Repeating History: California County Plugs Budget Gap With Opioid Settlement Cash
By Aneri Pattani
August 2, 2023
KFF Health News Original
State attorneys general vowed that opioid settlement funds — unlike the tobacco settlement of the 1990s — would go toward tackling the underlying crisis. But in Mendocino County, officials have found a way to use some of its share to help fill a budget shortfall — a throwback to what agreement architects hoped to avoid.
Montana Med School Clash Revives For-Profit Vs. Nonprofit Flap
By Victoria Knight
June 7, 2021
KFF Health News Original
Two medical schools vie to open in Montana, highlighting the rapid spread of for-profit schools and their previously tarnished business model.
‘Press 1 for English’: Vaccination Sign-Ups Prove Daunting for Speakers of Other Languages
By Rachana Pradhan
March 23, 2021
KFF Health News Original
In Virginia, if you called 1-877-VAX-IN-VA to register for a vaccine and wanted help in a language other than English or Spanish, the system might hang up on you.
‘We’re Not Controlling It in Our Schools’: Covid Safety Lapses Abound Across US
By Laura Ungar
January 26, 2021
KFF Health News Original
As President Biden calls for more support to help schools hold in-person classes, public health experts say schools can be relatively safe if they take well-known steps to prevent covid. But a KHN investigation shows many districts and states have ignored health advice or written their own questionable safety rules for schools.
KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: Still Seeking A Federal Coronavirus Strategy
May 28, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Democrats were not impressed with the Trump administration’s COVID-19 national testing strategy document submitted to Congress this week. They say the pandemic requires more direction from the federal government, while the administration wants to give nearly all the responsibility to the states. Meanwhile, in an effort to shore up his base of senior voters, President Donald Trump has unveiled a plan to limit what those on Medicare must pay out-of-pocket for insulin. Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Erin Mershon of STAT News and Joanne Kenen of Politico join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss this and more. Also, Rovner interviews KHN’s Phil Galewitz, who wrote the latest KHN-NPR “Bill of the Month” installment about a patient who thought he might have COVID-19, did everything right and got a big bill, anyway.
Missourians to Vote on Medicaid Expansion as Crisis Leaves Millions Without Insurance
By Cara Anthony
July 30, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Around the country, Medicaid enrollment is up as people who have lost jobs during the pandemic seek health insurance. Expanding eligibility for Missouri’s program, which could help thousands of recently unemployed residents, will be on the ballot Tuesday.
Next Showdown in Congress: Protecting Workers vs. Protecting Employers in the Pandemic
By Christina Jewett Melissa Bailey
July 13, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Democrats want to bind employers to follow a safety plan, while Republicans seek to shield employers and doctors from lawsuits.
At-Home Care Designed For COVID Likely Here To Stay At Cleveland Hospital
By Brie Zeltner
June 10, 2020
KFF Health News Original
A public hospital in Cleveland has been trying to keep COVID patients out of its beds. It tried a number of innovations for developing better communication — even better relationships — with patients. Officials think this groundwork helped keep the outbreak at bay — and should be the new business model going forward.
Trump Touted Abbott’s Quick COVID-19 Test. HHS Document Shows Only 5,500 Are On Way For Entire U.S.
By Rachana Pradhan
April 2, 2020
KFF Health News Original
States urgently need millions of tests, and the game changer they’ve been waiting on falls well short of what is needed, according to government documents obtained by KHN.
Measles Outbreak Sends Vaccine Demand Soaring, Even Among The Hesitant
By JoNel Aleccia
February 6, 2019
KFF Health News Original
The number of health clinic orders and shots administered rose sharply in January compared with last year, Washington county officials say.
Trump’s Pediatric Cancer Crusade A Drop In Bucket Compared With Past Presidential Pitches
By Victoria Knight
February 8, 2019
KFF Health News Original
President Donald Trump wants Congress to allot $500 million over 10 years for pediatric cancer research. While it’s welcomed by researchers and advocates, it’s not a lot of money.
Study Gives Mixed Reviews On Laws To Equalize Cancer Patients’ Out-Of-Pocket Costs
By Michelle Andrews
November 10, 2017
KFF Health News Original
Most states have laws that require that cancer patients who get their treatment orally rather than by infusion in a doctor’s office not pay more out-of-pocket. A new study finds that the impact of those laws is mixed.
By The Numbers: Trump’s Choice For FDA Chief Is Versatile, Entrenched In Pharma
By Sydney Lupkin
March 15, 2017
KFF Health News Original
The numbers show that President Trump’s choice for FDA commissioner, Scott Gottlieb, has long-standing ties to pharmaceutical companies as a board member or consultant and that he had to recuse himself multiple times while working at the FDA.
Consumers Get $10B In Subsidies For Health Coverage, Study Finds
By Jenny Gold
March 27, 2014
KFF Health News Original
Americans have already qualified for about $10 billion in tax credits to help them purchase private health insurance this year through the Affordable Care Act, according to a study from the Kaiser Family Foundation. (KHN is an editorially independent program of the foundation.) That’s an average of $2,890 for each of the 3.5 million people […]
Today’s Headlines – Dec. 18, 2012
By Stephanie Stapleton
December 18, 2012
KFF Health News Original
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about some of the health program specifics involved in offers traded in the ongoing fiscal cliff negotiations. The New York Times: Obama’s New Offer On Fiscal Crisis Could Lead To Deal The offer is close to a plan proposed by the speaker on Friday, […]
Stakes High For Consumers And Industry As Court Weighs Health Law
By Jordan Rau
June 10, 2012
KFF Health News Original
If the Supreme Court strikes down part or all of the 2010 federal health law, millions of Americans – including the uninsured, young adults and the chronically ill – could be affected.
Treating A Scorpion Sting: $ 100 In Mexico Or $ 12,000 In U.S.
By Jenny Gold
November 28, 2011
KFF Health News Original
Say you’re trekking through the desert in Mexico, minding your own business, when all of a sudden a scorpion scrambles up your boot and stings your leg. You hobble over to a nearby clinic, where you’re given a dose of anti-venom that brings you fast relief. The charge for the serum is about $100. Now […]
Today’s Headlines – Oct. 25, 2011
By Stephanie Stapleton
October 25, 2011
KFF Health News Original
Good morning! Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports that a group of Republcian governors communicated their concerns to the super committee. The Washington Post: Republican Governors Submit Recommendations To Debt “Supercommittee’ Four GOP governors sent a letter Monday to the congressional joint committee tasked with drafting a plan to reduce the […]
WHO, U.N.-Water Report Examines Access To Safe Drinking Water, Improved Sanitation
April 16, 2012
Morning Briefing
“Nearly 780 million people are deprived of safe drinking water — and 2.5 billion lack access to improved sanitation — all because governments aren’t spending scarce resources wisely, according to a joint report [.pdf] of the World Health Organization and U.N.-Water,” VOA News reports. Though “more than two billion people gained access to safe drinking water and 1.8 billion gained access to improved sanitation” between 1990 and 2010, billions of people still lack these basic services, the report noted, according to the news service.
