Historic Numbers of Americans Live by Themselves as They Age
By Judith Graham
September 17, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Longer life spans, rising rates of divorce, widowhood, and childlessness, and smaller, far-flung families are fueling a “gray revolution” in older adults’ living arrangements. It can have profound health consequences.
Georgia’s Work Requirement Slows Processing of Applications for Medicaid, Food Stamps
By Andy Miller Renuka Rayasam Sam Whitehead
December 5, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Georgia’s ability to process applications for Medicaid and other public benefits has lagged since the launch of Republican Gov. Brian Kemp’s “Pathways” Medicaid work requirement, leaving Georgia with persistently slow Medicaid application processing times.
La vejez en soledad, así vive un número histórico de estadounidenses
By Judith Graham
September 17, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Más de 16 millones de estadounidenses viven solos mientras envejecen. Sorprendentemente, se sabe muy poco sobre sus experiencias.
What You Need to Know About the Drug Price Fight in Those TV Ads
By Arthur Allen
July 10, 2023
KFF Health News Original
At least nine bills introduced in Congress take aim at pharmacy benefit managers, the powerful middlemen that channel prescription drugs to patients.
Where Are the Nation’s Primary Care Providers? It’s Not an Easy Answer
By Rae Ellen Bichell
January 30, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Politicians keep talking about fixing primary care shortages. But flawed national data leaves big holes in how to evaluate which policies are effective.
California Confronts Overdose Epidemic Among Former Prison Inmates
By Don Thompson
May 10, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Individuals newly released from prison are 40 times as likely to die of opioid overdoses than members of the general population, researchers say. In response, California corrections officials aim to arm departing inmates with an antidote that can be used to reverse the effects of opioid poisoning.
Timing and Cost of New Vaccines Vary by Virus and Health Insurance Status
By Julie Appleby
August 24, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Flu. Covid. RSV. When and how to get vaccinated against them can be confusing. Here are some of the most important things to know.
Montana May Require Insurers to Cover Monitoring Devices for Diabetes
By Keely Larson
April 7, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Montana is one of several states considering expanding coverage of continuous glucose monitors, but insurance companies and some providers argue that not all people with diabetes need them.
¿Dónde están los proveedores de atención primaria del país? La respuesta no es fácil
By Rae Ellen Bichell
January 30, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Expertos en el tema sienten una frustración persistente: es difícil saber si alguna política está funcionando porque los datos que recopila el gobierno federal sobre las áreas de escasez de atención primaria no han sido fidedignos durante mucho tiempo.
HIV Outbreak Persists as Officials Push Back Against Containment Efforts
By Taylor Sisk
December 19, 2022
KFF Health News Original
Research shows offering clean syringes to people who misuse IV drugs is effective in combating the spread of HIV. But an epidemiologist and advocates say state and local officials in West Virginia, home to one of the worst HIV outbreaks in recent years, have taken measures that render syringe exchange less accessible.
Why Long-Term Care Insurance Falls Short for So Many
By Jordan Rau JoNel Aleccia
November 22, 2023
KFF Health News Original
The private insurance market has proved wildly inadequate in providing financial security for millions of older Americans, in part by underestimating how many policyholders would use their coverage.
Patients Expected Profemur Artificial Hips to Last. Then They Snapped in Half.
By Brett Kelman Anna Werner, CBS News
December 5, 2023
KFF Health News Original
The FDA and the manufacturer were alerted to Profemur titanium hips breaking inside U.S. patients as of 2005. It took 15 years to recall the devices. Many fractures could have been avoided.
An Arm and a Leg: How a Surprise Bill Can Hitch a Ride to the Hospital
By Dan Weissmann
August 16, 2023
Podcast
The No Surprises Act has helped rein in out-of-network medical bills, but ground ambulances are a costly exception. Hear why this service can still hit patients with big bills and what to do if you get one.
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Happy 50th, ERISA
August 15, 2024
Podcast
What does a law to protect worker pensions have to do with how health insurance is regulated? Far more than most people may think. The Employee Retirement Income Security Act, or ERISA, turns 50 in September. The law fundamentally changed the way the federal and state governments regulate employer-provided health insurance and continues to shape health policy in the United States. In this special episode of “What the Health?”, host and KFF Health News chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner speaks to Larry Levitt of KFF, Paul Fronstin of the Employee Benefit Research Institute, and Ilyse Schuman of the American Benefits Council about the history of ERISA and what its future might hold.
Anger After North Dakota Governor Asks COVID-Positive Health Staff to Stay on Job
By Danielle Renwick, The Guardian
November 18, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Doctors and nurses say order puts lives in danger, amid a COVID surge and a statewide shortage of health care workers.
As COVID Cases Spike, California Shifts Its Strategy
By Angela Hart Anna Maria Barry-Jester
June 25, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Public health officials have been alarmed by the increase in COVID-19 cases linked to family gatherings and socializing. While Gov. Gavin Newsom is defending the state’s reopening, local health officials worry the situation could get worse this summer.
COVID Bailout Cash Goes To Big Players That Have Paid Millions To Settle Allegations Of Wrongdoing
By Rachana Pradhan Fred Schulte
May 9, 2020
KFF Health News Original
At least half of the top 10 recipients, part of a group that received $20 billion in emergency HHS funding, have paid criminal penalties or settled charges related to improper billing and other practices.
Consumer Beware: Coronavirus Antibody Tests Are Still A Work In Progress
By JoNel Aleccia
April 27, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Public officials are putting high hopes on new blood tests as a means of determining who has developed antibodies to COVID-19, and with those antibodies, presumed immunity. But experts caution the tests are largely unreliable and the science is still catching up.
As Deaths Mount, Coronavirus Testing Remains Wildly Inconsistent In Long-Term Care
By Laura Ungar
May 12, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Testing for COVID-19 varies widely across nursing homes and assisted living facilities, even within the same states and communities — increasing the risks for some of America’s most vulnerable seniors.
Nursing Home Outbreak Spotlights Coronavirus Risk In Elder Care Facilities
By JoNel Aleccia
March 1, 2020
KFF Health News Original
The spread of coronavirus disease to a skilled nursing facility in Washington state underscores the risk the deadly new virus poses in elder care facilities, where illnesses caused by more common pathogens, like seasonal influenza, often spread rapidly.
