Genetic Tests Create Treatment Opportunities and Confusion for Breast Cancer Patients
By Michelle Andrews
September 21, 2022
KFF Health News Original
Doctors are divided on whether blanket testing of breast cancer patients is warranted, since scientists and physicians are sometimes unsure about how to interpret the results.
A los recién nacidos se les extrae sangre para analizarla, ¿deben los estados conservar esas muestras?
By Michelle Andrews
September 14, 2022
KFF Health News Original
Algunos estados permiten que se utilicen en estudios de investigación, a veces por parte de terceros a cambio de una cuota, o que se proporcionen al personal policial que investiga un delito.
Newborns Get Routine Heel Blood Tests, but Should States Keep Those Samples?
By Michelle Andrews
September 14, 2022
KFF Health News Original
Shortly after birth, babies are pricked in the heel so their blood can be tested for life-threatening conditions. States generally save leftover blood from those samples, and parents and privacy experts are concerned that information could be used without consent years later.
Lo que debes saber sobre Paxlovid para tratar covid, en especial, ¿debes tomarlo?
By Michelle Andrews
July 28, 2022
KFF Health News Original
Desde que Paxlovid comenzó a estar disponible hace siete meses, ha eclipsado otras terapias disponibles para prevenir los síntomas graves de covid en pacientes de alto riesgo. Algunos médicos se apresuran a recetarlo, pero como ocurre con tanto sobre la pandemia de covid, hay controversia.
Journalists Offer Primers on Medicare Open Enrollment and Death Benefits Amid Covid
November 13, 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.
Everything You Need to Know About Paxlovid — Especially, Should You Take It?
By Michelle Andrews
July 28, 2022
KFF Health News Original
Paxlovid has eclipsed other available therapies for preventing life-threatening covid symptoms in high-risk patients. But even as doctors praise its effectiveness, many say they have unanswered questions about prescribing the drug and want more and better data about it.
‘So Rudderless’: A Couple’s Quest for Autism Treatment for Their Son Hits Repeated Obstacles
By Michelle Andrews
July 21, 2022
KFF Health News Original
Amparo and Victor Rios began searching for answers about their son’s development when he didn’t hit some milestones after turning 2. Three years later, they are still trying to get their insurance to pay for expensive therapy to help him.
Igual que con covid, atraso en pruebas y vacunas para la viruela del simio
By Michelle Andrews
July 8, 2022
KFF Health News Original
Los casos de la viruela del simio siguen aumentando, pero la respuesta sanitaria es lenta: escasean las pruebas y las dosis de la vacuna que puede prevenir la infección.
Vaccine and Testing Delays for Monkeypox Echo Failures in Early Covid Response
By Michelle Andrews
July 8, 2022
KFF Health News Original
Public health officials say monkeypox is not as dangerous as covid and can be handled well with current treatments and if those at risk use caution. But the rollout of vaccines has been slow and led to angst among some at-risk people.
Preventive Care May Be Free, but Follow-Up Diagnostic Tests Can Bring Big Bills
By Michelle Andrews
June 14, 2022
KFF Health News Original
Under the Affordable Care Act, insurers cannot charge consumers for various preventive services that have been recommended by experts. But if those screenings indicate more testing is needed to determine whether something is wrong, patients may be on the hook for hundreds or even thousands of dollars for diagnostic services.
Her First Colonoscopy Cost Her $0. Her Second Cost $2,185. Why?
By Michelle Andrews
May 31, 2022
KFF Health News Original
Preventive care, like screening colonoscopies, is supposed to be free of charge to patients under the Affordable Care Act. But some hospitals haven’t gotten the memo.
Why So Slow? Legislators Take on Insurers’ Delays in Approving Prescribed Treatments
By Michelle Andrews
May 17, 2022
KFF Health News Original
Insurers say prior authorization requirements are intended to reduce wasteful and inappropriate health care spending. But they can baffle patients waiting for approval. And doctors say that insurers have yet to follow through on commitments to improve the process.
Journalists Examine Vaccination Rates Among Student Nurses and in Covid Hot Spots
October 9, 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.
La atención primaria está cambiando: el acceso y la calidad están en juego
By Julie Appleby and Michelle Andrews
June 28, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Una relación sólida y duradera con un médico de atención primaria —que conozca el historial del paciente y pueda vigilar nuevos problemas— se ha considerado durante mucho tiempo la base de un sistema sanitario de calidad.
Will the Doctor See You Now? The Health System’s Changing Landscape
By Julie Appleby and Michelle Andrews
June 28, 2023
KFF Health News Original
The “front door” to the health system is changing, under pressure from increased demand, consolidation, and changing patient expectations.
Washington State Retools First-in-the-Nation Long-Term Care Benefit
By Michelle Andrews
April 18, 2022
KFF Health News Original
The WA Cares Fund program, which would provide workers in the state a lifetime benefit of $36,500, was set to begin collecting money through a payroll tax in January, but it was delayed while lawmakers made adjustments to address equity problems. Now the payroll deductions will begin in July 2023, and benefits will become available in 2026.
Despite Doctors’ Concerns, Pharmacists Get More Leeway to Offer Treatment With Testing
By Michelle Andrews
March 31, 2022
KFF Health News Original
In the battle against covid, pharmacies became a key place for consumers to seek vaccines and testing. Some states are expanding pharmacists’ work to include directly prescribing drugs for customers who seek some routine, point-of-care tests, such as those for flu or strep throat. But doctor groups oppose the move.
KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Waking Up to Baby Formula Shortage
May 19, 2022
KFF Health News Original
The nationwide shortage of baby formula, which has been simmering for months, finally burst into public consciousness as more parents become less able to find food for their babies, prompting a belated federal response. Meanwhile, covid-19 cases rise but prevention activities don’t, and abortion-rights backers ready their legal arsenal for a post-Roe world. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Tami Luhby of CNN, and Rachel Cohrs of Stat join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Plus, for extra credit, the panelists suggest their favorite health policy stories of the week they think you should read, too.
Decisión de un juez haría que algunas pruebas de detección de cáncer sin costo fueran cosa del pasado
By Julie Appleby and Michelle Andrews
March 30, 2023
KFF Health News Original
La decisión podría afectar los exámenes de detección sin copago y servicios preventivos similares que la mayoría de los estadounidenses con seguro tienen como parte de sus planes de salud.
Judge’s Decision Would Make Some No-Cost Cancer Screenings a Thing of the Past
By Julie Appleby and Michelle Andrews
March 30, 2023
KFF Health News Original
A U.S. District Court ruling overturned the section of the Affordable Care Act that makes preventive health services — from colonoscopies to diabetes screenings and more — available at no cost to consumers.