
Federal records show that 2,573 hospitals around the country will have their Medicare payments reduced because they have too many patients readmitted.
Half The Time, Nursing Homes Scrutinized On Safety By Medicare Are Still Treacherous
By Jordan Rau
July 6, 2017
KFF Health News Original
Of the 528 nursing homes that graduated from special focus status before 2014 and are still operating, more than half — 52 percent — have harmed patients or operated in a way that put patients in serious jeopardy within the past three years, a KHN analysis finds.
Federal Money For State-Level Zika Tracking, Prevention May End This Summer
By Ana B. Ibarra
May 2, 2017
KFF Health News Original
California has reported more than 500 travel-related Zika infections, and five babies have been born in the state with birth defects related to the mosquito-borne disease.
Doing More Harm Than Good? Epidemic of Screening Burdens Nation’s Older Patients
By Liz Szabo
December 20, 2017
KFF Health News Original
Patients are often aggressively screened for cancer, even if they won’t live long enough to benefit.
Years Before Heading Offshore, Herpes Researcher Experimented On People In U.S.
By Marisa Taylor
November 21, 2017
KFF Health News Original
Southern Illinois University’s William Halford conducted unregulated human herpes experiments in hotels near university campus, emails show.
Quiz: Help Us Take The Pulse Of Our Readers
May 16, 2017
KFF Health News Original
Even the most exalted among us realize health care policy is complicated. Here’s a pop quiz to see what you have learned as a regular reader of Kaiser Health News.
Bill Would Prohibit ‘Gag Clauses’ That Prevent Pharmacists From Telling Patients Of Best Payment Method
March 16, 2018
Morning Briefing
Middlemen are negotiating contracts deals where pharmacists can’t tell the patients that paying cash might actually be less expensive than the insurance co-payment. The middlemen then pocket the difference. Elsewhere on Capitol Hill, Republicans are signaling support for changes to the 340B drug discount program.
GOP Bills To Replace Obamacare Do Not Tinker With Lawmakers’ Coverage
By Michelle Andrews
April 11, 2017
KFF Health News Original
Republicans are hoping to overhaul the federal health law. Among the law’s many provisions is a requirement that members of Congress and their staffs buy their health insurance on the law’s marketplaces.
Right After Trump Blamed High Drug Prices On Campaign Cash, Drugmakers Gave More
By Sydney Lupkin and Elizabeth Lucas
September 27, 2017
KFF Health News Original
At a political rally in March, President Donald Trump said drug prices are “outrageous” and blamed campaign contributions. Drugmakers funneled nearly $280,000 to Congress the very next day.
Trump’s Order Advances GOP Go-To Ideas To Broaden Insurance Choices, Curb Costs
By Julie Appleby
October 12, 2017
KFF Health News Original
But the approaches are not new and critics worry that these changes will leave some consumers with skimpier plans that expose them to high medical bills.
California Scrambles To Contain ‘Unprecedented’ Hepatitis A Outbreaks
By Stephanie O'Neill
September 26, 2017
KFF Health News Original
Hundreds of people, most of them homeless, have been infected. In San Diego County, where 17 people have died, critics fault authorities for being slow to act.
As California Weighs Soda Warning Labels, Tax In Berkeley Shown To Dilute Sales
By Ana B. Ibarra
April 19, 2017
KFF Health News Original
Sales of sugary drinks dropped in the city by nearly 10 percent a year after tax took effect in 2015, while bottled water sales rose, researchers report.
Moms Of Children With Rare Genetic Illness Push For Wider Newborn Screening
By Anna Gorman
October 5, 2017
KFF Health News Original
California is one of only a handful of states nationwide that screens babies for the gene mutation that causes a rare brain disease — a test that dramatically increases a sick child’s chances of survival.
Reactions To The GOP Health Bill: Voices From The States
May 10, 2017
KFF Health News Original
What will happen to people with preexisting conditions is one worry some Americans expressed; the high costs of insurance under Obamacare is another.
Everyone Says We Must Control Exorbitant Drug Prices. So, Why Don’t We?
By Jay Hancock
September 25, 2017
KFF Health News Original
Any momentum to address prescription drug costs has been lost amid rancorous debates over replacing Obamacare and stalled by roadblocks erected via lobbying and industry cash.
To Grow Market Share, A Drugmaker Pitches Its Product To Judges
By Jake Harper, Side Effects Public Media
August 4, 2017
KFF Health News Original
Some drug courts offer participants a full range of evidence-based treatment, including medication-assisted treatment. Others don’t allow addiction medications at all. And some permit just one: Vivitrol.
Follow The Money: Drugmakers Deploy Political Cash As Prices And Anger Mount
By Jay Hancock and Elizabeth Lucas and Sydney Lupkin
July 24, 2017
KFF Health News Original
Embattled opioid seller Mallinckrodt is one of many pharmaceutical companies boosting political contributions and lobbying on Capitol Hill.