Medicare Plans’ ‘Free’ Dental, Vision, Hearing Benefits Come at a Cost
By Phil Galewitz
October 27, 2021
KFF Health News Original
The ads for supplemental Medicare Advantage plans describe vision and dental benefits, even grocery discounts and food deliveries. But look at the fine print.
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.
Cuando hay mala praxis en centros de salud comunitarios, pagan los contribuyentes
By Phil Galewitz and Bram Sable-Smith
November 28, 2022
KFF Health News Original
Los 1,375 centros de salud financiados con dinero federal, que atienden a 30 millones de estadounidenses de bajos ingresos, son en su mayoría organizaciones privadas. Sin embargo, reciben $6,000 millones anuales en subvenciones federales y, según la ley federal, sus responsabilidades legales están cubiertas por el gobierno
When Malpractice Occurs at Community Health Centers, Taxpayers Pay
By Phil Galewitz and Bram Sable-Smith
November 28, 2022
KFF Health News Original
Federally funded clinics and their doctors are protected against lawsuits by federal law, with taxpayers footing the bill. The health centers say that allows them to better serve their low-income patients, but lawyers say the system handcuffs consumers with a cumbersome legal process and makes it harder for the public to see problems.
As Democrats Bicker Over Massive Spending Plan, Here’s What’s at Stake for Medicaid
By Phil Galewitz
September 30, 2021
KFF Health News Original
More than 2 million low-income adults are uninsured because their states have not accepted Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act. Congressional Democrats want to offer them coverage in the massive spending bill being debated, but competition to get into that package is fierce.
How a 2019 Florida Law Catalyzed a Hospital-Building Boom
By Phil Galewitz and Lauren Sausser and Daniel Chang
April 26, 2023
KFF Health News Original
In Wesley Chapel, Fla., near Tampa, residents will soon have three general hospitals within a five-minute drive. The new construction is part of a hospital-building boom across Florida unleashed almost four years ago, when the state dropped a requirement that companies obtain government approval to open new hospitals.
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': All About the (Government) Funding
January 11, 2024
Podcast
With days to go until a large chunk of the federal government runs out of money needed to keep it operating, Congress is still struggling to find a compromise spending plan. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court agreed to hear — this year — a case that pits federal requirements for emergency treatment against state abortion bans. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet, and Tami Luhby of CNN join KFF Health News chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews American Medical Association President Jesse Ehrenfeld about the choppy waters facing the nation’s physicians in 2024.
Dentistas eliminan los problemas de las personas sin seguro ofreciéndoles ellos mismos planes
By Phil Galewitz
September 20, 2021
KFF Health News Original
Estos planes limitados a una práctica están dirigidos principalmente a los 65 millones de estadounidenses que no tienen cobertura dental, y tienen que pagar de su bolsillo toda su atención.
Dentists Chip Away at Uninsured Problem by Offering Patients Membership Plans
By Phil Galewitz
September 17, 2021
KFF Health News Original
The plans are designed for people who don’t get dental coverage through their jobs and can’t afford an individual plan. For about $300 to $400 a year, patients receive certain preventive services at no charge and other procedures at a discount.
KHN on the Air This Week
January 8, 2021
KFF Health News Original
KHN and California Healthline staff made the rounds on national and local media in recent weeks to discuss their stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.
Beneficiarios de Medicaid se vacunan mucho menos contra covid
By Phil Galewitz
August 27, 2021
KFF Health News Original
Si bien más de 202 millones de estadounidenses están vacunados al menos en parte contra covid, casi el 30% de las personas mayores de 12 años siguen sin vacunarse. Las encuestas muestran que los más pobres tienen menos probabilidades de recibir una vacuna.
Medicaid Vaccination Rates Founder as States Struggle to Immunize Their Poorest Residents
By Phil Galewitz
August 27, 2021
KFF Health News Original
Efforts by states and the private health plans that many states pay to cover low-income Americans has been scattershot and hampered by a lack of data.
Jaw Surgery Takes a $27,119 Bite out of One Man’s Budget
By Phil Galewitz
August 27, 2021
KFF Health News Original
A Seattle patient discovers the hard way that you can still hit a lifetime limit for certain types of care. And health plans can vary a lot from one job to the next, even if the insurer is the same.
Apple, Bose and Others Pump Up the Volume on Hearing Aid Options, Filling Void Left by FDA
By Phil Galewitz
August 26, 2021
KFF Health News Original
A 2017 law designed to help lower the cost of hearing aids mandated that federal officials set rules for a new class of devices consumers could buy without needing to see an audiologist. But those regulations are still on hold.
States Pull Back on Covid Data Even Amid Delta Surge
By Andy Miller
August 27, 2021
KFF Health News Original
As covid case numbers rise nationwide, Georgia and some other states have restricted the case count data they share publicly.
Community Health Centers’ Big Profits Raise Questions About Federal Oversight
By Phil Galewitz and Bram Sable-Smith
August 15, 2022
KFF Health News Original
Nonprofit federally funded health centers are a linchpin in the nation’s health care safety net because they treat the medically underserved. The average profit margin is 5%, but some have recorded margins of 20% or more in three of the past four years.
“Sabiduría y miedo” llevan al 90% de los adultos mayores de EE.UU. a vacunarse contra covid
By Phil Galewitz
August 4, 2021
KFF Health News Original
La pandemia ha sido especialmente cruel para los adultos mayores. Casi el 80% de las muertes ocurrieron entre personas de 65 años y más. Millones estuvieron aislados en residencias y en sus casas por meses.
‘Wisdom and Fear’ Lead 90% of U.S. Seniors to Covid Vaccines
By Phil Galewitz
August 4, 2021
KFF Health News Original
The success in getting shots to older adults is likely due to states prioritizing that effort when the vaccines became available and motivation among the elderly after the virus killed so many in their age group.
Amid Covid Booster Debate, West Virginia to Check Immunity of Vaccinated Nursing Home Residents
By Phil Galewitz
July 30, 2021
KFF Health News Original
The state says it will look at the levels of disease-fighting antibodies among nursing home residents vaccinated against covid, which could help indicate whether they need a booster shot.
Desperate for Home Care, Seniors Often Wait Months With Workers in Short Supply
By Phil Galewitz
June 30, 2021
KFF Health News Original
The covid pandemic and President Joe Biden’s agenda — a planned $400 billion infusion of support — have focused national attention on the need to expand home- and community-based long-term care services designed to keep people out of nursing homes. But the need far outpaces the staffing.