Rural Hospitals Are Caught in an Aging-Infrastructure Conundrum
By Markian Hawryluk
January 12, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Small, community hospitals face challenges in paying for the capital improvement projects they need to stay open.
With Trump Front of Mind, New Hampshire Voters Cite Abortion and Obamacare as Concerns
By Phil Galewitz
January 24, 2024
KFF Health News Original
New Hampshire’s primary election was dominated by voters’ feelings about Donald Trump. But health care remains a concern — and for Democrats, preserving abortion access is a priority.
Feds Move to Rein In Prior Authorization, a System That Harms and Frustrates Patients
By Lauren Sausser
March 13, 2023
KFF Health News Original
The federal government wants to change the way health insurers use prior authorization — the requirement that patients get permission before undergoing treatment. Designed to prevent doctors from deploying expensive, ineffectual procedures, prior authorization has become a confusing maze that denies or delays care, burdens physicians with paperwork, and perpetuates racial disparities. New rules may not be enough to solve the problems.
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': The Long Road to Reining In Short-Term Plans
July 13, 2023
Podcast
President Biden made good on a campaign promise this week with a proposal that would limit short-term health insurance plans that boast low premiums but also few benefits. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court’s decision to outlaw affirmative action programs could set back efforts to diversify the nation’s medical workforce. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Amy Goldstein of the Washington Post, and Rachel Cohrs of Stat News join KFF Health News’ chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KFF Health News’ Bram Sable-Smith, who reported the latest KFF Health News-NPR “Bill of the Month” about how a hospital couldn’t track down a patient, but a debt collector could.
Their Physical Therapy Coverage Ran Out Before They Could Walk Again
By Jordan Rau
March 28, 2025
KFF Health News Original
Health plans limit physical or occupational therapy sessions to as few as 20 a year, no matter the patient’s infirmities. The limits persist despite federal rules banning insurers from setting annual dollar limits on the care they will provide.
Readers and Tweeters Find Disadvantages in Medicare Advantage
November 12, 2021
KFF Health News Original
KHN gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
New Alzheimer’s Drug Raises Hopes — Along With Questions
By Judith Graham
August 11, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Clinics serving Alzheimer’s patients are working out the details of who will get treated with the new drug Leqembi. It won’t be for everyone with memory-loss symptoms.
Insurers Brace For Expected Medicare Advantage Losses Next Year
May 15, 2024
Morning Briefing
CVS Health and Humana are making moves ahead of anticipated drops in Medicare Advantage memberships in 2025. Meanwhile, low Medicare Advantage pay further stresses rural hospitals.
Seeking to Shift Costs to Medicare, More Employers Move Retirees to Advantage Plans
By Susan Jaffe
March 3, 2022
KFF Health News Original
Private and public employers are increasingly using the government’s Medicare Advantage program as an alternative to their existing retiree health plan and traditional Medicare coverage. As a result, the federal government is paying the “overwhelming majority” of medical costs, according to an industry analyst.
Another GOP Primary Debate … Another Night of Verbal Clashes
By KFF Health News and PolitiFact staffs
November 9, 2023
KFF Health News Original
In a faceoff that took some strange turns, five presidential hopefuls focused on foreign affairs and inflation but still revealed the party’s political struggles over its abortion position. Once again, former President Donald Trump did not appear on the debate stage.
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': The ‘Unwinding’ of Medicaid
April 6, 2023
Podcast
As of April 1, states were allowed to begin reevaluating Medicaid eligibility for millions of Americans who qualified for the program during the covid-19 pandemic but may no longer meet the income or other requirements. As many as 15 million people could lose health coverage as a result. Meanwhile, the Medicare Hospital Insurance Trust Fund is projected to stay solvent until 2031, its trustees reported, taking some pressure off of lawmakers to finally fix that program’s underlying financial weaknesses. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Rachel Roubein of The Washington Post, and Amy Goldstein of The Washington Post join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Daniel Chang, who reported the latest KHN-NPR “Bill of the Month” feature about a child not yet old enough for kindergarten whose medical bill landed him in collections.
New Weight Loss Drugs Carry High Price Tags and Lots of Questions for Seniors
By Judith Graham
July 25, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Although nearly 40% of Americans 60 and older are obese, Medicare doesn’t cover weight loss medications. Meanwhile, studies haven’t thoroughly examined new drugs’ impact on older adults.
Cuando tu cobertura de salud dentro de la red… simplemente se esfuma
By Elisabeth Rosenthal
March 18, 2024
KFF Health News Original
los contratos de las aseguradoras con médicos, hospitales y farmacéuticas (o sus intermediarios, los llamados administradores de beneficios farmacéuticos) pueden cambiar abruptamente de la noche a la mañana.
Humana Plans Considerable Changes To Medicare Advantage
February 12, 2025
Morning Briefing
According to Modern Healthcare, Humana has a five-step plan to improve its profit margins, including boosting its star ratings, stabilizing membership, and investing in primary care.
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.
Listen to the Latest ‘KFF Health News Minute’
January 7, 2025
KFF Health News Original
“Health Minute” brings original health care and health policy reporting from the KFF Health News newsroom to the airwaves each week.
Qué es el Proyecto 2025, una hoja de ruta para las medidas de salud de Trump
By Stephanie Armour
February 24, 2025
KFF Health News Original
La rápida adopción de muchos de los objetivos del Proyecto 2025 indica que los seguidores de Trump han planeado durante años acciones sobre el sistema nacional de salud.
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Au Revoir, Public Health Emergency
February 2, 2023
Podcast
The Biden administration this week announced it would let the covid-19 public health emergency lapse on May 11, even as the Republican-led House was voting to immediately eliminate the special authorities of the so-called PHE. Meanwhile, anti-abortion forces are pressuring legislators to both tighten abortion restrictions and pay for every birth in the nation. Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Rachel Roubein of The Washington Post, and Victoria Knight of Axios join KHN’s chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Hannah Wesolowski of the National Alliance on Mental Illness about the rollout of the national 988 suicide prevention hotline.
AARP’s Billion-Dollar Bounty
By Fred Schulte
June 6, 2022
KFF Health News Original
With its latest venture into primary care clinics, is America’s leading organization for seniors selling its trusted seal of approval?
Medicare Plans’ ‘Free’ Dental, Vision, Hearing Benefits Come at a Cost
By Phil Galewitz
October 27, 2021
KFF Health News Original
The ads for supplemental Medicare Advantage plans describe vision and dental benefits, even grocery discounts and food deliveries. But look at the fine print.
