Panel Recommends Changes For Medicare Advantage Payments
March 8, 2021
Morning Briefing
Other industry news is on health care hiring, data privacy, Time’s Up Healthcare and Watson Health.
Whistleblower Alleges Medicare Fraud At Iconic Seattle-Based Health Plan
By Fred Schulte
October 18, 2019
KFF Health News Original
A lawsuit against Group Health surfaces as the White House promotes Medicare Advantage for seniors.
Furor Erupts: Billions Going To Hospitals Based On Medicare Billings, Not COVID-19
By Jay Hancock Phil Galewitz Elizabeth Lucas
April 10, 2020
KFF Health News Original
In the first round of emergency relief, some states will get more than $300,000 per COVID-19 patient, while hard-hit New York gets just $12,000 per patient.
Telehealth Company Valued At $1 Billion
June 8, 2021
Morning Briefing
A virtual health care startup is valued at $1 billion; LetsGetChecked allows customers order home-health tests and medications and receive telehealth follow-ups. And One Medical buys Iora Health and its Medicare Advantage business.
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': When an Anti-Vaccine Activist Runs for President
May 25, 2023
Podcast
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s official entry into the presidential race poses a thorny challenge for journalists: how to cover a candidate who’s opposed to vaccines without amplifying misinformation. And South Carolina becomes the latest state in the South to ban abortion after roughly six weeks of pregnancy. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Rachel Cohrs of Stat, and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet 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 Aneri Pattani about her project to track the billions of dollars coming from opioid makers to settle lawsuits.
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Happy 50th, ERISA
August 15, 2024
Podcast
What does a law to protect worker pensions have to do with how health insurance is regulated? Far more than most people may think. The Employee Retirement Income Security Act, or ERISA, turns 50 in September. The law fundamentally changed the way the federal and state governments regulate employer-provided health insurance and continues to shape health policy in the United States. In this special episode of “What the Health?”, host and KFF Health News chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner speaks to Larry Levitt of KFF, Paul Fronstin of the Employee Benefit Research Institute, and Ilyse Schuman of the American Benefits Council about the history of ERISA and what its future might hold.
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': American Health Gets a Pink Slip
April 3, 2025
Podcast
The Department of Health and Human Services underwent an unprecedented purge this week, as thousands of employees from the National Institutes of Health, the FDA, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other agencies were fired, placed on administrative leave, or offered transfers to far-flung Indian Health Service facilities. Altogether, the layoffs mean the federal government, in a single day, shed hundreds if not thousands of combined years of health and science expertise. Lauren Weber of The Washington Post, Rachel Cohrs Zhang of Bloomberg News, and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss this enormous breaking story and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KFF Health News’ Julie Appleby, who reported and wrote the latest “Bill of the Month” feature about a short-term health plan and a very expensive colonoscopy.
KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Paging the HHS Secretary
February 3, 2022
KFF Health News Original
Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra is drawing criticism for his hands-off handling of the covid crisis even though the heads of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institutes of Health, and FDA report to him. Meanwhile, the Department of Labor looks to enforce mental health “parity laws” that have failed to achieve their goals. Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, and Rachel Cohrs of Stat join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KHN’s Noam N. Levey, who reported and wrote the latest KHN-NPR “Bill of the Month” episode about a large emergency room bill for a small amount of medical care.
For Insurance Industry, A Time Of Upheaval
April 28, 2021
Morning Briefing
Some universities that took a financial hit after being forced to shut down during the pandemic are suing FM Global, saying their insurance policies included coverage for losses due to “communicable diseases.” Also in the news: Humana, Medicare Advantage, price transparency rules and more.
Dental Shock: Six Pulled Teeth And One Unexpected Bill
By Victoria Knight
March 10, 2020
KFF Health News Original
One woman’s experience with the high cost of dental care and confusing Medicare coverage offers a teachable moment for other consumers. Her small church took up a collection, but the surprise bill — four times what she expected to pay — was sent to collections.
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.
KHN Files Lawsuit To Force Feds To Disclose Medicare Advantage Audits
By Fred Schulte
September 27, 2019
KFF Health News Original
The Freedom of Information Act lawsuit could spur the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to release audits that document up to $650 million in overcharges.
CMS Hikes Medicare Advantage Plan Payments, Finalizes New Drug Rules
January 19, 2021
Morning Briefing
The agency will also give Part D plans the ability to create a “preferred” specialty tier of high-cost drugs with lower cost-sharing for enrollees by Jan. 1, 2022. That change could mean lower prices for expensive medications, Modern Healthcare reports.
Medicare Advantage Plans Expanding
October 2, 2020
Morning Briefing
A number of health insurers are pitching more expansive Medicare Advantage plans. It’s a lucrative line of business.
Catering To Medicare Advantage Patients A Growth Industry
November 2, 2020
Morning Briefing
Medicare Advantage patients are also a lucrative market, hence a boom in clinics catering to the chronically ill seniors. Other news about Medicare includes fining of hospitals for excessive readmissions.
Technology Divide Between Senior ‘Haves’ and ‘Have-Nots’ Roils Pandemic Response
By Judith Graham
July 24, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Older adults with the ability to use technology have more access to virtual social interactions and telehealth services, and more opportunities to secure essential supplies online. Those who don’t know how to use it or can’t afford it are at greater risk of social isolation, forgoing medical care and being without food or other necessary items.
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Live from Austin, Examining Health Equity
September 9, 2024
Podcast
The term “health equity” means different things to different people. Beyond guaranteeing all Americans access to adequate, affordable medical care, the pursuit of equity can include addressing social determinants of health, such as housing, education, and environment. Systemic and historical racism — manifested in over-policing or contaminated drinking water, for instance — can negatively affect health. In a live taping at the Texas Tribune Festival, special guests Carol Alvarado, the Texas state Senate’s Democratic leader, and Ann Barnes, president and CEO of the Episcopal Health Foundation, along with KFF Health News’ Sabriya Rice and Cara Anthony, join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss addressing health inequities.
Readers and Tweeters Ponder Vaccines and Points of Fairness
August 23, 2021
KFF Health News Original
Kaiser Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
As Medicare Enrollment Nears, Popular Price Comparison Tool Is Missing
By Susan Jaffe
October 8, 2019
KFF Health News Original
For more than a decade, customers used the online plan finder to compare dozens of policies. Yet after a redesign of the website, the search results no longer list which plan offers a customer the best value. Federal officials say it will be fixed before enrollment begins next week.
