A Smart Move on Tax Day: Get Health Insurance Information Using Your State’s Tax Forms
By Sarah Boden, WESA
April 14, 2023
KFF Health News Original
A growing number of states — including Maryland, Colorado, and Massachusetts — are using tax forms to point people toward lower-cost health coverage available through state insurance marketplaces.
What Would a DeSantis Presidency Look Like for Health Care?
By Romy Ellenbogen, Tampa Bay Times and Christopher O’Donnell, Tampa Bay Times
November 24, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Ron DeSantis’ record as Florida governor provides some clues to how he would change the health care landscape if elected president. In his five years as governor, DeSantis has promoted stricter abortion rules and emphasized individual freedom over the benefits of public health.
Montana Backs Away From Innovative Hospital Payment Model. Other States Are Watching.
By Katheryn Houghton
October 27, 2022
KFF Health News Original
Montana has been a national model for how employers could gain control and transparency over medical bills. Upcoming changes to its model have health care price experts wondering whether the state is making improvements or losing focus.
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': A Very Good Night for Abortion Rights Backers
November 9, 2023
Podcast
Abortion rights backers won major victories in at least five states in the 2023 off-year elections Nov. 7, proving the staying power of abortion as a political issue in the wake of the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision overturning Roe v. Wade. Meanwhile, the National Institutes of Health finally has a new director, after Democrats temporarily blocked President Joe Biden’s nominee over a mostly unrelated fight about prescription drug prices. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Tami Luhby of CNN, and Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KFF Health News’ Julie Appleby, who reported and wrote the latest “Bill of the Month” feature.
Why Is Finding Covid Shots for Young Children Still So Hard?
By Jackie Fortiér, LAist
October 20, 2023
KFF Health News Original
In Los Angeles and elsewhere, some parents are having trouble finding the new pediatric covid shot, especially for young children. Not all pediatricians or pharmacies have it and can administer it, even if vaccines.gov says they can.
After Tuition, Books, and Room and Board, Colleges’ Rising Health Fees Hit a Nerve
By Phil Galewitz
December 19, 2022
KFF Health News Original
Many colleges require students to have health insurance coverage, and the college option can be costly. In addition, some schools mandate that students pay a fee to cover health services on campus.
Feds Join Ranks of Employers with Generous Fertility Benefits
By Michelle Andrews
April 4, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Starting this year, federal employees can choose plans that cover a broad menu of fertility services, including up to $25,000 annually for in vitro fertilization procedures. At the same time, politics around IVF and reproductive health have become a central issue in the current election-year debate.
Repeating History: California County Plugs Budget Gap With Opioid Settlement Cash
By Aneri Pattani
August 2, 2023
KFF Health News Original
State attorneys general vowed that opioid settlement funds — unlike the tobacco settlement of the 1990s — would go toward tackling the underlying crisis. But in Mendocino County, officials have found a way to use some of its share to help fill a budget shortfall — a throwback to what agreement architects hoped to avoid.
Thousands Face Medicaid Whiplash in South Dakota and North Carolina
By Arielle Zionts
May 18, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Thousands of South Dakotans are being knocked off Medicaid, only to be eligible to requalify several months later. Even more enrollees are likely to experience a temporary loss of coverage in North Carolina.
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': The ACA Turns 14
March 21, 2024
Podcast
Saturday marks the 14th anniversary of the still somewhat embattled Affordable Care Act. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra joins host Julie Rovner to discuss the accomplishments of the health law — and the challenges it still faces. Also this week, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Tami Luhby of CNN, and Mary Agnes Carey of KFF Health News join Rovner to discuss what should be the final funding bill for HHS for fiscal 2024, next week’s Supreme Court oral arguments in a case challenging abortion medication, and more. Plus, for “extra credit,” the panelists suggest health policy stories they read this week they think you should read, too.
Children Who Survive Shootings Endure Huge Health Obstacles and Costs
By Liz Szabo
Updated November 7, 2023
Originally Published November 6, 2023
KFF Health News Original
A new study finds that young people who have been injured by firearms are more prone to psychiatric diagnoses and developing a substance use disorder than kids who have not been shot — and their families also suffer long-term ill effects.
What the Health Care Sector Was Selling at the J.P. Morgan Confab
By Molly Castle Work and Arthur Allen
January 22, 2024
KFF Health News Original
When bankers and investors flocked to San Francisco for the largest gathering of health care industry investors, the buzz was all about artificial intelligence, the next hit weight-loss drug, and new opportunities to make money through nonprofit hospitals.
Are US Prescription Drug Prices 10 Times Those of Other Nations? Only Sometimes
By Michelle Andrews
May 19, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Sen. Bernie Sanders’ broad statement that some U.S. drug prices are 10 times those of other nations doesn’t paint the full picture. Studies we examined generally found that U.S. prices were two to four times those in other countries, not 10.
Montana Considers Requiring Insurance to Cover Fertility Preservation for Cancer Patients
By Keely Larson
April 28, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Young cancer patients must act quickly to preserve their sperm and eggs once they get their diagnosis, and many can’t afford the cost.
Millions of Dollars Flow From Pharma to Patient Advocacy Groups
By Rachana Pradhan
December 15, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Pharma money is all over the place — in universities, companies doing continuing medical education for doctors and in prominent patient advocacy organizations that are household names across America. Public Citizen, a consumer advocacy nonprofit, reports today that between 2010 and 2022, the drug industry’s main lobbying group and member companies provided at least $6 […]
New York Joins Local Governments in Erasing Billions in Medical Debt
By Yuki Noguchi, NPR News
January 25, 2024
KFF Health News Original
New York City is the latest jurisdiction to buy and forgive a backlog of unpaid medical bills for its residents. Local governments across the country, including in the Chicago area, are doing the same to reduce debt burdens for lower-income residents.
Covid and Medicare Payments Spark Remote Patient Monitoring Boom
By Phil Galewitz and Holly K. Hacker
March 18, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Demand for help monitoring patients’ vital signs remotely has taken off since a Medicare change in 2019. Dozens of companies now push the service to help overburdened primary care doctors — and as a revenue stream. But some policy experts say its growth has outpaced oversight and evidence of effectiveness.
In a Fractious Rerun, GOP Rivals Haley and DeSantis Debate Health Care. Trump Sits It Out.
By KFF Health News and PolitiFact staffs
January 11, 2024
KFF Health News Original
The fifth debate of the 2024 GOP presidential primary season took place days before Iowa Republicans will caucus to determine their pick for the top of the party’s ticket. The front-runner, former President Donald Trump, once again did not participate.
Swap Funds or Add Services? Use of Opioid Settlement Cash Sparks Strong Disagreements
By Aneri Pattani
April 15, 2024
KFF Health News Original
The national opioid settlements don’t prohibit using money for initiatives already supported by other means, but doing so could dilute the impact.
Bankrupt California Hospital Receives Lifeline From Adventist, Report Says
By Jonathan Weber
July 27, 2023
KFF Health News Original
The Fresno Bee reports that Madera Community Hospital has reached an agreement with Adventist Health to take over the bankrupt facility and avoid liquidation.