GOP Presidential Primary Debate No. 2: An Angry Rematch and the Same Notable No-Show
By KFF Health News and PolitiFact staffs
September 28, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Though never framed as a marquee issue, the topic of health care crept into the chaotic seven-way faceoff throughout the evening, highlighting Republican culture-war themes.
The Colonoscopies Were Free. But the ‘Surgical Trays’ Came With $600 Price Tags.
By Samantha Liss
January 25, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Health providers may bill however they choose — including in ways that could leave patients with unexpected bills for “free” care. Routine preventive care saddled an Illinois couple with his-and-her bills for “surgical trays.”
Industry Groups in California Vie for New Medicaid Money
By Angela Hart and Samantha Young
July 21, 2023
KFF Health News Original
State officials have promised to boost funding for California’s Medicaid program by $11.1 billion starting next year, with most of that money earmarked for higher payments to doctors, hospitals, and other providers. But the details have yet to be worked out, and powerful health industry groups are jockeying for position.
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.
California Attorney General Boosts Bill Banning Medical Debt From Credit Reports
By Molly Castle Work
March 11, 2024
KFF Health News Original
California Attorney General Rob Bonta has thrown his weight behind state Sen. Monique Limón’s legislation to bar unpaid medical bills from showing up on consumer credit reports. If passed, California would join just a few other states with such protections.
Expectant Mom Needed $15,000 Overnight to Save Her Twins
By Renuka Rayasam
April 27, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Doctors rushed a pregnant woman to a surgeon who charged thousands upfront just to see her. The case reveals a gap in medical billing protections for those with rare, specialized conditions.
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.
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 […]
Readers and Tweeters Defend the Rights of Adults With Disabilities
April 28, 2023
KFF Health News Original
KFF Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
Covered California to Cut Patient Costs After Democratic Lawmakers Win Funding From Gov. Newsom
By Angela Hart
July 27, 2023
KFF Health News Original
California’s health insurance exchange will reduce how much some patients pay for care next year, including hospital deductibles, appointment copays, and prescription drugs. Lawmakers pressed Gov. Gavin Newsom to make good on a four-year-old pledge to use proceeds from a tax penalty on uninsured people to help people pay for treatment.
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.
An Arm and a Leg: Wait, Is Insulin Cheaper Now?
By Dan Weissmann
February 28, 2024
Podcast
Did the price of insulin go down? It’s not quite that simple. On this episode of “An Arm and a Leg,” producer Emily Pisacreta explores recent changes to the cost of the diabetes medication.
An Arm and a Leg: Mental Health ‘Ghost Networks’ — And a Ghostbuster
By Dan Weissmann
May 11, 2023
Podcast
What should you do when your search for an in-network mental health care provider comes up empty? Abigail Burman has some expertise to share.
An Arm and a Leg: ‘Your Money or Your Life’: This Doctor Wrote the Book on Medical Debt
By Dan Weissmann
November 9, 2023
Podcast
What happens when you can’t afford the health care you need? On this episode of “An Arm and a Leg,” hear from emergency medicine physician and historian Luke Messac about the history of medical debt collection in the United States.
Halfway Through ‘Unwinding,’ Medicaid Enrollment Is Down About 10 Million
By Phil Galewitz
February 6, 2024
KFF Health News Original
We’re halfway through the Medicaid “unwinding,” in which states are dropping people from the government health insurance program for the first time since the pandemic began. Millions of people have been dumped from the rolls since April, often for procedural issues like failing to respond to notices or return paperwork. But at the same time, […]
Nearly 1 in 4 Adults Dumped From Medicaid Are Now Uninsured, Survey Finds
By Phil Galewitz
April 12, 2024
KFF Health News Original
A first-of-its-kind survey of Medicaid enrollees found that nearly a quarter who were dropped from the program in the last year’s unwinding say they’re uninsured.
California’s Ambitious Medicaid Experiment Gets Tripped Up in Implementation
By Angela Hart
December 5, 2023
KFF Health News Original
The health care insurers, nonprofit organizations, and other groups responsible for implementing Gov. Gavin Newsom’s ambitious plan to infuse Medicaid with social services say their ability to serve vulnerable, low-income Californians is hamstrung.
New Medicare Advantage Plans Tailor Offerings to Asian Americans, Latinos, and LGBTQ+
By Stephanie Stephens
September 28, 2023
KFF Health News Original
As more seniors opt for Medicare Advantage, a few small insurers have begun offering plans that provide culturally targeted benefits for cohorts including Asian Americans, Latinos, and LGBTQ+ people. The approach, policy researchers say, has potential and perils.
Lose Weight, Gain Huge Debt: NY Provider Has Sued More Than 300 Patients Who Had Bariatric Surgery
By Fred Schulte
April 20, 2023
KFF Health News Original
The private equity-backed practice has been known to demand more than $100,000 in charges or penalties. One patient is fighting back.
Doctors and Patients Try to Shame Insurers Online to Reverse Prior Authorization Denials
By Lauren Sausser
August 23, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Prior authorization is a common tool used by health insurers for many tests, procedures, and prescriptions. Frustrated by the process, patients and doctors have turned to social media to publicly shame insurance companies and elevate their denials for further review.