Talking About Mental Health At Work Can Still Be Taboo, But That Costs Businesses In The End
November 14, 2019
Morning Briefing
Mental health issues that are kept hidden can be an expensive problem for businesses. Depression alone costs the U.S. economy $210 billion a year, half of which is shouldered by employers in the form of missed work and lost productivity.
Missed Visits, Uncontrolled Pain And Fraud: Report Says Hospice Lacks Oversight
By Melissa Bailey
July 31, 2018
KFF Health News Original
A new government watchdog report outlines vulnerabilities in Medicare’s $17 billion hospice program, pointing to inadequate services, inappropriate billing and outright fraud.
New Medicare Perk For Diabetes Prevention Stumbles At Rollout
By Judith Graham
April 19, 2018
KFF Health News Original
On April 1, Medicare launched a major initiative — a diabetes prevention program for seniors and people with serious disabilities— that is available in only a few cities.
Trump’s Proposed $15B In Spending Cuts Passes Through House On Closer-Than-Expected Vote
June 8, 2018
Morning Briefing
Some lawmakers have been reluctant to pass the legislation as it targets unused funds for the popular CHIP program. But the measure, which passed 210-206, would take a mostly symbolic whack at government spending because it would basically eliminate leftover funding that wouldn’t have been spent anyway.
Tanta atención que duele: terapias y cirugías innecesarias agregan dolor y enfermedad
By Liz Szabo
October 23, 2017
KFF Health News Original
Las pruebas excesivas de cáncer de tiroides, próstata, seno y piel lleva a muchas personas mayores a someterse a tratamientos que no prolongarán sus vidas, pero que pueden causar dolor y sufrimiento innecesarios.
So Much Care It Hurts: Unneeded Scans, Therapy, Surgery Only Add To Patients’ Ills
By Liz Szabo
October 23, 2017
KFF Health News Original
Overtreatment of breast cancer and other diseases is pervasive, burdening patients and the health care system with enormous costs and needless suffering.
Nowhere To Go: Young People With Severe Autism Languish In Hospitals
By Christina Jewett
September 26, 2017
KFF Health News Original
Some teens and young adults are spending weeks or even months in retrofitted emergency rooms — even in mesh-covered tents — until specialized care can be found. ‘It’s a huge problem,’ one doctor says.
In Oregon, Voter Referendum Backs Taxes To Pay For State’s Medicaid Program
January 24, 2018
Morning Briefing
In an unusual special election, Oregon voters have approved health care taxes on Oregon’s largest hospitals and many health insurance policies that will raise between $210 million and $320 million in revenue over two years.
Depression Among Heart Attack Survivors Can Be Deadly, Yet Is Often Ignored
By Liz Szabo
July 20, 2017
KFF Health News Original
One in 5 heart attack patients suffers from severe depression, yet many get little or no treatment that could ease their suffering or save their lives.
United Therapeutics Sets Aside $210M For Possible Justice Department Settlement
July 28, 2017
Morning Briefing
The drugmaker’s contributions to patient-assistance charity groups are under federal investigation. In other biotech news, bioAffinity raises $4 million to bring its lung cancer test to market and prosecutors deliver closing arguments in the case against Martin Shkreli.
What Happens When A Living Kidney Donor Needs A Transplant?
By Zhai Yun Tan
September 1, 2016
KFF Health News Original
A new study examines how well efforts are working that prioritize the needs of these patients if they end up needing a kidney transplant of their own.
Old Motels Get New Life Helping Homeless Heal
By David Gorn
Photos by Heidi de Marco
June 29, 2016
KFF Health News Original
Using run-down motels to care for and temporarily house homeless people recently discharged from the hospital helps stabilize them inexpensively, preventing unnecessary and costly returns to ERs and hospitals.
Viejos moteles cobran nueva vida ayudando a las personas sin hogar a sanar
By David Gorn
Photos by Heidi de Marco
July 12, 2016
KFF Health News Original
El uso de moteles deteriorados para cuidar y albergar temporalmente a personas sin hogar recientemente dadas de alta del hospital ayuda a estabilizarlos de manera económica, previniendo retornos innecesarios y costosos a las salas de emergencia y a los hospitales.
Warning: Government Listing Of Clinical Trials Doesn’t Disclose Costs To Patients
By Emily Bazar
Photos by Heidi de Marco
July 27, 2016
KFF Health News Original
Some clinics on NIH’s website charge people to participate in testing of unproven treatments — and it can come as a surprise to unsuspecting patients.
Do You Speak Health Insurance? It’s Not Easy.
By Mark Zdechlik, Minnesota Public Radio
January 4, 2016
KFF Health News Original
Even savvy consumers stumble over terms like “coinsurance.”
Alaskans Face Tough Choices Because Of High Insurance Costs
By Annie Feidt, Alaska Public Radio Network
October 30, 2015
KFF Health News Original
The highest Obamacare insurance rates in the country are in Alaska. Though most people get a subsidy to help defray the cost, those who don’t are increasingly wondering if they should cancel their health insurance.
FAQ: Congress Passes A Bill To Fix Medicare’s Doctor Payments. What’s In It?
By Mary Agnes Carey
April 15, 2015
KFF Health News Original
A rare bipartisan effort will scrap the troubled physician payment formula and transition to a system focused on new quality measures.
Depression, Related Ailments Take Their Toll On The Workplace, Study Finds
By Lisa Gillespie
March 23, 2015
KFF Health News Original
A new report says the costs associated with major depressive disorder and other related conditions affect businesses’ bottom lines.
Fate Of 500,000 North Carolinians Tied To High Court Case
By Ann Doss Helms, Charlotte Observer
March 2, 2015
KFF Health News Original
The U.S. Supreme Court hears a challenge Wednesday to the insurance subsidies available through the federal health insurance exchange used by North Carolina residents.
Too Little, Too Late For Many New Yorkers Seeking Hospice
By Fred Mogul, WNYC
December 17, 2014
KFF Health News Original
Evidence shows hospice care can extend life and save money, but only if patients and doctors dare ask for the help. One New Yorker said hospice gave her back a normal life — at peace, pain subdued.
