Social Security Tackles Overpayment ‘Injustices,’ but Problems Remain
By David Hilzenrath Jodie Fleischer, Cox Media Group
Updated November 18, 2024
Originally Published November 18, 2024
KFF Health News Original
With his term soon to expire, Social Security chief Martin O’Malley’s efforts to address the agency’s overpayments to beneficiaries remain incomplete.
Double Shifts, Credit Card Debt, and Family Loans When Twins Were Born Early
By Noam N. Levey
June 16, 2022
KFF Health News Original
One Chicago woman gave birth to twins 10 weeks prematurely, and the children needed extensive care. The medical bills topped out at around $80,000. Desperate, the parents loaded up credit cards, borrowed from relatives, and delayed repaying student loans.
Una decisión difícil: cuando los adultos mayores tienen que dejar de conducir
By Judith Graham
January 24, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Los riesgos para los conductores mayores aumentan con la edad y el desarrollo de afecciones como la artritis, el glaucoma y el Parkinson. Y cuando ocurren accidentes, son más propensos a sufrir heridas graves o morir porque son físicamente más vulnerables.
The Year in Opioid Settlements: 5 Things You Need to Know
By Aneri Pattani
December 21, 2023
KFF Health News Original
In the past year, opioid settlement money has gone from an emerging funding stream for which people had lofty but uncertain aspirations to a coveted pot of billions being invested in remediation efforts. Here are some important and evolving factors to watch going forward.
America Worries About Health Costs — And Voters Want to Hear From Biden and Republicans
By Julie Appleby Phil Galewitz
Updated March 8, 2024
Originally Published March 4, 2024
KFF Health News Original
The presidential election is likely to turn on the simple question of whether Americans want Donald Trump back in the White House. But health care tops the list of household financial worries for adults from both parties.
When Temps Rise, So Do Medical Risks. Should Doctors and Nurses Talk More About Heat?
By Martha Bebinger, WBUR
September 1, 2023
KFF Health News Original
The medical dangers of heat are real. But people often ignore public heat alerts or don’t realize how vulnerable they are. A new alert system prompts clinicians to talk about heat with patients.
Patients Couldn’t Pay Their Utility Bills. One Hospital Turned to Solar Power for Help.
By Martha Bebinger, WBUR
December 12, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Doctors in Boston got tired of writing letters to utility companies asking for assistance for their medically vulnerable patients who need power and heat to stay healthy. So a hospital decided to share the power its solar panels generate with patients who needed help with their electricity and gas bills.
Toxic ‘Forever Chemicals’ Taint Rural California Drinking Water, Far From Known Sources
By Hannah Norman
December 11, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Researchers found toxic “forever chemicals” in drinking water wells dotting California’s rural farming regions, far from known contamination sources. The discovery complicates the state’s drinking water problem, which disproportionately affects farmworkers and communities of color.
Readers and Tweeters See Ways to Shore Up Primary Care
July 17, 2023
KFF Health News Original
KFF Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
An Arm and a Leg: Wait, What’s a PBM?
By Dan Weissmann
July 13, 2023
Podcast
Pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs, are companies that negotiate the prices of prescription drugs. Hear about their role in raising drug prices and the ongoing efforts to regulate this complex industry.
Officials Agree: Use Settlement Funds to Curb Youth Addiction. But the ‘How’ Gets Hairy.
By Aneri Pattani Emily Featherston, InvestigateTV
Illustration by Oona Zenda
September 25, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Parents, educators, and elected officials agree that investing in school-based prevention efforts could help curb the rising rate of youth drug overdoses. The well-known D.A.R.E. program is one likely choice, but its effectiveness is in question.
Bankrupt California Hospital Receives Lifeline From Adventist, Report Says
By Jonathan Weber
July 27, 2023
KFF Health News Original
The Fresno Bee reports that Madera Community Hospital has reached an agreement with Adventist Health to take over the bankrupt facility and avoid liquidation.
The Market for Biosimilars Is Funky. The Industry Thinks PBMs Are To Blame
By Arthur Allen
December 19, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Over the past year there’s been movement to rein in the three big PBMs, which face little regulation though they help set drug prices and drug choices for 80 percent of Americans and their doctors. The House voted Dec. 11, 320-71, for legislation that would require the PBMs to change some of the ways they […]
Drugmakers Are Abandoning Cheap Generics, and Now US Cancer Patients Can’t Get Meds
By Arthur Allen
June 21, 2023
KFF Health News Original
A quality-control crisis at an Indian pharmaceutical factory has left doctors and their patients with impossible choices as cheap, effective, generic cancer drugs go out of stock.
California May Regulate and Restrict Pharmaceutical Brokers
By Don Thompson
September 18, 2024
KFF Health News Original
California lawmakers are moving to rein in the pharmaceutical middlemen they say drive up costs and limit consumers’ choices. The bill sent to Gov. Gavin Newsom would require pharmacy benefit managers to be licensed in California and would ban some business practices. Newsom vetoed a previous effort three years ago.
As Interest From Families Wanes, Pediatricians Scale Back on Covid Shots
By Jackie Fortiér
September 4, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Pediatricians want to vaccinate kids, but some say they’re keeping their stockpile of covid vaccines low to avoid being stuck with costly, unwanted shots. They can’t afford to stock up on costly shots that parents don’t want.
California Fails to Adequately Help Blind and Deaf Prisoners, US Judge Rules
By Don Thompson
April 12, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Thirty years after prisoners with disabilities sued and 25 years after a federal court first ordered accommodations, a judge found that California prison and parole officials still are not doing enough to help deaf and blind prisoners — in part because they are not providing readily available technology such as video recordings and laptop computers.
Desperate Families Search for Affordable Home Care
By Reed Abelson, The New York Times
December 4, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Facing a severe shortage of aides and high costs, people trying to keep aging loved ones at home often cobble together a patchwork of family and friends to help.
Mamografías que usan inteligencia artificial cuestan dinero extra… pero, ¿vale la pena?
By Michelle Andrews
January 17, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Este software puede identificar patrones y anomalías que los radiólogos humanos podrían pasar por alto. Pero no es el estándar de atención.
Street Medicine Practitioners Are Getting Paid. Now They Want Higher Rates.
By Angela Hart
October 31, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Street medicine, the practice of caring for homeless people outdoors, is a burgeoning field — an unfortunate reality as America confronts a growing homelessness epidemic. But it’s at least become a little more rewarding after the Biden administration made an under-the-radar yet revolutionary change to Medicaid. Starting this month, doctors, nurses and other providers can bill […]
