In Oregon, Medicaid Is Buying People Air Conditioners
By Samantha Young
May 2, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Oregon has started providing air conditioners, air purifiers and power banks to help some of its Medicaid recipients cope with soaring heat, smoky skies and other dangers of climate change. It’s a first-in-the-nation experiment that expands a Biden administration strategy to take Medicaid beyond traditional medical care and into the realm of social services. “Climate change is […]
Abortion Clinics — And Patients — Are on the Move, as State Laws Keep Shifting
By Bram Sable-Smith
Illustration by Oona Zenda
September 19, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Clinics in states where most abortions are legal, such as Kansas and Illinois, are reporting an influx of inquiries from patients hundreds of miles away — and are expanding in response. Despite the Supreme Court’s overturning of federal protections in 2022, abortions are now at their highest numbers in a decade.
AC, Power Banks, Mini Fridges: Oregon Equips Medicaid Patients for Climate Change
By Samantha Young
May 1, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Oregon is giving Medicaid patients air conditioners and other equipment to help them cope with soaring heat, smoky skies, and other dangers of climate change. Oregon health officials hope to show other states and the federal government that they can save lives and money.
Las clínicas de abortos, y sus pacientes, se movilizan a medida que cambian las leyes estatales
By Bram Sable-Smith
September 19, 2024
KFF Health News Original
El fallo de la Corte dejó en manos de los estados las políticas sobre el aborto. Desde entonces, 14 estados promulgaron prohibiciones a la práctica que contemplan unas pocas excepciones, mientras que otros han restringido el acceso.
Sign Here? Financial Agreements May Leave Doctors in the Driver’s Seat
By Katheryn Houghton
April 30, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Agreeing to an out-of-network doctor’s own financial policy — which generally protects their ability to get paid and may be littered with confusing insurance and legal jargon — can create a binding contract that leaves a patient owing.
Lose Weight, Gain Huge Debt: NY Provider Has Sued More Than 300 Patients Who Had Bariatric Surgery
By Fred Schulte
April 20, 2023
KFF Health News Original
The private equity-backed practice has been known to demand more than $100,000 in charges or penalties. One patient is fighting back.
A Mom Owed Nearly $102,000 for Hospital Care. Her State Attorney General Said to Pay Up.
By Fred Clasen-Kelly
July 20, 2023
KFF Health News Original
As politicians bash privately run hospitals for their aggressive debt collection tactics, consumer advocates say one North Carolina family’s six-figure medical bill is an example of how state attorneys general and state-operated hospitals also can harm patients financially.
Under Pressure, Montana Hospital Considers Adding Psych Beds Amid a Shortage
By Katheryn Houghton
September 14, 2021
KFF Health News Original
A hospital in Bozeman, Montana, is considering whether to add inpatient psychiatric care after a concerted push from mental health advocates. But even if it adds beds, hospitals across Montana provide a cautionary tale: finding enough workers to staff such beds is its own challenge, and some behavioral health units routinely reach capacity.
In Alleged Health Care ‘Money Grab,’ Nation’s Largest Hospital Chain Cashes In on Trauma Centers
By Jay Hancock
June 14, 2021
KFF Health News Original
HCA charges patients an “activation fee” of up to $50,000 for trauma teams at centers located in half its 179 hospitals — and they often don’t need trauma care, an analysis of insurance claims data shows.
Which Was Worse: The Bachelor Party Hangover Or The Hangover From The ER Bill?
By Markian Hawryluk
September 19, 2019
KFF Health News Original
One groom’s bachelor party hangover illustrates how emergency room bills have become major headaches for many Americans.
¿Qué fue peor: la borrachera de la despedida de soltero o la cuenta por tratar la resaca?
By Markian Hawryluk
September 19, 2019
KFF Health News Original
Recuperarse después de su despedida de soltero resultó en una factura médica que inicialmente fue de $12,460, en total. Más del doble del costo de su boda.
Health Care Industry ‘Pays Tribute’ To California’s Influential Lawmakers
By Samantha Young
December 15, 2018
KFF Health News Original
The leaders of California’s legislative health committees who wield power over state health policy have been showered with money from the health care sector, with drug companies, health plans, hospitals and doctors providing nearly 40 percent of their 2017-18 campaign funds.
Despite Red Flags At Surgery Centers, Overseers Award Gold Seals
By Christina Jewett
September 20, 2018
KFF Health News Original
A decade ago, California stopped licensing surgery centers and then gave approval power to private accreditors that are commonly paid by the same centers they inspect. That system of oversight has created a troubling legacy of laxity, a Kaiser Health News investigation finds.
Lost on the Frontline
By The Staffs of KHN and The Guardian
August 10, 2020
KFF Health News Original
“Lost on the Frontline” is an ongoing project by Kaiser Health News and The Guardian that aims to document the lives of health care workers in the U.S. who died from COVID 19, and to investigate why so many are victims of the disease.
Patients With Rare Diseases And Congress Square Off Over Orphan Drug Tax Credits
By Sarah Jane Tribble
November 30, 2017
KFF Health News Original
The House and Senate want to reduce or eliminate federal tax credits for “orphan drugs” used to treat rare diseases, but patients are fighting against the plan.
Report: Federal Exchange A Comparative Bargain
By Julie Rovner
May 8, 2014
KFF Health News Original
Sometimes there really are economies of scale. And the nation’s health insurance exchanges may be a case in point. As rocky as its rollout was, it cost the federal exchange, healthcare.gov, an average of $647 of federal tax dollars to sign up each enrollee, according to a new report. It cost an average of $1,503 […]
10 States Are Critical To Administration’s Efforts To Enroll 6 Million In New Health Plans
By Phil Galewitz
March 19, 2014
KFF Health News Original
Reaching that number might give Democrats bragging rights and make it more likely that state pools are big enough to keep down premiums.
Monthly Premiums For A ‘Benchmark’ Silver Plan In Federally Run Insurance Marketplaces
September 29, 2013
KFF Health News Original
This chart lists sample premiums in the 36 states where the federal government is running the online insurance marketplaces.
Hospitals Look For Disney Magic To Make Customers Happy
By Phil Galewitz
July 21, 2011
KFF Health News Original
Medicare payments soon will partly reflect patient satisfaction, so hospitals are seeking advice from the entertainment kingdom.
Spouses Face Hurdles When Caring For Themselves, Ill Loved Ones
By Paula Span
May 25, 2010
KFF Health News Original
Family caregivers now administer arsenals of medications and undertake procedures, from wound care to dialysis, that were once the province of medical professionals.
