KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': To End School Shootings, Activists Consider a New Culprit: Parents
February 8, 2024
Podcast
For the first time, a jury has convicted a parent of a school shooter of charges related to the child’s crime, finding a mother in Michigan guilty of involuntary manslaughter and possibly opening a new legal avenue for gun control advocates. Meanwhile, as the Supreme Court prepares to hear a case challenging the FDA’s approval of the abortion drug mifepristone, a medical publisher has retracted some of the journal studies that lower-court judges relied on in their decisions. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet, and Rachana Pradhan of KFF Health News join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Plus, for “extra credit,” the panelists suggest health policy stories they read this week that they think you should read, too.
Comienzan a estar disponibles audífonos de venta libre desde $199
By Phil Galewitz
October 17, 2022
KFF Health News Original
Los audífonos de venta libre cuestan menos en parte porque no incluyen los servicios de un experto para una evaluación auditiva, ajuste y afinación del dispositivo. En cambio, los nuevos dispositivos deben ser configurados por los propios consumidores.
Say What? Hearing Aids Available Over-the-Counter for as Low as $199, and Without a Prescription
By Phil Galewitz
October 17, 2022
KFF Health News Original
The cheaper over-the-counter aids are for adults with mild to moderate hearing loss — a market of tens of millions of people, many of whom have until now been priced out because prescription devices can cost thousands of dollars.
“Peor de lo que la gente cree”, cambios en Medicaid crean caos en los estados
By Phil Galewitz Katheryn Houghton Brett Kelman Samantha Liss
November 2, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Tanto beneficiarios como defensores de pacientes dicen que los funcionarios de Medicaid enviaron formularios de renovación obligatoria a direcciones viejas, calcularon mal los niveles de ingresos e hicieron malas traducciones de los documentos.
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': End-of-Year Chaos on Capitol Hill
December 19, 2024
Podcast
Democrats and Republicans in the House and Senate successfully negotiated an enormous end-of-Congress health package, including bipartisan efforts to address prescription drug prices — only to see it blown up at the last minute after Elon Musk and President-elect Donald Trump applied pressure. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court accepted its first abortion-related case of the term, and the attorney general of Texas sued a doctor in New York for prescribing abortion pills to a Texas patient. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Jessie Hellmann of CQ Roll Call, and Victoria Knight of Axios join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KFF President and CEO Drew Altman about what happened in health policy in 2024 and what to expect in 2025.
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Bird Flu Lands as the Next Public Health Challenge
May 16, 2024
Podcast
Public health authorities are closely watching an unusual strain of bird flu that has infected dairy cows in nine states and at least one dairy worker. Meanwhile, another major health system suffered a cyberattack, and Congress is moving to extend the availability of telehealth services. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call, and Rachel Cohrs Zhang of Stat join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Atul Grover of the Association of American Medical Colleges about its recent analysis showing that graduating medical students are avoiding training in states with abortion bans and major restrictions.
Readers and Tweeters Chime In on Disability Rights and Drug Discounts
December 16, 2022
KFF Health News Original
KHN gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
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.
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.
An Arm and a Leg: Medicaid Recipients Struggle To Stay Enrolled
By Dan Weissmann
June 4, 2024
Podcast
In this episode of “An Arm and a Leg,” the show takes its first look at Medicaid. The program has dropped more than 22 million people since spring 2023, when covid-era protections ended.
Cómo el optimismo puede cerrar la brecha de cobertura de Medicaid
By Phil Galewitz Daniel Chang
November 16, 2022
KFF Health News Original
Más de 2 millones de personas de bajos ingresos, la mitad de ellos en Florida y Texas, no tienen seguro porque están atrapados en una brecha de cobertura. Y sus estados no han expandido Medicaid.
How Optimism Can Close the Medicaid Coverage Gap
By Phil Galewitz Daniel Chang
November 16, 2022
KFF Health News Original
Low-income residents in states that haven’t expanded Medicaid are in a tough spot: They don’t qualify for the subsidies that people with slightly higher incomes get to buy marketplace plans because of a glitch in the federal health law. But a court decision last year makes it easier for them to make good-faith estimates of a pay increase, and there is no financial penalty if they don’t hit that figure.
Who Doesn’t Text in 2022? Most State Medicaid Programs
By Phil Galewitz
April 13, 2022
KFF Health News Original
As states prepare for the end of the covid public health emergency, they are making plans to reevaluate each Medicaid enrollee’s eligibility. They will rely primarily on mail and email because not many states can text enrollees.
Mientras el país se acerca a un millón de muertes por covid, un condado enfrenta terribles pérdidas
By Phil Galewitz
April 1, 2022
KFF Health News Original
En Pennsylvania, el condado de Mifflin, mayormente anti vacunas, está procesando un duelo por fuera de las estadísticas: 337 muertes por covid. De estas personas, 311 no habían recibido ninguna dosis.
As US Nears 1 Million Covid Deaths, One Hard-Hit County Grapples With Unthinkable Loss
By Phil Galewitz
April 1, 2022
KFF Health News Original
The United States is nearing 1 million deaths from covid — an almost incomprehensible number of lives lost that few thought possible when the pandemic began. Pennsylvania’s Mifflin County offers a snapshot into how one hard-hit community, with over 300 dead, is coping.
How a 2019 Florida Law Catalyzed a Hospital-Building Boom
By Phil Galewitz Lauren Sausser 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.
Senators Ask GAO to Examine Medicaid’s Low Covid Vaccination Rates
By Phil Galewitz
March 25, 2022
KFF Health News Original
Sens. Robert Casey Jr. and Ron Wyden want a probe into what barriers are keeping Medicaid plans from reaching enrollees.
Medicare Advantage Plans Send Pals to Seniors’ Homes for Companionship — And Profits
By Phil Galewitz
March 15, 2022
KFF Health News Original
Many Medicare Advantage plans send caregivers to the homes of seniors periodically to help with housework and provide companionship. But the workers may also prod seniors into activities that boost the plans’ Medicare ratings and federal reimbursements.
Journalists Investigate Vaccine Mandates and Health Worker Burnout
August 21, 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 Alabama to Utah, Efforts to Vaccinate Medicaid Enrollees Against Covid Run Into Obstacles
By Phil Galewitz
February 28, 2022
KFF Health News Original
Inoculation rates remain low despite massive outreach efforts and incentives from federal and state programs and Medicaid plan operators, leaving many low-income people vulnerable to the virus.
