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.
Employers Are Concerned About Covering Workers’ Mental Health Needs, Survey Finds
By Michelle Andrews
October 27, 2022
KFF Health News Original
Nearly half of large employers report that increasing numbers of their workers were using mental health services, according to a KFF annual employer survey. Yet almost a third of those employers said their health plan’s network didn’t have enough behavioral health care providers for employees to have timely access to the care they need.
Empleadores se preocupan por la salud mental, pero no hay suficientes proveedores
By Michelle Andrews
October 27, 2022
KFF Health News Original
Casi la mitad de los grandes empleadores encuestados, con al menos 200 trabajadores, informaron que una proporción cada vez mayor de sus empleados utilizaba servicios de salud mental.
The FDA Calls Them ‘Recalls,’ Yet the Targeted Medical Devices Often Remain in Use
By David Hilzenrath
August 15, 2024
KFF Health News Original
With medical devices, recalls are not always what they seem. In some recalls, including some of the most serious, the FDA and the manufacturers let doctors and hospitals continue to use the devices.
Save Billions or Stick With Humira? Drug Brokers Steer Americans to the Costly Choice
By Arthur Allen
September 19, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Thousands of patients with autoimmune diseases who rely on Humira, with a list price of $6,600 a month, could get financial relief from new low-cost rivals. So far, the pharmacy benefit managers that control drug prices in America have not delivered on those savings.
‘True Cost of Aging’ Index Shows Many Seniors Can’t Afford Basic Necessities
By Judith Graham
July 25, 2022
KFF Health News Original
The Elder Index, developed by researchers at the University of Massachusetts-Boston, shows that nearly 5 million older women living alone, 2 million older men living alone, and more than 2 million older couples have incomes that make them economically insecure.
Extra Fees Drive Assisted Living Profits
By Jordan Rau
November 20, 2023
KFF Health News Original
The add-ons pile up: $93 for medications, $50 for cable TV. Prices soar as the industry leaves no service unbilled, out of reach for many families.
¿Ahorrar miles de millones o quedarse con Humira? Intermediarios farmacéuticos guían hacia la opción más costosa
By Arthur Allen
September 19, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Humira lleva 20 años disfrutando de una exclusividad muy cara en el país. Sus competidores podrían ahorrarle al sistema sanitario $9,000 millones.
Deep Flaws in FDA Oversight of Medical Devices, and Patient Harm, Exposed in Lawsuits and Records
By Fred Schulte Holly K. Hacker
Illustration by Oona Zenda
December 21, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Thousands of medical devices are sold, and even implanted, with no safety tests.
‘Heart’ of Little Shell: Newest Federally Recognized Tribe to Open First Clinic
By Katheryn Houghton
January 20, 2022
KFF Health News Original
The Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians of Montana plans to open the nation’s newest Indian Health Service clinic in Great Falls on Jan. 31 — marking the first time the tribe will have its culture reflected in health care offerings.
Pandemic-Fueled Shortages of Home Health Workers Strand Patients Without Necessary Care
By Judith Graham
February 3, 2022
KFF Health News Original
Home health and hospice agencies are experiencing extreme worker shortages, which means they can’t provide services to all the patients seeking care.
Getting a Prescription to Die Remains Tricky Even as Aid-in-Dying Bills Gain Momentum
By Katheryn Houghton
March 30, 2021
KFF Health News Original
Access to physician-assisted death is expanding across the U.S., but the procedure remains in Montana’s legal gray zone more than a decade after the state Supreme Court ruled physicians could use a dying patient’s consent as a defense.
As Patients Fell Ill With Covid Inside Hospitals, Government Oversight Fell Short
By Lauren Weber Christina Jewett
Photos by Heidi de Marco
December 23, 2021
KFF Health News Original
A KHN investigation finds that hospitals with high rates of covid patients who didn’t have the diagnosis when they were admitted have rarely been held accountable due to multiple gaps in government oversight.
Health Officials Worry Nation’s Not Ready for COVID-19 Vaccine
By Liz Szabo
September 2, 2020
KFF Health News Original
As the nation awaits a vaccine to end the pandemic, local health departments say they lack the staff, money, tools ― and a unified plan ― to distribute, administer and track millions of vaccines, most of which will require two doses. Dozens of doctors, nurses and health officials interviewed by KHN and The Associated Press expressed their concern and frustration over federal shortcomings.
Battle Rages Inside Hospitals Over How COVID Strikes and Kills
By Robert Lewis Christina Jewett
September 23, 2020
KFF Health News Original
The debate over how the coronavirus spreads heated up Friday when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention conceded that the virus spreads through tiny particles, but then took down guidance that could have forced big changes in hospitals.
VCU Health Will Halt Patient Lawsuits, Boost Aid In Wake Of KHN Investigation
By Jay Hancock Elizabeth Lucas
October 9, 2019
KFF Health News Original
Patients at VCU Health will no longer be taken to court and can more easily get financial assistance to pay their bills.
Hard Lives Made Harder by COVID: Homeless Endure a ‘Slow-Moving Train Wreck’
By Anna Maria Barry-Jester Angela Hart
October 8, 2020
KFF Health News Original
This was supposed to be the year California finally did something about its homelessness epidemic. COVID-19 upended that promise, along with the cobbled-together services many homeless people rely on for survival. Interviews across the state reveal a new magnitude of hardship and indignity for tens of thousands of people living on the streets.
Patients Eligible For Charity Care Instead Get Big Bills
By Jordan Rau
October 14, 2019
KFF Health News Original
Nonprofit hospitals admit they sent $2.7 billion in bills over the course of a year to patients who probably qualified for free or discounted care.
Always Connected With Thousands Of ‘Friends’ — Yet Feeling All Alone
By Sharon Jayson
March 8, 2019
KFF Health News Original
Millennials and Gen Zers say they often feel isolated even when surrounded by friends — both real and virtual.
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.
