KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Judging the Abortion Pill
March 16, 2023
Podcast
Any day now a conservative federal judge in Texas could upend the national abortion debate by requiring the FDA to rescind its approval of mifepristone, a drug approved in the U.S. more than 20 years ago that is now used in more than half of abortions nationwide. Meanwhile, a controversial study on masks gets a clarification, although it may be too late to change the public impression of what it found. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Jessie Hellmann of CQ Roll Call, and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet join KHN chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Plus, for “extra credit,” the panelists suggest health policy stories they read this week they think you should read, too.
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Debt Deal Leaves Health Programs (Mostly) Intact
June 7, 2023
Podcast
The bipartisan deal to extend the U.S. government’s borrowing authority includes future cuts to federal health agencies, but they are smaller than many expected and do not touch Medicare and Medicaid. Meanwhile, Merck & Co. becomes the first drugmaker to sue Medicare officials over the federal health insurance program’s new authority to negotiate drug prices. Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico, Lauren Weber of The Washington Post, and Jessie Hellmann of CQ Roll Call join KFF Health News’ chief Washington correspondent, Julie Rovner, to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KFF Health News senior correspondent Sarah Jane Tribble, who reported the latest KFF Health News-NPR “Bill of the Month” feature, about the perils of visiting the U.S. with European health insurance.
CMS Eyes 8% Hike In Payments To Medicare Advantage Providers Next Year
February 3, 2022
Morning Briefing
The proposed adjustment in 2023 payments would be to address the financial impacts of social determinants of health and health equity in Medicare Advantage plans.
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': A Health-Heavy State of the Union
February 9, 2023
Podcast
President Joe Biden’s 2023 State of the Union address leaned heavily on health care issues. Biden took a victory lap for recent accomplishments like capping prescription drug costs for seniors on Medicare. He also urged Congress to make permanent the boosted premium subsidies under the Affordable Care Act, and he sparred with Republicans on threats to cut Social Security and Medicare. Also this week, both sides in the abortion debate are bracing for a court decision out of Texas that could, at least temporarily, make the abortion pill mifepristone illegal nationwide. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Rachel Cohrs of Stat, and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet join KHN chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Kate Baicker of the University of Chicago about a possible middle ground in the effort to get universal health insurance coverage.
Inflation To Impact Negotiations Between Health Providers, Insurers
June 29, 2022
Morning Briefing
Modern Healthcare warns negotiations between health providers and insurers may be “bloody” thanks to the impact of inflation, which rose for general goods more than health care in May. Separately, Medicare Advantage is chastised by government watchdogs for denying care and overcharging.
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Alabama’s IVF Ruling Still Making Waves
February 29, 2024
Podcast
Lawmakers in Congress and state legislatures are scrambling to react to the ruling by the Alabama Supreme Court that frozen embryos created for in vitro fertilization are legally children. Abortion opponents are divided among themselves, with some supporting full “personhood” for fertilized eggs, while others support IVF as a moral way to have children. Rachel Cohrs of Stat, Riley Griffin of Bloomberg News, and Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins University schools of nursing and public health and Politico Magazine join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews University of Pittsburgh law professor Greer Donley, who explains how a 150-year-old anti-vice law that’s still on the books could be used to ban abortion nationwide. Plus, for “extra credit,” the panelists suggest health policy stories they read this week that they think you should read, too.
Doctors Tell How to Make the Most of Your Telehealth Visits
By Julie Appleby
June 2, 2021
KFF Health News Original
Public health restrictions put in place during the pandemic are loosening, meaning it’s OK to go back to your doctor’s office. But will virtual visits remain an option?
Mission and Money Clash in Nonprofit Hospitals’ Venture Capital Ambitions
By Jordan Rau
August 24, 2021
KFF Health News Original
Nonprofit hospitals of all sizes have been trying their luck as venture capitalists, saying their investments improve care through the creation of new medical devices, health software and other innovations. But the gamble at times has been harder to pull off than expected.
FTC, Indiana Residents Pressure State To Block Hospital Merger
By Samantha Liss
November 19, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Hundreds of people and the Federal Trade Commission weighed in on a proposed hospital merger in Terre Haute, Indiana, with most arguing that the creation of a monopoly would increase costs and worsen patient care.
Pushback At Medicare Plan To Limit Hospital Medical Complication Reports
June 6, 2022
Morning Briefing
Consumer groups and employers, USA Today reports, are resisting a plan by Medicare to limit public reporting of certain often-preventable complications that happen during hospital stays. Separately, Medicare Advantage insurance firms are accused of data mining patient records to make false bills.
After Appalachian Hospitals Merged Into a Monopoly, Their ERs Slowed to a Crawl
By Brett Kelman Samantha Liss
March 25, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Ballad Health was granted the nation’s largest state-sanctioned hospital monopoly in 2018. Since then, its emergency rooms have become more than three times as slow.
Medicare Advantage Plans Cost Taxpayers More
November 11, 2021
Morning Briefing
In other reports on Medicare, the savings in drug price legislation won’t be felt immediately, but rather over a decade or more; advice on the Medicare gap; and appealing income-related charges.
2022 Medicare Advantage Sign Ups Jump 9% On Last Year
January 18, 2022
Morning Briefing
Reports say that there’s been an 8.8% rise in Medicare Advantage enrollments, as of Jan. 1, over the same period last year. But while most beneficiaries in Parts A and B are expected to join Advantage plans by next year, the spending may still outpace traditional paid health costs.
Dentistas eliminan los problemas de las personas sin seguro ofreciéndoles ellos mismos planes
By Phil Galewitz
September 20, 2021
KFF Health News Original
Estos planes limitados a una práctica están dirigidos principalmente a los 65 millones de estadounidenses que no tienen cobertura dental, y tienen que pagar de su bolsillo toda su atención.
Biden Quietly Transforms Medicaid Safety Net
By Noam N. Levey Phil Galewitz
June 24, 2021
KFF Health News Original
In a sharp shift from Trump-era policies, President Joe Biden looks at expanding Medicaid eligibility to new mothers, inmates and undocumented immigrants and adding services such as food and housing.
Seeking Medicare Coverage for Weight Loss Drugs, Pharma Giant Courts Black Influencers
By Rachana Pradhan
August 8, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Novo Nordisk, the dominant company in the multibillion-dollar market for weight loss drugs, focuses on Black lawmakers and opinion leaders to spread the message that obesity is a chronic disease that needs treatment.
Amgen Plows Ahead With Costly, Highly Toxic Cancer Dosing Despite FDA Challenge
By Arthur Allen
May 7, 2024
KFF Health News Original
The FDA told Amgen to test whether a quarter-dose of its lung cancer drug worked as well as the amount recommended on the product label. It did and with fewer side effects. But Amgen is sticking to the higher dose — which earns it an additional $180,000 a year per patient.
As Pandemic Eases, Many Seniors Have Lost Strength, May Need Rehabilitative Services
By Judith Graham
May 21, 2021
KFF Health News Original
A little-discussed, long-term toll of the pandemic is that large numbers of older adults have become physically and cognitively debilitated and less able to care for themselves after sheltering in place.
Pandemic Delays Federal Probe Into Medicare Advantage Health Plans
By Fred Schulte
April 8, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Government officials want to focus on fighting COVID-19 instead of recouping overcharges that run into the millions.
Time to Say Goodbye to Some Insurers’ Waivers for Covid Treatment Fees
By Julie Appleby
April 26, 2021
KFF Health News Original
Insurers voluntarily set the charges aside earlier in the pandemic — but that means those same health plans can decide to reinstate them.
