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Era of ‘Free’ Covid Vaccines, Test Kits, and Treatments Is Ending. Who Will Pay the Tab Now?

By Julie Appleby February 10, 2023 KFF Health News Original

Insurers, employers, and taxpayers will all be affected as drug manufacturers move these products to the commercial market.

Want a Clue on Health Care Costs in Advance? New Tools Take a Crack at It

By Julie Appleby January 3, 2023 KFF Health News Original

Another effort to make upfront cost comparisons possible in an industry known for its opaqueness: an online tool for consumers to get some idea of what they may pay for medical care.

Headaches Over the Health System?

August 20, 2025 Page

Pre-authorization delay? No in-network specialists? Dispute over costs? Confusion after a hospital discharge? Long wait times in the ER? Share your story. Health Care Helpline helps you navigate the hurdles between you and good care. Send us your tricky question and we may tap a policy sleuth to puzzle it out. This crowdsourced project is […]

Biden’s Blanket Statement — ‘No More Surprise Billing’ — Doesn’t Quite Cover It

By Victoria Knight March 1, 2022 KFF Health News Original

The president used broad language to say that Americans no longer needed to worry about surprise bills, but there are exceptions to the new law that could cost unsuspecting consumers.

Even Well-Intended Laws Can’t Protect Us From Inaccurate Provider Directories

By Bernard J. Wolfson July 26, 2022 KFF Health News Original

State and federal laws require health plans to offer accurate lists of participating doctors and facilities, but consumers still struggle to get timely appointments with providers.

States Step In as Telehealth and Clinic Patients Get Blindsided by Hospital Fees

By Markian Hawryluk April 3, 2023 KFF Health News Original

At least eight states have implemented or are considering limits on what patients can be billed for the use of a hospital’s facilities even without having stepped foot in the building.

After Tuition, Books, and Room and Board, Colleges’ Rising Health Fees Hit a Nerve

By Phil Galewitz December 19, 2022 KFF Health News Original

Many colleges require students to have health insurance coverage, and the college option can be costly. In addition, some schools mandate that students pay a fee to cover health services on campus.

How to Avoid Surprise Bills — And the Pitfalls in the New Law

By Dan Weissmann March 16, 2022 KFF Health News Original

The No Surprises Act offers protection from many surprise medical bills — but that protection may be only as good as a patient’s knowledge of the law and ability to make sure it’s enforced. Here’s what you need to know.

Public Health Risks of Urban Wildfire Smoke Prompt Push for More Monitoring

By Katharine Gammon April 8, 2025 KFF Health News Original

As the fires burned in Los Angeles, scientists and local air regulators deployed monitors to measure the levels of heavy metals, carcinogens, and other toxic substances released into the air when homes, buildings, and cars burned. They hope their efforts will inform ongoing cleanup efforts and protect the public in future fires.

Kaiser Permanente Back in the Hot Seat Over Mental Health Care, but It’s Not Only a KP Issue

By Bernard J. Wolfson February 11, 2025 KFF Health News Original

Mental health workers on strike in Southern California say Kaiser Permanente is woefully understaffed, its therapists are burned out, and patients are often denied timely access to care. The insurer says it has largely fixed the problem. But across California and the nation, mental health parity is still not a reality.

What the Health? From KFF Health News: Time’s Up for Expanded ACA Tax Credits

December 18, 2025 Podcast

A last-minute push from Democrats and four moderate Republicans will force a House vote on renewing enhanced premium tax credits for Affordable Care Act plans, but not until January. That means millions will have to choose between paying dramatically more or dropping coverage next year. Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officially drops the federal recommendation for newborns to receive a hepatitis B shot. Tami Luhby of CNN, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, and Lizzy Lawrence of Stat join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss those stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Tony Leys, who wrote the latest “Bill of the Month” feature, and the panel discusses the year’s biggest developments in health policy.

California Author Uses Dark Humor — And a Bear — To Highlight Flawed Health System

By Rachel Scheier January 31, 2023 KFF Health News Original

A new graphic novel by Kathleen Founds follows an angst-ridden bear on his quest for mental health treatment. Founds drew on her own experience with bipolar disorder.

Disability Rights Lawyers Threatened With Budget Cuts, Reassignments

By Tony Leys December 16, 2025 KFF Health News Original

The Trump administration wants deep funding cuts for state-based legal services for disabled people, as rights advocates say the Justice Department pushed out many of its lawyers who worked on such issues.

ER Visit Times Stretch Longer As Hospitals Face Staffing Crunch

September 15, 2023 Morning Briefing

Axios reports that hospitals in Washington, D.C., logged the longest median ER visit times in 2022, clocking in at 5 hours and 29 minutes. Other health care industry news is on union membership, rural nursing home staffing, out-of-network ambulance claims, and more.

At Urgent Care, He Got 5 Stitches and a Big Surprise: A Plastic Surgeon’s Bill for $1,040

By Rachana Pradhan August 2, 2021 KFF Health News Original

The Biden administration is weighing how to treat urgent care clinics as part of broad regulations banning surprise, out-of-network medical bills. At the heart of the matter: What counts as an emergency?

What RFK Jr. Isn’t Talking About: How To Make Vaccines Safer

By Arthur Allen June 25, 2025 KFF Health News Original

Vaccines are under fire from the top of the Trump administration. Federal programs to monitor them and make them safer have always been underfunded.

How to Get Rid of Medical Debt — Or Avoid It in the First Place

By Yuki Noguchi, NPR News July 1, 2022 KFF Health News Original

Medical bills can add stress to the already stressful experience of dealing with a medical crisis. And if you can’t pay those bills, they can linger, wreaking havoc on your financial goals and credit. Here’s how to protect yourself.

‘Cancer Doesn’t Care’: Citizen Lobbyists Unite To Push Past Washington’s Ugly Politics

By Noam N. Levey October 21, 2025 KFF Health News Original

Despite a poisonous political climate, hundreds of volunteer advocates put partisan differences aside and pressed Congress to help people with cancer.

What the Health? From KFF Health News: The Open Enrollment Mixing Bowl

October 19, 2023 Podcast

Open enrollment for Medicare beneficiaries with private health plans began Oct. 15, to be followed Nov. 1 by open enrollment for Affordable Care Act plans. The selection for both is large — often too large to be navigated easily alone. And people who choose incorrectly can end up with unaffordable medical bills. Meanwhile, those on both sides of the abortion issue are looking to Ohio’s November ballot measure on abortion to see whether anti-abortion forces can break their losing streak in statewide ballot questions since the overturn of Roe v. Wade in 2022.

The Ambulance Chased One Patient Into Collections

By Bram Sable-Smith July 27, 2022 KFF Health News Original

After a car wreck, three siblings were transported to the same hospital by ambulances from three separate districts. The sibling with the most minor injuries got the biggest bill.

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