Personal Medical Debt in Los Angeles County Tops $2.6 Billion, Report Finds
By Molly Castle Work
June 7, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Medical debt is a leading public health problem, researchers say. Despite the county’s ongoing expansion of health coverage, the prevalence of medical debt remained unchanged from 2017 to 2021.
Do We Simply Not Care About Old People?
By Judith Graham
Illustration by Oona Zenda
February 9, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Recently, thousands of older Americans have been dying weekly of covid. But most Americans aren’t wearing masks in public, a move that could prevent infections. Many at-risk seniors aren’t getting antiviral therapies, and older adults in nursing homes aren’t getting vaccines. Why?
Journalists Track Biden’s First 100 Days
May 1, 2021
KFF Health News Original
KHN and California Healthline staff made the rounds on national and local media this week to discuss their stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.
From Sewers to Golf Courses, Cities See Green With New Federal Covid Relief Dollars
By Phil Galewitz
October 8, 2021
KFF Health News Original
The American Rescue Plan Act, passed by Congress in March, provides $130 billion to cities, counties and tribes — with few restrictions on how the money can be spent.
Covered California Says Health Insurance Just Got Too Cheap to Ignore
By Bernard J. Wolfson
May 4, 2021
KFF Health News Original
Californians who passed up health coverage in the past may be pleasantly surprised by the lower prices available thanks to the new federal relief act.
Vaccines Go Mobile to Keep Seniors From Slipping Through the Cracks
By Rachel Bluth
February 16, 2021
KFF Health News Original
A strike team of nurses and others is vaccinating Contra Costa County’s hardest-hit populations right where they live.
A Brush With A Notorious Cat, My Rabies Education And The Big Bill That Followed
By Caitlin Hillyard
August 20, 2019
KFF Health News Original
An encounter with a cat led to rabies shots and provided yet another illustration of how confusing, contrary and expensive the American health care system is.
Listless And Lonely In Puerto Rico, Some Older Storm Survivors Consider Suicide
By Sarah Varney
May 10, 2018
KFF Health News Original
More than six months ago, Hurricane Maria upended routines and shuttered services on the island leading to a sense of despair and isolation, especially among older people.
California’s RN Wages Now Highest In The Nation, Federal Data Show
By Ana B. Ibarra
October 24, 2016
KFF Health News Original
Registered nurses in the state earn an average annual salary of $100,000, compared to a national average of $71,000.
UnitedHealthcare Dropping Hundreds Of Doctors From Medicare Advantage Plans
By Susan Jaffe
December 1, 2013
KFF Health News Original
The insurer has been notifying members about the network changes as the Dec. 7 deadline for choosing coverage for next year quickly approaches.
GOP Plan Would Cut Medicaid By $1.7 Trillion, Study Says
By Phil Galewitz
October 23, 2012
KFF Health News Original
The House Republican plan to repeal President Barack Obama’s health law and turn Medicaid into a block grant program would save the federal government $1.7 trillion from 2013 to 2022, a 38-percent spending reduction, according to a report today by the Urban Institute for the Kaiser Family Foundation. It would also result in 31 million […]
How Will The Election Change Medicaid?
By Phil Galewitz
October 3, 2012
KFF Health News Original
Frequently asked questions about Romney and Obama’s very different visions for the future of state-federal health program.
