Latest KFF Health News Stories
Market Muscle: Study Uncovers Differences Between Medicare And Private Insurers
Findings released Thursday by the Rand Corp. highlight how reimbursement rates vary nationally and the impact the charges have on the nation’s high cost of health care.
Price Check On Drug Ads: Would Revealing Costs Help Patients Control Spending?
As part of his plan to tamp down drug pricing, President Donald Trump wants pharmaceutical companies to provide cost information in drug ads — just like side effects.
Needle Exchanges Find New Champions Among Republicans
More Republicans, at the statehouse level, are saying research and results support their endorsement of a once-controversial plan to limit disease among drug users.
Addiction Medicine Mostly Prescribed To Whites, Even As Opioid Deaths Rose Among Blacks
A study looked at who gets Suboxone prescriptions and found that whites are almost 35 times more likely to get the addiction treatment than African Americans.
A Plan To Cover Immigrants Would Divert Public Health Dollars
California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposal to provide health coverage to unauthorized immigrants ages 19 to 25 would siphon money that four counties currently use for public health efforts such as battling contagious diseases.
The Money And Politics Of Prescription Drugs: What You Need To Know
America spends about as much on prescription drugs as all the revenues of the three big car makers combined. Tracking where the money goes is hard. PolitiFact has some charts to help.
Effects Of Surgery On A Warming Planet: Can Anesthesia Go Green?
Two of the most commonly used anesthesia gases are similar medically but worlds apart when it comes to their impact on the planet.
Drug Industry Patents Go Under Senate Judiciary Committee’s Microscope
During a hearing Tuesday, panel members focused on how drug companies have used patents to allegedly protect their competitive edge and profits.
Feds Want To Show Health Care Costs On Your Phone, But That Could Take Years
Giving consumers more knowledge about the costs of care has long been desired, but administration officials cautioned it could take two years or more for useful data to appear in a phone app.
Meth Vs. Opioids: America Has Two Drug Epidemics, But Focuses On One
In the West and Midwest, 70% of local law enforcement says meth is the bigger threat. It’s also a more difficult addiction to treat.
El largo y sinuoso camino para conseguir atención de salud mental infantil
Los Estados Unidos se enfrentan a una creciente escasez de profesionales de salud mental capacitados para trabajar con jóvenes, en un momento en que la depresión y la ansiedad están en aumento.
Putting A Face To Surprise Bills: Among Specialists, Plastic Surgeons Most Often Out-Of-Network
Many plastic surgeons don’t participate in health plans, even when providing emergency care at a hospital. Too often that catches patients off guard.
Readers And Tweeters Parse Ideas — From Snakebites To Senior Suicide
Kaiser Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
The Long And Winding Road To Mental Health Care For Your Kid
A growing mental health crisis among children is exacerbated by a national shortage of child psychiatrists and therapists. It’s either difficult to get, or to afford, an appointment for your child. Here’s some advice that might help.
Must-Reads Of The Week From Brianna Labuskes
Newsletter editor Brianna Labuskes wades through hundreds of health care policy stories each week, so you don’t have to.
FDA To End Program That Hid Millions Of Reports On Faulty Medical Devices
In the wake of a KHN investigation, the agency will no longer let device makers file reports of harm outside a widely used public database.
Short-Staffed Nursing Homes See Drop In Medicare Ratings
In its latest update to the Nursing Home Compare website, the government gave 1,638 homes its lowest star rating for staffing — one star on its five-star scale. Most were downgraded because payroll records reported no registered-nurse hours at all for at least four days.
For Those With Developmental Disabilities, Dental Needs Are Great, Good Care Elusive
Lack of access means that people with physical and cognitive disabilities have a heavier burden of dental disease.
Look-Up: How Nursing Home Staffing Fluctuates Nationwide
Use this tool to see staffing levels at skilled nursing homes in the U.S.
Podcast: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’ Bye-Bye, ACA, And Hello ‘Medicare-For-All’?
Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Paige Winfield Cunningham of The Washington Post and Erin Mershon of Stat News join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss the latest in news about the Trump administration’s effort to overturn the Affordable Care Act, a historic hearing on “Medicare-for-all” and the Kansas Supreme Court’s ruling that the state constitution protects a woman’s right to abortion. Also, Rovner interviews KHN’s Carmen Heredia Rodriguez about the latest “Bill of the Month” feature.