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Latest KFF Health News Stories

KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: Fact-Checking President Trump’s State Of The Union

KFF Health News Original

President Donald Trump spent a good deal of time on health issues in his State of the Union address, but not everything he said checks out. Meanwhile, Iowa Democrats heading into the caucuses said health is their top issue, but it’s hard to see how that played out in their actual choices. Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Kimberly Leonard of the Washington Examiner and Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss this and more. Also, Rovner interviews KHN’s Julie Appleby and NPR’s Selena Simmons-Duffin about the latest “Bill of the Month” feature.

Patients Caught In Crossfire Between Giant Hospital Chain, Large Insurer

KFF Health News Original

Insurance giant Cigna and San Francisco-based Dignity Health have failed to ink a 2020 contract, leaving nearly 17,000 patients in California and Nevada scrambling to find new health care providers. Meanwhile, Dignity faces financial and legal challenges while it strives to implement its merger with Catholic Health Initiatives, which created one of the nation’s largest Catholic hospital systems.

To Boost Bottom Lines, Single-Payer May Be Just What These Restaurateurs Ordered

KFF Health News Original

Small-business owners, frustrated by the byzantine health system, are warming to the idea of a “Medicare for All,” government-run system, even if it increases their taxes. But they have questions.

Listen: Updates On Coronavirus Outbreak And How It Affects Chinese Immigrants

KFF Health News Original

California Healthline reporters Anna Maria Barry-Jester and Anna Almendrala spoke with WNHN’s “The Attitude w/ Arnie Arnesen” about the novel coronavirus and its impact on Asian immigrants in the United States.

Good Rehab Is Hard To Find

KFF Health News Original

Helping a loved one overcome addiction isn’t easy. Start by listening to people who have been through it. They can help find effective treatment and avoid unethical or incompetent operators.

What To Do If Your Home Health Care Agency Ditches You

KFF Health News Original

If you’re told Medicare’s home health benefits have changed, don’t believe it: Coverage rules haven’t been altered and people are still entitled to the same types of services. All that has changed is how Medicare pays agencies.

Watch: Let’s Talk About Trump’s Health Care Policies

KFF Health News Original

KHN’s Shefali Luthra examines the president’s talking points on a range of topics — from insurance coverage, access to care and affordability issues to preexisting condition protections and prescription drug costs.

Why Home Health Care Is Suddenly Harder To Come By For Medicare Patients

KFF Health News Original

Medicare has changed how it pays for services. In response, agencies across the country are firing therapists, limiting physical, occupational and speech therapy, and terminating services for some longtime, severely ill patients.

As VA Tests Keto Diet To Help Diabetic Patients, Skeptics Raise Red Flags

KFF Health News Original

The Department of Veterans Affairs is partnering with Virta Health, a California startup that offers remote coaching and monitoring for people with Type 2 diabetes to help them follow the ultra-low carbohydrate diet.

Public Health Officials Offer Scant Details On U.S. Coronavirus Patients

KFF Health News Original

To date, the U.S. has multiple confirmed cases of the viral infection that originated in Wuhan, China. That includes cases in which the virus passed from person to person within this country. So why don’t health officials share more information with the public?

Preeminent Hospitals Penalized Over Rates Of Patients’ Injuries

KFF Health News Original

Medicare cut payments for 786 hospitals because of high infection and complication rates. They included a third of the hospitals proclaimed as the nation’s best in one prominent ranking.