Hospitals, Leery of Unpaid Bills, Increasingly Seek Payments Before Care Is Delivered
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My Husband Was Kicked Out of Hospice for Dying Too Slowly
Some seriously ill patients improve on hospice. About 1 in 16 patients enrolled in hospice care lose eligibility as a result. Here’s how to get appropriate care after receiving a terminal diagnosis.
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Trump Team’s Use of Arcane Budget Rule Threatens Medicaid Coverage
Coverage for hundreds of thousands of Arkansas Medicaid enrollees next year is in question after the Trump administration refused to renew a key state waiver. The state might not be the last to have to adjust to an arcane rule change under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
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Trump’s Vaccine Agenda
President Trump is trying to unilaterally change the number and schedule of childhood vaccines in the U.S., though it remains unclear how much of an impact his orders will have. Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Maya Goldman of Axios, and Sandhya Raman of Bloomberg Law join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss this story and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KFF Health News’ Paula Andalo, who wrote the latest “Bill of the Month.”
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Listen to the Latest ‘KFF Health News Minute’
The “KFF Health News Minute” brings original healthcare and health policy reporting from our newsroom to the airwaves each week.
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People With Disabilities Say Medicaid’s Limits on Income Stifle Career Advancement
Special Medicaid programs in many states allow disabled people to work while receiving benefits, and most limit how much participants can earn and the assets they can hold. Some Iowans are pushing lawmakers to remove those limits, which they say can dampen their career prospects.
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Readers Speak Out on Work Requirements, Federal Data Grab, Opioid Payback Cash
KFF Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
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Years After He Quit Smoking, a Lung Cancer Scan Saved His Life
Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States, and older adults are at higher risk. But only about a quarter of patients eligible for screening are up to date.
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Hospitals Say They Found a Tool To Help Reduce Childbirth Risks: Wristbands
North Carolina and other states have embraced “I Gave Birth” wristbands as a way to encourage women to seek help when they have postpartum complications. They’re gaining steam as the Trump administration’s cuts to Medicaid threaten postpartum care.
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Hospital Prepayment Requirements Add New Wrinkles to Patients’ Financial Responsibility
Hospitals and other medical providers are increasingly asking for payment before providing care, collecting more of what patients might owe as rising insurance deductibles add to Americans’ financial pressures.
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Patients Wary of Governments, Companies Pushing AI as a Rural Healthcare Solution
The $50 billion federal Rural Health Transformation Program is set to flood rural America with new AI health tools. That’s despite little evidence on whether health-related AI can improve access to care and patient health in those communities.
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A Federal Policy Is Complicating How Organizations Battle the Opioid Crisis
Drug test strips are credited with saving lives, but a new policy will limit how funds can be used for them. Advocates of harm reduction strategies who responded to a mass overdose in Baltimore say distributing them will get harder. Federal officials say the strips enable drug use.
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Same Knee Surgery, Twice the Price: Hospital Monopolies Push Up Healthcare Costs
A federal disclosure rule is offering new insight on the effect of healthcare monopolies on pricing, following a wave of U.S. mergers.
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Many States Cover Doula Care, but Access to a ‘Birthing Bestie’ Is Often Out of Reach
Virginia Medicaid started covering doula care four years ago. But logistical and administrative challenges leave many expectant parents without the support of a doula.
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Journalists Cover Cyclospora and Measles Outbreaks, and Changing Health Policies
KFF Health News journalists made the rounds on national and local media recently to discuss topical stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.
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Nurses Chase Cyclospora Through Frustrating Trail of Receipts and Recollections
Get our weekly newsletter, The Week in Brief, featuring a roundup of our original coverage, Fridays at 2 p.m. ET.
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Watch: Why Abortions Are on the Rise Since ‘Roe’ Was Overturned
The way people undergo abortions has changed. This video details five things to know.
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Budget Battle Erupts in Nation’s Capital Over Opioid Settlement Money
Washington, D.C.’s 2027 fiscal-year blueprint reflects a debate playing out around the U.S.: whether opioid settlement money should be used to free up taxpayer dollars by paying for existing responsibilities instead of new programs.
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The Return of ‘Medicare for All’
Michigan voters this week chose former Detroit public health director Abdul El-Sayed as the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate. El-Sayed has made “Medicare for All” a major part of his campaign. Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico Magazine, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, and Amanda Seitz of KFF Health News join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss this story and more. Also this week, as part of the “How Would You Fix It?” series, Rovner interviews Sen. Andy Kim (D-N.J.).
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Medicaid Work Rule Leaves Homeless People in the Cold
Conservatives who have long pushed for Medicaid work requirements often said vulnerable people would get a pass. But the federal government’s list of exemptions left off homeless people.
