The independent source for health policy research, polling, and news.
The cost of having a baby is frustratingly difficult to predict. The actual amount families pay varies widely. Here are five tips to help you prepare for the often-unexpected costs of pregnancy and giving birth.
If you’ve heard about how people are struggling with affording healthcare but haven’t been touched by it or seen it, then this pop-up clinic just outside Washington, D.C., put the problem on full display.
A California congressman voted for the GOP’s One Big Beautiful Bill, which is projected to reduce Medicaid spending by $900 billion. Now Rep. David Valadao, whose House race will help decide control of Congress, is telling his constituents they may not have to follow the new rules.
For years, Georgia was the only state to require some Medicaid enrollees to work to obtain and keep coverage. Those rules could expire just as the federal Medicaid work requirements they helped inspire roll out across most of the country.
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Millions of Medicare enrollees who buy stand-alone prescription drug plans will see their average monthly premiums rise by 50% in 2027, a new analysis finds. But enrollees can avoid the average increase by switching to lower-cost plans.
The Federal Trade Commission told a data company it could no longer sell data it collected from hundreds of millions of Americans’ mobile devices when people visited hospitals, dialysis clinics, or abortion clinics. But little is stopping other companies from doing so. In the absence of federal protections, some states are passing their own rules.
This year’s winning Halloween haikus take on measles, the high cost of dental care, and AI-powered insurance denials.
In California, healthcare costs are rising faster than income and inflation, and 4 in 10 adults in the state say they’re paying down medical debt. With the governor’s race in full swing, it’s still not clear what the candidates would do to fix it.
Open enrollment for 2027 Affordable Care Act plans kicks off in most states Nov. 1, and consumers can expect higher premiums and more bureaucracy. Meanwhile, Democrats are planning a major health agenda if they win majorities in Congress. Julie Appleby of KFF Health News, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, and Victoria Knight of Bloomberg Government join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also, Rovner announces the winners of the KFF Health News Halloween haiku contest.
The “KFF Health News Minute” brings original healthcare and health policy reporting from our newsroom to the airwaves each week.
The campaign to defend access to transgender healthcare for young people in Missouri is taking an unhurried approach to talking with voters about how the ban on midterm ballots would play out.
An uninsured woman sought help at a Virginia urgent care center after being stung by a wasp. She said she was stunned when the center asked her to pay before giving her a shot to reverse her allergic reaction.
Opposition to the rapid emergence of data centers in states such as Ohio and Arizona has ginned up activism and unified voters. A range of public health issues have played into the resistance.
The U.S. has no law guaranteeing paid parental leave. But in states with their own programs, more dads are using the benefit, surpassing moms in some states. The growth in popularity comes as Americans increasingly say raising children is unaffordable.
Hospitals nationwide are cutting intensive services for kids in critical care. Many cite too few patients, staffing shortages, and money problems. As a result, kids who need lifesaving care must travel farther. Pediatricians expect more cutbacks in the wake of federal Medicaid cuts.
If your doctor recommends a big test or procedure, this tool can help you talk through options collaboratively. It works at a routine checkup or in high-stakes medical situations like childbirth.
Poisons from Jacksonville, Florida’s “Brown’s Dump” seeped into the lifeblood of residents. The harm to their physical and mental health is tied today to another public health crisis: high rates of gun violence among children.
Rising healthcare costs are upending the lives of Americans. People are forgoing health insurance, rationing medications, cutting back on doctor visits, and putting off health procedures they can’t afford. But bringing the costs down won’t be easy.
A proposed federal rule could dramatically reduce access to remote patient monitoring programs for people on Medicare. The services aim to keep patients out of the hospital by giving them devices to monitor their health at home, but critics say there isn’t enough oversight.
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