Doctors Can Change Opioid Prescribing Habits, But Progress Comes In Small Doses
By Julie Appleby and Elizabeth Lucas
August 14, 2019
KFF Health News Original
Research out Wednesday indicates that guidelines are making strides in cutting back the number of pain pills doctors offer after specific types of surgeries.
California Hospital Giant Sutter Health Faces Heavy Backlash On Prices
By Chad Terhune
May 16, 2018
KFF Health News Original
In a case with possible national repercussions, the state’s attorney general has sued over alleged price gouging, and other legal and legislative challenges are afoot. Sutter is pushing back hard, denying anticompetitive behavior.
‘Climate Grief’: Fears About The Planet’s Future Weigh On Americans’ Mental Health
By Victoria Knight
July 18, 2019
KFF Health News Original
Although there’s no official clinical diagnosis, the psychiatric and psychological communities have names for the phenomenon of worrying about the Earth’s fate: “climate distress,” “climate grief,” “climate anxiety” or “eco-anxiety.” The concept also is gradually making its way into the public consciousness in television shows and movies.
‘Never Seen Anything Like This’: Food Banks Face Unprecedented Number Of Hungry Americans
April 9, 2020
Morning Briefing
TV footage recently showed cars lined up on the interstate in Pittsburgh waiting in line for food assistance. That scene is typical of the rest of the country, and the industry isn’t built to withstand the need, The New York Times reports. For the next six months, Feeding America, the nation’s largest network of food banks, has projected a $1.4 billion shortfall. In other news on food shortages, celebrity chefs pitch in to help out New York City and the District of Columbia.
Taken For A Ride? Ambulances Stick Patients With Surprise Bills
By Melissa Bailey
Photos by Heidi de Marco
November 27, 2017
KFF Health News Original
Public outrage over surprise medical bills prompted 21 states to pass consumer protection laws. But these laws largely ignore ambulance rides, which can leave patients stuck with hundreds or even thousands of dollars in bills.
Where Tourism Brings Pricey Health Care, Locals Fight Back
By Julie Appleby
August 9, 2019
KFF Health News Original
Residents in Colorado ski resort country found relief from high insurance premiums and high hospital costs by joining forces and negotiating prices directly with the local hospital.
Walmart Charts New Course By Steering Workers To High-Quality Imaging Centers
By Phil Galewitz
May 15, 2019
KFF Health News Original
Walmart, the nation’s largest private employer, is recommending that employees and dependents use one of 800 imaging centers identified as providing trustworthy care.
Group Aligned With GOP House Leadership To Pump $4M Into Fighting Pelosi’s Drug Pricing Bill
January 8, 2020
Morning Briefing
The American Action Network, which received $2.5 million from PhRMA in 2018, derided House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s drug pricing plan as socialism. The group is trying to build support for the House Republicans’ plan, which would not allow price negotiation but does cap out-of-pocket costs for seniors on Medicare.
Surgeons’ Opioid-Prescribing Habits Are Hard To Kick
By Julie Appleby and Elizabeth Lucas
June 21, 2019
KFF Health News Original
A new data analysis by KHN and Johns Hopkins researchers shows that even as the CDC issued warnings, surgeons handed out many times the number of opioid pills needed for post-op pain.
No Sweeteners Added To Tax Bill To Spread Use Of Health Savings Accounts
By Michelle Andrews
December 19, 2017
KFF Health News Original
These accounts are exempt from taxes and linked to high-deductible health plans. Republicans tried last summer in their unsuccessful efforts to replace the health law to make the accounts more enticing for consumers, but they didn’t make those changes in the current tax bill.
Hurricane Maria’s Legacy: Thousands Of Puerto Rican Students Show PTSD Symptoms
By Carmen Heredia Rodriguez
April 26, 2019
KFF Health News Original
A survey of more than 96,000 students finds that 7.2% reported “clinically significant” symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, according to a study in JAMA Network Open.
Community Hospitals Link Arms With Prestigious Facilities To Raise Their Profiles
By Sandra G. Boodman
January 29, 2019
KFF Health News Original
A growing number of community hospitals are forming alliances with some of the nation’s biggest and most prestigious institutions. But for prospective patients, it can be hard to assess what these relationships actually mean.
Starving Seniors: How America Fails To Feed Its Aging
By Laura Ungar and Trudy Lieberman
September 3, 2019
KFF Health News Original
One out of every 13 older Americans struggles to find enough food to eat while the federal program intended to help hasn’t kept pace with the graying population.
Pain Hits After Surgery When A Doctor’s Daughter Is Stunned By $17,850 Urine Test
By Fred Schulte
February 16, 2018
KFF Health News Original
Elizabeth Moreno got hit with a $17,850 bill from a Texas lab after leaving a urine sample at her doctor’s office.
Surprise Ambulance Bills: A Consumer’s Guide
By Melissa Bailey
November 27, 2017
KFF Health News Original
What to do if you get hit by an exorbitant ambulance bill — and how to avoid them in the first place.
Can Apps Slay The Medical Bill Dragon?
By Jocelyn Wiener
November 15, 2017
KFF Health News Original
A handful of Silicon Valley start-ups are trying to usher medical billing into the 21st century by creating smartphone apps to help consumers navigate their health insurance paperwork.
Will Ties To A Catholic Hospital System Tie Doctors’ Hands?
By Jenny Gold
April 29, 2019
KFF Health News Original
Doctors at the University of California’s flagship San Francisco hospital are sharply divided over a proposal to join forces with a Catholic-run system that restricts care on the basis of religious doctrine — part of a broader public debate as Catholic hospitals expand their reach.
Five Things We Found In The FDA’s Hidden Device Database
By Sydney Lupkin
June 27, 2019
KFF Health News Original
The Food and Drug Administration released two decades of previously hidden data containing millions of injuries or malfunctions by medical devices. Here’s what we’ve learned so far.
Market Muscle: Study Uncovers Differences Between Medicare And Private Insurers
By Shefali Luthra
May 9, 2019
KFF Health News Original
Findings released Thursday by the Rand Corp. highlight how reimbursement rates vary nationally and the impact the charges have on the nation’s high cost of health care.
After A Rural Hospital Closes, Delays In Emergency Care Cost Patients Dearly
By Sarah Jane Tribble
Photos by Christopher Smith
August 19, 2019
KFF Health News Original
The loss of the longtime hospital in Fort Scott, Kan., forces trauma patients to deal with changing services and expectations.