Latest KFF Health News Stories
States Push For Caregiver Tax Credits
Families often spend thousands of dollars caring for ailing loved ones at home. Lawmakers in California and at least seven other states want to provide some financial relief with state income tax credits.
She Was Dancing On The Roof And Talking Gibberish. A Special Kind Of ER Helped Her.
With mental health beds in short supply, emergency rooms increasingly have become the care of first and last resort for people in the grips of a psychiatric episode. Now, hospitals around the country are opening emergency units that calmly cater to patients with mental health needs.
Must-Reads Of The Week (Some Flying Below The Radar)
Executive editor Damon Darlin takes a spin as host of “The Friday Breeze,” whirling through a week of health care news so you don’t have to.
Aspirantes a médicos se entrenan para enfrentar las adicciones
La epidemia de opioides ha puesto en evidencia el déficit profesional de médicos especializados en adicciones. Pero los estudiantes comienzan a mostrar un renovado interés.
State Laws Ban Surprise Medical Bills. She Got One for $227K And Fought Back.
No one told a Washington state woman she was racking up massive out-of-pocket charges during a month-long emergency stay in an Oregon hospital. For six months, she and her husband were haunted by looming debt — and bill collectors.
Aspiring Doctors Seek Advanced Training In Addiction Medicine
Once a tiny specialty that drew mostly psychiatrists, addiction medicine is expanding its accredited training to include primary care residents and “social justice warriors” who see it as a calling.
FDA Chief Calls For Stricter Scrutiny Of Electronic Health Records
In an interview, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb reacts to a KHN/Fortune investigation of the drawbacks and risks of electronic health records.
Podcast: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’ Surprise! Fixing Surprise Medical Bills Is Harder Than it Looks
Joanne Kenen of Politico, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News and Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss the efforts to curb “surprise” medical bills to patients who inadvertently get out-of-network care; a look at where the 2020 presidential candidates stand on health; and the Trump administration’s efforts to end HIV in the U.S. Also, Rovner interviews Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, who is leaving his job in early April.
Fentanyl-Linked Deaths: The U.S. Opioid Epidemic’s Third Wave
Overdose deaths involving fentanyl are soaring, says a new study from the CDC.
Health Plans For State Employees Use Medicare’s Hammer On Hospital Bills
Some plans are experimenting with the idea of closely tying hospital reimbursement rates to what Medicare pays. The approach could be a game changer in their effort to control health costs.
Confusión costosa: visita de bienestar de Medicare no es lo mismo que el chequeo anual
Es esencial que los adultos mayores sepan la diferencia entre ambas visitas al consultorio y lo que está cubierto, para no recibir cuentas médicas sorpresa.
¿Tiene sentido atrasar las vacunas de los niños?
Muchos pediatras dirán que es mejor un enfoque más gradual de las vacunas que no recibir ninguna, pero ofrecerán algunos consejos difíciles para los padres que lo estén considerando.
Costly Confusion: Medicare’s Wellness Visit Isn’t The Same As An Annual Physical
Medicare doesn’t pay for an annual physical, but it does cover an annual wellness visit focused on preventing disease and disability by coming up with a “personalized prevention plan” for future medical issues. It is important to use the correct term when scheduling a doctor’s visit.
Does It Make Sense To Delay Children’s Vaccines?
The renewed squabble over vaccinations obscures a large group of parents who aren’t anti-vaxxers but spread out their children’s vaccines at a more gradual pace than doctors recommend. Pediatricians warn that could leave small children vulnerable to disease.
Did Your Doctor ‘Ghost’ You? An Employment Contract May Be To Blame
How “noncompete” clauses in contracts between doctors and hospitals or clinics prevent patients from seeing their longtime doctors.
Listen: Reporter Describes Breakdowns In Electronic Medical Records
KHN senior correspondent Fred Schulte describes a KHN-Fortune investigation into the massive push to track and share patient health care records.
Five Things To Know About The Electronic Health Records Mess
The U.S. government claimed that ditching paper medical charts for electronic records would make health care better, safer and cheaper. Ten years and $36 billion later, the digital revolution has gone awry.
Death By 1,000 Clicks: Where Electronic Health Records Went Wrong
The U.S. government claimed that turning American medical charts into electronic records would make health care better, safer and cheaper. Ten years and $36 billion later, the system is an unholy mess. Inside a digital revolution that took a bad turn.
Must-Reads Of The Week From Brianna Labuskes
Newsletter editor Brianna Labuskes wades through hundreds of health articles from the week so you don’t have to.
Podcast: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’ The Karma Of Cutting Medicare
Stephanie Armour of The Wall Street Journal, Alice Ollstein of Politico and Rebecca Adams of CQ Roll Call join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss the suggested cuts to health programs in President Donald Trump’s budget proposal, the latest on lawsuits challenging work requirements for Medicaid enrollees and the FDA’s crackdown on e-cigarettes. Plus, for extra credit, the panelists recommend their favorite health policy stories of the week.