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Latest KFF Health News Stories

Blurry Line Between Medical and Vision Insurance Leaves Patient With Unexpected Bill

KFF Health News Original

A Wisconsin retiree with glaucoma needed her eyes examined. Her Medicare Advantage plan from UnitedHealthcare listed her optometrist’s clinic as in-network, but she learned the hard way that a clinic can be in-network and out-of-network at the same time.

What the Health? From KFF Health News: The Hazards of ICE for Public Health

Podcast

The Trump administration’s immigration crackdown is not just roiling politics but also directly affecting the provision of health care, medical groups say. Meanwhile, in Washington, federal spending bills have been stalled by the fight over immigration enforcement funding after the shooting death of a second person in Minneapolis this month. Maya Goldman of Axios, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, and Rachel Roubein of The Washington Post join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss those stories and more.

This Teen Never Got His Day in Vaccine Court. His Former Lawyer Now Advises RFK on Its Overhaul.

KFF Health News Original

The federal government’s Vaccine Injury Compensation Program was supposed to help patients with their medical bills while protecting vaccine supply. But allies of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are routinely transferring cases from that program to launch lawsuits against drugmakers.

Medicare Advantage Insurers Face New Curbs on Overcharges in Trump Plan That Reins in Payments

KFF Health News Original

Proposed Trump administration changes to federal Medicare Advantage payments would stop health insurers from mining patient data for extra medical diagnoses that generate more bills to taxpayers even without treatment.

Trump Policies at Odds With Emerging Understanding of Covid’s Long-Term Harm

KFF Health News Original

Studies increasingly offer insights into the health risks and burdens faced by people who have had covid infections. Meanwhile, the Trump administration has narrowed covid vaccine recommendations and cut research.

Watch: A Strange Checkup Bill Revealed a Firefighter’s Kids Were Mistakenly Uninsured

KFF Health News Original

This installment of InvestigateTV and KFF Health News’ “Costly Care” series explores how administrative errors can leave patients on the hook for bills they shouldn’t owe — sometimes with few options to correct a problem they didn’t create.

Sick of Fighting Insurers, Hospitals Offer Their Own Medicare Advantage Plans

KFF Health News Original

Breakups between insurers and health systems, on top of plan cuts, left more than 3.7 million Medicare Advantage enrollees facing a tough choice last year: find new insurance or new doctors. But hospital systems say their Advantage plans can avert such upheaval, giving patients peace of mind.

Cansados de pelear con las aseguradoras, hospitales ofrecen sus propios planes Medicare Advantage

KFF Health News Original

Aunque los planes administrados por hospitales representan solo una pequeña porción del mercado de Medicare Advantage, su número de afiliados sigue creciendo, en línea con el aumento general de beneficiarios de ese sistema.

Why Medication Abortion Is the Top Target for Anti-Abortion Groups in 2026

KFF Health News Original

With abortions still on the rise nationwide despite widespread bans, curtailing the use of pregnancy-terminating medication is a top priority for abortion opponents — and they’re frustrated that the Trump administration isn’t doing more to limit its use.

These 3 Policy Moves Are Likely To Change Health Care for Older People

KFF Health News Original

Two Trump administration regulatory rollbacks affect nursing home staffing and home care workers, and a new AI experiment in Medicare has alarmed eldercare advocates and congressional Democrats.

What the Health? From KFF Health News: Health Spending Is Moving in Congress

Podcast

Lawmakers appear on the brink of passing a spending bill for the Department of Health and Human Services and a bipartisan health policy bill delayed for over a year. But the outlook is bleaker for the health care outline released by President Trump last week. Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call, Sheryl Gay Stolberg of The New York Times, and Paige Winfield Cunningham of The Washington Post join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss those stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews oncologist and bioethicist Ezekiel Emanuel to discuss his new book, “Eat Your Ice Cream.”