What Seniors Can Expect When COVID Vaccines Begin to Roll Out
By Judith Graham
December 9, 2020
KFF Health News Original
At least two vaccines could get federal emergency use authorizations this month. Nursing home and assisted living residents will be among the first to receive inoculations. Here’s a guide on how that rollout may proceed.
Needy Patients ‘Caught In The Middle’ As Insurance Titan Drops Doctors
By Phil Galewitz
February 25, 2020
KFF Health News Original
UnitedHealthcare is dropping hundreds of physicians from its New Jersey Medicaid network, separating patients from longtime doctors. Physicians charge the insurer is using its market power to shift business to practices it controls.
Health Plans For State Employees Use Medicare’s Hammer On Hospital Bills
By Julie Appleby
March 21, 2019
KFF Health News Original
Some plans are experimenting with the idea of closely tying hospital reimbursement rates to what Medicare pays. The approach could be a game changer in their effort to control health costs.
Ex-West Virginia Health Chief Says Cuts Hurt Virus Response
By Michelle R. Smith, The Associated Press and Anthony Izaguirre, The Associated Press
July 10, 2020
KFF Health News Original
The former West Virginia public health leader forced out by the governor says decades-old computer systems and cuts to staff over a period of years had made a challenging job even harder during a once-in-a-century pandemic.
If They Sweep on Election Day, Dems Still Face a Challenge Meeting Health Promises
By Emmarie Huetteman
October 30, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Democrats are favored to win both chambers of Congress after years of campaign-trail promises about health care. But their margin in the Senate could be slim, making it difficult to pass major health care legislation. And they still must heal some rifts within the caucus about how far they can push overhaul efforts.
Life Beyond COVID Seclusion: Seniors See Challenges And Change Ahead
By Judith Graham
July 7, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Some are grieving the loss of precious time in late life. Others are adjusting their ideas of what is possible and making the best of it.
Fewer Traffic Collisions During Shutdown Means Longer Waits For Organ Donations
By April Dembosky, KQED
May 19, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Accident deaths are typically the biggest source of donor organs nationwide. But when the coronavirus forced Californians indoors, accidents declined.
Salesforce, Google, Facebook. How Big Tech Undermines California’s Public Health System.
By Angela Hart
May 6, 2021
KFF Health News Original
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has outsourced his way through the covid-19 pandemic, tasking his private-sector allies in Silicon Valley and the health care industry with fundamental public health duties such as testing, tracing and vaccination. Among the losers: the state’s weakened public health system.
Only a Smokescreen? Big Tobacco Stands Down as Colorado and Oregon Hike Cigarette Taxes
By Vignesh Ramachandran
January 12, 2021
KFF Health News Original
After spending tens of millions of dollars to oppose past efforts, Altria didn’t oppose Colorado’s tobacco tax initiative and could benefit from the law’s minimum-price provision.
Lifetime Experiences Help Older Adults Build Resilience to Pandemic Trauma
By Judith Graham
October 7, 2020
KFF Health News Original
These seniors use coping strategies to keep them socially active yet safe from the coronavirus.
With Federal Nod, Consumers Could Lose The Boost They Get From Drug ‘Coupons’
By Michelle Andrews
April 16, 2020
KFF Health News Original
The proposal being weighed by federal officials would allow employers and insurers to decide that drug companies’ assistance doesn’t count toward their members’ deductible or out-of-pocket maximum spending limits. If plans opted for that approach, only payments made by patients themselves would be included in the calculation toward reaching those limits.
The Remedy For Surprise Medical Bills May Lie In Stitching Up Federal Law
By Michelle Andrews and Julie Appleby
September 10, 2018
KFF Health News Original
The wide-ranging law has the potential to blindside many consumers whose health care comes from company and union health plans that are “self-funded,” meaning they pay claims out of their own funds.
With Schools Starting Online, Vaccinations Head for Recess
By Carmen Heredia Rodriguez
September 8, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Traditionally, requirements that kids undergo certain immunizations before attending school have been a critical public health tool. Health officials are scrambling to make sure children don’t fall through the cracks.
COVID-Like Cough Sent Him To ER — Where He Got A $3,278 Bill
By Phil Galewitz
May 25, 2020
KFF Health News Original
A dad in Denver tried to do everything right when COVID symptoms surfaced. Still, he ended up with a huge bill from an insurer that had said it waived cost sharing for coronavirus treatment. What gives?
It’s Not Just Insulin: Lawmakers Focus on Price of One Drug, While Others Rise Too
By Rachana Pradhan
September 22, 2020
KFF Health News Original
While insulin is the poster child for outrageous prescription costs, patients are paying ever more to treat depression, asthma, HIV, cholesterol and more. And the pandemic has overtaken efforts to force the issue in Congress.
Black Doctors Work to Make Coronavirus Testing More Equitable
By Nina Feldman, WHYY
October 13, 2020
KFF Health News Original
The Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium has increased access to coronavirus testing in the Philadelphia region, testing more than 10,000 people. The group’s mobile unit and pop-up testing sites also offer patients an opportunity to connect with African American health care providers.
Medicare Open Enrollment Is Complicated. Here’s How to Get Good Advice.
By Bernard J. Wolfson
November 24, 2020
KFF Health News Original
It’s a complex program with many options — as well as confusing rules and nuances. Here’s how to get reliable guidance.
Novavax’s Effort to Vaccinate the World, From Zero to Not Quite Warp Speed
By Sarah Jane Tribble and Rachana Pradhan
July 19, 2021
KFF Health News Original
Novavax is a vaccine company that, despite $2 billion in new federal and international funding, still hasn’t come through with a licensed covid vaccine. It hopes it can still help to fight the global covid scourge, but will it deliver?
One School, Two Choices: A Study in Classroom vs. Distance Learning
By John M. Glionna
October 7, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Most students at one Marin County school attend in person, while a dozen study from home. Those on campus are constantly nagged to use hand sanitizer and submit to the thermometer. Home-schoolers yell to their parents for help, while the parents pray that Zoom doesn’t freeze.
New Health Plans Expose The Insured To More Risk
By Julie Appleby
March 13, 2019
KFF Health News Original
Well-known insurers are offering plans with lower premiums. But they could leave patients on the hook for unexpected costs.