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As Foundation for ‘Excited Delirium’ Diagnosis Cracks, Fallout Spreads

By Renuka Rayasam and Markian Hawryluk and Samantha Young December 13, 2023 KFF Health News Original

Major policy changes and disavowals have made this a watershed year for curbing the use of the discredited “excited delirium” diagnosis to explain deaths in police custody. Now the ripple effects are spreading across the country into court cases, state legislation, and police training classes.

A Billing Expert Saved Big After Finding an Incorrect Charge in Her Husband’s ER Bill

By Bram Sable-Smith October 25, 2022 KFF Health News Original

A medical billing specialist investigated her husband’s ER bill. Her sleuthing took over a year but knocked thousands of dollars off the hospital’s charges — and provides a playbook for other consumers.

Her Credit Was Ruined by Medical Debt. She’s Been Turned Away From Doctors, Jobs, and Loans

By Aneri Pattani December 21, 2022 KFF Health News Original

When Penelope Wingard’s cancer went into remission, she lost her Medicaid coverage in North Carolina. Without insurance, the debts piled up for her follow-up care. She doesn’t think she’ll ever get ahead of it.

Alaska Is One Step Closer To Legalizing Subscription-Based Health Care

April 12, 2024 Morning Briefing

State lawmakers have approved a bill that would allow primary care providers to offer care based on a monthly fee, the Anchorage Daily News reported. It’s unclear whether Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy will sign the bill.

The Burden of Getting Medical Care Can Exhaust Older Patients

By Judith Graham March 27, 2024 KFF Health News Original

It’s estimated that an older patient can spend three weeks of the year getting care — and that doesn’t count the time it takes to arrange appointments or deal with insurance companies.

Shattered Dreams and Bills in the Millions: Losing a Baby in America

By Lauren Weber September 23, 2022 KFF Health News Original

On top of fearing for their children’s lives, new parents of very fragile, very sick infants can face exorbitant hospital bills — even if they have insurance. Medical bills don’t go away if a child dies.

KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Abortion and SCOTUS, Together Again

December 14, 2023 Podcast

The Supreme Court agreed this week to hear its first major case on abortion since overturning Roe v. Wade — one that could restrict the availability of the abortion pill mifepristone, even in states where abortion remains legal. Meanwhile, on Capitol Hill, lawmakers in the House and Senate finally moved to renew health programs that expired in October — but it’s likely too late to finish the job in 2023. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Riley Griffin of Bloomberg News, and Lauren Weber of The Washington Post join KFF Health News chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Jen Golbeck, a University of Maryland professor and social media superstar, about her new book, “The Purest Bond,” which lays out the science of the human-canine relationship.

US Out Of Money For Buying Second Covid Booster Shots, Official Says

March 23, 2022 Morning Briefing

Federal officials have secured enough doses to cover a fourth shot for Americans age 65 and older as well as the initial regimen for children under 5, if authorized by regulators, officials told The Washington Post. But the lack of new covid money in the spending bill passed this month by Congress is undermining efforts to stockpile more vaccine doses.

Social Security Overpays Billions to People, Many on Disability. Then It Demands the Money Back.

By David Hilzenrath and Jodie Fleischer, Cox Media Group September 15, 2023 KFF Health News Original

Beneficiaries in five states described what happened when they received letters calling on them to return overpayments that can reach tens of thousands of dollars or more.

As Nonprofit Hospitals Reap Big Tax Breaks, States Scrutinize Their Required Charity Spending

By Andy Miller and Markian Hawryluk July 11, 2023 KFF Health News Original

Nonprofit hospitals avoid paying taxes if they provide community benefits such as charity care. More states are examining that trade-off, scrutinizing the extent of hospitals’ spending on their communities.

Most People Dropped in Medicaid ‘Unwinding’ Never Tried to Renew Coverage, Utah Finds

By Phil Galewitz January 4, 2024 KFF Health News Original

Medicaid officials in Utah conducted a survey to answer a burning question in health policy: What happened to people dropped from the program in the post-pandemic “unwinding”?

California Explores Private Insurance for Immigrants Lacking Legal Status. But Is It Affordable?

By Rachel Bluth February 27, 2023 KFF Health News Original

Nearly half a million Californians without legal residency make too much to qualify for Medicaid yet they can’t afford to buy coverage. A state lawmaker is proposing to open up the state’s health insurance exchange as a first step to providing them affordable insurance.

Montana, an Island of Abortion Access, Preps for Consequential Elections and Court Decisions

By Arielle Zionts March 14, 2024 KFF Health News Original

A 25-year-old state Supreme Court ruling protects abortion rights in conservative Montana. That hasn’t stopped Republicans and anti-abortion advocates from trying to institute a ban.

Feds Rein In Use of Predictive Software That Limits Care for Medicare Advantage Patients

By Susan Jaffe October 5, 2023 KFF Health News Original

Software sifts through millions of medical records to match patients with similar diagnoses and characteristics and then predicts what kind of care an individual will need and for how long. New federal rules will ensure human experts are part of the process.

Some Addiction Treatment Centers Turn Big Profits by Scaling Back Care

By Renuka Rayasam and Blake Farmer, Nashville Public Radio January 31, 2023 KFF Health News Original

Private equity groups are cashing in on rising rates of alcohol and drug addiction in the U.S. But they aren’t necessarily investing in centers with the best treatment standards, and they often cut extra services.

Public Voices Often Ignored in States’ Opioid Settlement Money Decisions

By Aneri Pattani and Henry Larweh and Ed Mahon, Spotlight PA August 27, 2024 KFF Health News Original

In many places, victims of the opioid epidemic are silenced in decision-making about how to use opioid settlement money, a first-of-its-kind survey conducted by KFF Health News and Spotlight PA found.

Drive-Thru Baby Showers Serve Express Needs of Pregnant Veterans in Atlanta

By Jess Mador, WABE May 11, 2023 KFF Health News Original

Women are the fastest-growing group among U.S. veterans. The Department of Veterans Affairs says it is working to meet their health needs, including pregnancy care.

How Medicare Advantage Plans Dodged Auditors and Overcharged Taxpayers by Millions

By Fred Schulte and Holly K. Hacker December 13, 2022 KFF Health News Original

Facing rare scrutiny from federal auditors, some Medicare Advantage health plans failed to produce any records to justify their payments, government records show. The audits revealed millions of dollars in overcharges to Medicare over three years.

Parents See Own Health Spiral as Their Kids’ Mental Illnesses Worsen

By Renuka Rayasam August 14, 2023 KFF Health News Original

The day-to-day struggles that parents of kids with mental health conditions must navigate have led to their own crisis: The stress can take a physical toll that disrupts parents’ ability to provide care, say psychologists, researchers, and advocates for families.

Did Your Health Plan Rip Off Medicare?

By Fred Schulte January 27, 2023 KFF Health News Original

KHN has released never-before-seen details of federal audits as the government weighs action against dozens of Medicare Advantage plans.

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