The Year in Opioid Settlements: 5 Things You Need to Know
By Aneri Pattani
December 21, 2023
KFF Health News Original
In the past year, opioid settlement money has gone from an emerging funding stream for which people had lofty but uncertain aspirations to a coveted pot of billions being invested in remediation efforts. Here are some important and evolving factors to watch going forward.
An Arm and a Leg: When Hospitals Sue Patients (Part 1)
By Dan Weissmann
December 14, 2023
Podcast
Some hospitals sue patients over unpaid medical bills. But is this even an effective way for hospitals to recoup lost revenue? On this episode of “An Arm and a Leg,” host Dan Weissmann speaks with medical-debt experts to explore a different solution.
What to Know About Assisted Living
By Jordan Rau
November 20, 2023
KFF Health News Original
The facilities can look like luxury apartments or modest group homes and can vary in pricing structures. Here’s a guide.
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.
As Covid Grabbed the World’s Attention, Texas’ Efforts to Control TB Slipped
By Colleen DeGuzman
February 16, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Responding to covid has taken so much attention and energy that some public health workers believe it pushed tuberculosis off people’s radar.
How Banks and Private Equity Cash In When Patients Can’t Pay Their Medical Bills
By Noam N. Levey and Aneri Pattani
November 17, 2022
KFF Health News Original
Hospitals strike deals with financing companies, generating profits for lenders, and more debt for patients.
Feds Approve Fractious Georgia Plan to Change ACA Marketplace
By Jordan Rau
November 3, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Under the plan pushed by Gov. Brian Kemp, the healthcare.gov website will no longer provide options for Georgia starting next fall, and consumers will need to rely on private brokers, insurance companies, agents and commercial websites.
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.
Hundreds of Hospitals Sue Patients or Threaten Their Credit, a KHN Investigation Finds. Does Yours?
By Noam N. Levey
December 21, 2022
KFF Health News Original
An examination of billing policies and practices at more than 500 hospitals across the country shows widespread reliance on aggressive collection tactics.
Mothers of Color Can’t See if Providers Have a History of Mistreatment. Why Not?
By Sarah Kwon
October 6, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Many women, especially Black women, have reported discrimination in maternity care, but expectant mothers lack tools to see where this happens. Funding and regulations to measure disparities have been slow in arriving, but some innovators are trying to fill the void.
Feds Rein In Use of Predictive Software That Limits Care for Medicare Advantage Patients
By Susan Jaffe
October 5, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Software sifts through millions of medical records to match patients with similar diagnoses and characteristics and then predicts what kind of care an individual will need and for how long. New federal rules will ensure human experts are part of the process.
Facing Headwinds on New Alzheimer’s Drug, Biogen Launches Controversial Campaign
By Julie Appleby
July 23, 2021
KFF Health News Original
The makers of Aduhelm, a drug approved last month despite concerns raised by experts about its effectiveness, have launched a website and ads designed to urge people who are worried about their memory to ask doctors about testing. But some health advocates say it is misleading because some memory loss with aging is normal.
Patients With Vulnerable Immune Systems Worry Vaccine Exemptions May Put Them in Peril
By Aaron Bolton, MTPR
March 22, 2022
KFF Health News Original
Montana’s governor pushed the state’s health workers to seek religious exemptions to a federal mandate to be vaccinated against covid, but the number who have done so is unknown.
States Pull Back on Covid Data Even Amid Delta Surge
By Andy Miller
August 27, 2021
KFF Health News Original
As covid case numbers rise nationwide, Georgia and some other states have restricted the case count data they share publicly.
Many Families With Unaffordable Employer Coverage Now Eligible for Covered California Subsidies
By Bernard J. Wolfson
January 4, 2023
KFF Health News Original
If family coverage on an employer-sponsored plan is too expensive, a worker’s spouse and dependents may be eligible for Affordable Care Act subsidies under a new federal rule.
ACA Plans Are Being Switched Without Enrollees’ OK
By Julie Appleby
April 2, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Insurance agents say it’s too easy to access consumer information on the Affordable Care Act federal marketplace. Policyholders can lose their doctors and access to prescriptions. Some end up owing back taxes.
After Appalachian Hospitals Merged Into a Monopoly, Their ERs Slowed to a Crawl
By Brett Kelman and Samantha Liss
March 25, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Ballad Health was granted the nation’s largest state-sanctioned hospital monopoly in 2018. Since then, its emergency rooms have become more than three times as slow.
How the Anti-Vaccine Movement Pits Parental Rights Against Public Health
By Amy Maxmen
March 12, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Framed in the rhetoric of choice, Tennessee’s new law governing childhood vaccinations is among more than a dozen recently passed or pending nationwide that set parental freedom against community and children’s health.
Statistical Models vs. Front-Line Workers: Who Knows Best How to Spend Opioid Settlement Cash?
By Aneri Pattani
March 5, 2024
KFF Health News Original
A mathematical model designed to direct spending of opioid settlement funds is at the center of a debate over whether to invest in technology to guide long-term decisions or focus on the immediate needs of people in addiction.
Most Hospital Websites Omit Or Bury Information About Abortion Services
October 17, 2023
Morning Briefing
A study of 222 hospital websites sampled found that nearly 80% don’t mention abortion. Other abortion access news reports on the long-term costs of denied procedures, election initiatives, and traveling doctors.