KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Year-End Bill Holds Big Health Changes
January 5, 2023
Podcast
The year-end spending bill passed by Congress in late December contains a wide array of health-related provisions, including a structure for states to begin to disenroll people on Medicaid whose coverage has been maintained through the pandemic. Meanwhile, the Biden administration is taking steps to make the abortion pill more widely available. Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico, Rachel Cohrs of Stat, and Rachel Roubein of The Washington Post join KHN’s chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these topics and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Mark Kreidler, who reported and wrote the latest KHN-NPR “Bill of the Month” feature about a billing mix-up that took about a year to sort out.
Readers Weigh Downsides of Medicare Advantage and Stick Up for Mary Lou Retton
January 29, 2024
KFF Health News Original
KFF Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
Without Medicare Part B’s Shield, Patient’s Family Owes $81,000 for a Single Air-Ambulance Flight
By Tony Leys
February 27, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Sky-high bills from air-ambulance providers have sparked complaints and federal action in recent years. But a rural Tennessee resident fell through the cracks of billing protections — and a single helicopter ride could cost much of her estate’s value.
KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Medicaid Machinations
December 1, 2022
KFF Health News Original
The lame-duck Congress has returned to Washington with a long health care to-do list and only a little time. Meanwhile, some of the states that have not yet expanded Medicaid eligibility under the Affordable Care Act are rethinking those decisions. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Rachel Cohrs of Stat, and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these topics and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KHN’s Fred Clasen-Kelly, who reported and wrote the latest KHN-NPR “Bill of the Month” feature, about a mysterious mishap during minor surgery.
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': The Open Enrollment Mixing Bowl
October 19, 2023
Podcast
Open enrollment for Medicare beneficiaries with private health plans began Oct. 15, to be followed Nov. 1 by open enrollment for Affordable Care Act plans. The selection for both is large — often too large to be navigated easily alone. And people who choose incorrectly can end up with unaffordable medical bills. Meanwhile, those on both sides of the abortion issue are looking to Ohio’s November ballot measure on abortion to see whether anti-abortion forces can break their losing streak in statewide ballot questions since the overturn of Roe v. Wade in 2022.
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': The ‘Unwinding’ of Medicaid
April 6, 2023
Podcast
As of April 1, states were allowed to begin reevaluating Medicaid eligibility for millions of Americans who qualified for the program during the covid-19 pandemic but may no longer meet the income or other requirements. As many as 15 million people could lose health coverage as a result. Meanwhile, the Medicare Hospital Insurance Trust Fund is projected to stay solvent until 2031, its trustees reported, taking some pressure off of lawmakers to finally fix that program’s underlying financial weaknesses. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Rachel Roubein of The Washington Post, and Amy Goldstein of The Washington Post join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Daniel Chang, who reported the latest KHN-NPR “Bill of the Month” feature about a child not yet old enough for kindergarten whose medical bill landed him in collections.
The Hospital Bills Didn’t Find Her, but a Lawsuit Did — Plus Interest
By Bram Sable-Smith
June 27, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Recovering from emergency gallbladder surgery, a Tennessee woman said she spent months without a permanent mailing address and never got a bill. She was sued by the health system two years later.
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': The State of Federal Health Agencies Is Uncertain
March 6, 2025
Podcast
The Supreme Court opined for the first time that Trump administration officials may be exceeding their authority to reshape the federal government by refusing to honor completed contracts, even as lower-court judges started blocking efforts to fire workers, freeze funding, and cancel ongoing contracts. Meanwhile, public health officials are alarmed at the Department of Health and Human Services’ public handling of Texas’ widening measles outbreak, particularly the secretary’s less-than-full endorsement of vaccines. Lauren Weber of The Washington Post, Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health and Politico Magazine, and Stephanie Armour of KFF Health News join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more.
Morning Briefing for Thursday, December 19, 2024
December 19, 2024
Morning Briefing
Bill of the month, Obamacare enrollment, Medicaid work rules, medication abortion access, bird flu, the opioid crisis, guns, and more.
Readers and Tweeters Are Horrified by Harm Tied to Dental Device
March 31, 2023
KFF Health News Original
KHN gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
What One Expectant Mom’s Effort To Get an RSV Shot Says About Health Policy
By Elisabeth Rosenthal
November 13, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Today we bring you the story of a patient seeking the RSV vaccine — and how her frustrating journey illustrates why it can be so hard in the United States to get an important medicine recommended by federal regulators. Hannah Fegley of Silver Spring, Md., says she spent seven hours on the phone last month […]
GoFundMe Has Become a Health Care Utility
By Elisabeth Rosenthal
February 12, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Resorting to crowdfunding to pay medical bills has become so routine, in some cases health professionals recommend it.
A Mom’s $97,000 Question: How Was Her Baby’s Air-Ambulance Ride Not Medically Necessary?
By Molly Castle Work
March 25, 2024
KFF Health News Original
There are legal safeguards to protect patients from big bills like out-of-network air-ambulance rides. But insurers may not pay if they decide the ride wasn’t medically necessary.
$2,700 Ambulance Bill Pulled Back From Collections
By Bram Sable-Smith
September 28, 2022
KFF Health News Original
After reporting from KHN, NPR, and CBS News, a patient’s $2,700 ambulance bill was pulled back from collections.
KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Looking Ahead to the Lame-Duck Session
October 6, 2022
KFF Health News Original
Congress won’t be back in Washington until after Election Day, but lawmakers have left themselves a long list of items to finish up in November and December, including unfinished health care policies. Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call; Jessie Hellmann, also of CQ Roll Call; and Mary Agnes Carey of KHN join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these topics and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KHN’s Sam Whitehead, who reported and wrote the latest KHN-NPR “Bill of the Month” episode about a family who tried to use urgent care to save money, but ended up with a big emergency room bill anyway.
Readers Offer ‘Solo Agers’ Support and Reflect on Ancestors
December 20, 2024
KFF Health News Original
KFF Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
An Arm and a Leg: The Woman Who Beat an $8,000 Hospital Fee
By Dan Weissmann
July 17, 2024
Podcast
In this episode of “An Arm and a Leg,” host Dan Weissmann speaks with Georgann Boatright, a patient in Mississippi who was willing to drive to another state to avoid paying a steep fee to her local hospital.
Sign Here? Financial Agreements May Leave Doctors in the Driver’s Seat
By Katheryn Houghton
April 30, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Agreeing to an out-of-network doctor’s own financial policy — which generally protects their ability to get paid and may be littered with confusing insurance and legal jargon — can create a binding contract that leaves a patient owing.
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Newly Minted Doctors Are Avoiding Abortion Ban States
May 9, 2024
Podcast
For the second year in a row, medical school graduates across specialties are shying away from applying for residency training in states with abortion bans or significant restrictions, according to a new study. Meanwhile, Medicare’s trustees report that the program will be able to pay its bills longer than expected — which could discourage Congress from acting to address the program’s long-term financial woes. Lauren Weber of The Washington Post, Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins University schools of nursing and public health and Politico Magazine, and Anna Edney of Bloomberg News join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more.
She Paid Her Husband’s Hospital Bill. A Year After His Death, They Wanted More Money.
By Samantha Liss
August 29, 2023
KFF Health News Original
A widow encountered a perplexing reality in medical billing: Providers can come after patients to collect well after a bill has been paid.
