Starving Seniors: How America Fails To Feed Its Aging
By Laura Ungar and Trudy Lieberman
September 3, 2019
KFF Health News Original
One out of every 13 older Americans struggles to find enough food to eat while the federal program intended to help hasn’t kept pace with the graying population.
When A Doctor’s Screen Time Detracts From Face Time With Patients
By Carmen Heredia Rodriguez
July 24, 2019
KFF Health News Original
Electronic health records can help reduce medical errors, but when not used well they can strain the doctor-patient relationship. Dr. Wei Wei Lee, an internist with the University of Chicago Medicine, has developed strategies to make sure tech is a tool, not a barrier.
With ACA’s Future In Peril, California Reins In Rising Health Insurance Premiums
By Barbara Feder Ostrov and Ana B. Ibarra
July 9, 2019
KFF Health News Original
Premiums will grow by an average of 0.8% next year on the state health insurance exchange. Officials cite two new policies for the relatively low rate hike: a new state tax penalty on Californians who don’t have health insurance coupled with state-based tax credits to help enrollees afford their premiums, including middle-income people who make too much money to qualify for federal financial aid.
¿Sola? ¿Ansioso? ¿Deprimido? Tal vez tu dentista puede ayudarte
By Ana B. Ibarra
February 27, 2019
KFF Health News Original
Una dentista de Oakland decidió incorporar una consultoría de salud mental en su práctica al observar que los pacientes hablaban de sus problemas de salud mental.
Lonely? Anxious? Depressed? Maybe Your Dentist Can Help
By Ana B. Ibarra
February 27, 2019
KFF Health News Original
An Oakland dental clinic has started screening its patients for depression, and referring them to a mental health counselor down the hall for immediate care if necessary. The program at Asian Health Services could be replicated elsewhere, and make help for mental health problems more accessible to hard-to-reach populations.
KHN’s ‘What The Health’: Who Will Pay To Fix Problem Of Surprise Medical Bills?
June 13, 2019
KFF Health News Original
Lawmakers and patients want to eliminate “surprise” out-of-network medical bills. Hospitals, doctors and insurers say they want to eliminate them, too, but their opposition to one another’s proposals could complicate legislative efforts. Stephanie Armour of The Wall Street Journal, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico and Kimberly Leonard of the Washington Examiner join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss this, plus the latest in news about reproductive health and health care sharing ministries.
‘Stonewall Generation’ Confronts Old Age, Sickness — And Discrimination
By JoNel Aleccia and Melissa Bailey
May 22, 2019
KFF Health News Original
For a generation of LGBTQ people who lived through unprecedented social change, getting older poses new challenges — lack of services, discrimination, neglect and even abuse.
Por su prueba de resfriado, la aseguradora pagó $25,865
By Richard Harris, NPR News
December 23, 2019
KFF Health News Original
Alexa Kasdan no quería que sus vacaciones se arruinaran por un simple dolor de garganta. Fue a su doctora y le hicieron un hisopado. ¿Por qué el laboratorio cobro esa cifra ridícula?
At This Summer Camp, Struggling With A Disability Is The Point
By Blake Farmer, Nashville Public Radio
August 13, 2019
KFF Health News Original
At a camp for kids in Nashville, physical therapists use “constraint-induced movement therapy.” It makes life tougher, temporarily, in hopes of strengthening the campers’ ability to navigate the world.
Listen: Reporter Describes Breakdowns In Electronic Medical Records
March 18, 2019
KFF Health News Original
KHN senior correspondent Fred Schulte describes a KHN-Fortune investigation into the massive push to track and share patient health care records.
‘Devastating’ Toll: Nursing Homes Turn To Federal Government For $10B In Relief Funds
May 7, 2020
Morning Briefing
The coronavirus death toll exceeds 11,000 in nursing homes, which say the requested money would be used for protective equipment, hazard pay and lost revenue. News on the industry also reports on liability protections, a behind-the-scenes look at how infection spread in Maryland facilities, a lawsuit in Arizona to reveal data, a Massachusetts law shielding facilities, one family’s struggle for information, higher wages promised in Illinois and Louisiana’s changing efforts to name facilities with outbreaks, as well.
Hey, Hey! Ho, Ho! Is Striking For School Nurses The Way To Go?
By Ana B. Ibarra
February 21, 2019
KFF Health News Original
Inspired by Los Angeles teachers, who were promised 300 more school nurses after striking last month, unions in Denver, Oakland, Calif., and beyond are demanding more school nurses or better compensation for them.
In-Home Teeth-Straightening Business Is Booming ― But Better Brace Yourself
By Julie Appleby and Victoria Knight
January 23, 2020
KFF Health News Original
SmileDirectClub and similar startup companies say they provide these services at what can be thousands of dollars less than office-visit teeth straightening, but proof is lacking and patients can be left with no recourse if problems arise.
Heavy Rains, End Of Drought Could Help Keep West Nile Virus Subdued — For Now
By Harriet Blair Rowan
April 12, 2019
KFF Health News Original
Scientists say drought can spur transmission of the disease and that wetter winters since 2015 have helped reduce the number of infections in California. In the long term, however, climate change could mean more drought — and more infections.
Fed Sent $1.4B In Stimulus Checks To More Than A Million Deceased People In Rush To Disburse Funds
June 26, 2020
Morning Briefing
The GAO report makes clear how the mistakes were made by sending checks to people who had died since filing tax returns. Currently, as the government considers a second round of stimulus checks, there are no plans to recoup the first payments.
Operation Warp Speed Invests $1.6B Into Novamax’s Potential COVID-19 Vaccine In Its Biggest Deal Yet
July 8, 2020
Morning Briefing
In return for the massive development funding, Novamax will supply the U.S. government by early 2021 with 100 million doses of its vaccine that is in clinical trials. The Maryland-based company is the seventh drugmaker to strike such a deal with the Trump administration’s Operation Warp Speed initiative. Other vaccine news from GSK is also reported.
Transparent Hospital Pricing Exposes Wild Fluctuation, Even Within Miles
By Harriet Blair Rowan
February 4, 2019
KFF Health News Original
A new federal rule requires hospitals to post their prices online. These lists reveal the wildly different charges for basic procedures and services, but consumers will have a hard time putting this information to use.
In Rural Utah, Preventing Suicide Means Meeting Gun Owners Where They Are
By Erik Neumann, KUER
August 28, 2019
KFF Health News Original
In Utah, 85% of deaths from firearms are suicides. To help people who might be vulnerable, outreach workers are discussing suicide prevention at gun shows and firearms classes.
Hill Hodgepodge: Pelosi Draws From Democrats, GOP And Trump For Drug Plan
By Emmarie Huetteman
September 20, 2019
KFF Health News Original
The House speaker announced her plan for lowering drug prices, which includes negotiations between drugmakers and federal health officials.
Must-Reads Of The Week From Brianna Labuskes
By Brianna Labuskes
October 11, 2019
KFF Health News Original
Newsletter editor Brianna Labuskes wades through hundreds of health care policy stories each week, so you don’t have to.