Científicos dicen que una píldora diaria para tratar covid estaría a meses de distancia
By JoNel Aleccia
September 24, 2021
KFF Health News Original
Los medicamentos que se están investigando tendrían el potencial de interferir con la capacidad del virus para replicarse en las células humanas.
Why Many Nonprofit (Wink, Wink) Hospitals Are Rolling in Money
By Elisabeth Rosenthal
July 29, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Legal maneuvering, industry lobbying, and lax IRS oversight leave lots of room for “operating surpluses.”
Under New Cost-Cutting Medicare Rule, Same Surgery, Same Place, Different Bill
By Susan Jaffe
March 23, 2021
KFF Health News Original
A Trump administration Medicare rule will push some hospital patients into a Catch-22: The government says several hundred procedures no longer need to be done in a hospital, but it did not approve them to be performed elsewhere. So patients will still need to use a hospital while not officially admitted — and may be charged more out-of-pocket for the care.
When Copay Assistance Backfires on Patients
By Julie Appleby
March 15, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Drugmakers offer copay assistance programs to patients, but insurers are tapping into those funds, not counting the amounts toward patient deductibles. That leads to unexpected charges. But the practice is under growing scrutiny.
People Falling Victim To Price Gap For Tests In Surprise Billing Law
March 8, 2022
Morning Briefing
Also, changes in care models driven by staff shortages and treatment deferrals; a battle over Medicare Advantage coding intensity; a novel pediatric care clinical model from NYC; reduced pediatric hospitalization thanks to medical-legal partnerships; and more.
Patients Went Into the Hospital for Care. After Testing Positive There for Covid, Some Never Came Out.
By Christina Jewett
November 4, 2021
KFF Health News Original
About 21% of patients diagnosed with covid during a hospital stay died, according to data analyzed for KHN. In-hospital rates of spread varied widely and patients had no way of checking them.
Medicare Advantage Plans May Be Exaggerating Sicknesses, CMS Worries
October 22, 2021
Morning Briefing
Jonathan Blum, principal deputy administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said CMS was very worried about “code growth” trends. Other reports say the HHS Office of Inspector General determined Tennessee has claimed $1.1 billion uncompensated care fees improperly.
Ouch. That ‘Free’ Annual Checkup Might Cost You. Here’s Why.
By Elisabeth Rosenthal
January 26, 2024
KFF Health News Original
The designers of the Affordable Care Act might have assumed that they spelled out with sufficient clarity that millions of Americans would no longer have to pay for certain types of preventive care. But they didn’t reckon with America’s ever-creative medical billing juggernaut.
Patient Groups Try Calling Medicare Officials Villains Over Aduhelm Ruling
January 19, 2022
Morning Briefing
Politico covers aggressive pushback from drugmakers and patient advocacy groups over the recent decision to strongly limit Medicare coverage of Alzheimer’s drug Aduhelm. Meanwhile, Axios says six big health insurers dominate the fast-growing Medicare Advantage market.
MetroHealth’s ‘Hospital In The Home’ Program Has Treated 900 Patients
February 15, 2022
Morning Briefing
Crain’s Cleveland Business reports MetroHealth’s tech-driven program to deliver high-touch care for patients in their own home has been active for nearly two years. A contract dispute that could shape future Medicare Advantage negotiations and more are also in the news.
As Patients Fell Ill With Covid Inside Hospitals, Government Oversight Fell Short
By Lauren Weber Christina Jewett
Photos by Heidi de Marco
December 23, 2021
KFF Health News Original
A KHN investigation finds that hospitals with high rates of covid patients who didn’t have the diagnosis when they were admitted have rarely been held accountable due to multiple gaps in government oversight.
How a Medical Recoding May Limit Cancer Patients’ Options for Breast Reconstruction
By Rachana Pradhan Anna Werner, CBS News Leigh Ann Winick, CBS News
May 31, 2023
KFF Health News Original
The federal government’s arcane process for medical coding is influencing which reconstructive surgery options are available, creating anxiety for breast cancer patients.
Countless Homebound Patients Still Wait for Covid Vaccine Despite Seniors’ Priority
By Judith Graham
February 22, 2021
KFF Health News Original
Health organizations have begun sending doctors and nurses to apartment buildings and private homes to vaccinate homebound seniors, but the efforts are slow and spotty.
Abortion Bans Are Motivating Midterm Voters, Poll Shows
By Emmarie Huetteman
October 12, 2022
KFF Health News Original
A new KFF poll shows Democrats and those living in states where abortion is illegal say the issue has made them more motivated to vote. It also shows that 70% of Republicans oppose total abortion bans.
Watchdog Suggests Medicare Advantage Customers Underserved At End Of Life
July 30, 2021
Morning Briefing
A Government Accountability Office report finds that Medicare Advantage beneficiaries in their last year of life were more than twice as likely to drop their policies and enroll in traditional Medicare than other Medicare Advantage enrollees. Other Medicare news covers chronic care, racial coverage gaps and provider pay hikes.
He Fell Ill on a Cruise. Before He Boarded the Rescue Boat, They Handed Him the Bill.
By Bram Sable-Smith
May 22, 2024
KFF Health News Original
A man from Michigan was evacuated from a cruise ship after having seizures. First, he drained his bank account to pay his medical bills.
Your Exorbitant Medical Bill, Brought to You by the Latest Hospital Merger
By Elisabeth Rosenthal
August 11, 2023
KFF Health News Original
After decades of unchecked mergers, health care is the land of giants, with huge medical systems monopolizing care in many cities, states, and even whole regions of the country. This decreases patient choice, impedes innovation, erodes quality of care, and raises prices. And federal regulators have been slow to act.
PBMs, the Brokers Who Control Drug Prices, Finally Get Washington’s Attention
By Arthur Allen
May 11, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Drugmakers, pharmacies, and physicians blame pharmacy benefit managers for high drug prices. Congress is finally on board, too, but will it matter?
California’s $12 Billion Medicaid Makeover Banks on Nonprofits’ Buy-In
By Angela Hart
May 16, 2024
KFF Health News Original
California’s Medicaid program is relying heavily on community groups to deliver new social services to vulnerable patients, such as security deposits for homeless people and air purifiers for asthma patients. But many of these nonprofits face staffing and billing challenges and haven’t been able to deliver services effectively.
20 Medicare Advantage Insurers Took Lion’s Share Of Payments, Probe Finds
September 23, 2021
Morning Briefing
A Wednesday report from the HHS’s Office of Inspector General said the 20 accounted for more than half of the $9.2 billion the federal government paid for care that beneficiaries may not have needed or received in 2016, Modern Healthcare reports.
