Latest KFF Health News Stories
Medicaid en Puerto Rico no cubre medicamentos que curan la hepatitis C
A pesar que podría haber más de 11,000 casos en la isla, el Medicaid, que tiene un sistema de financiamiento distinto al de los estados, no cubre estos medicamentos.
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.
NO a manejar ebrio: estados imponen alcoholímetros para prevenir muertes
Los alcoholímetros son dispositivos que se colocan en el volante y evitan que el auto arranque si se detecta aliento etílico en el conductor.
When Medicine Makes Patients Sicker
The Food and Drug Administration is supposed to inspect all factories, foreign and domestic, that produce drugs for the U.S. market. But a KHN review of thousands of FDA documents — inspection records, recalls, warning letters and lawsuits — reveals how drugs that are poorly manufactured or contaminated can reach consumers.
No-Go On Drunken Driving: States Deploy Breathalyzers In Cars To Limit Road Deaths
On New Year’s Day, California joined the majority of U.S. states that require people convicted of drunken driving to install ignition-linked breathalyzers in their vehicles. If the devices detect alcohol above a predetermined level, the cars don’t start.
As Hospitals Post Sticker Prices Online, Most Patients Will Remain Befuddled
The new rule took effect Jan. 1 but, for consumers seeking hospital price information, using it to find answers may be like searching for a needle in a haystack.
Medicaid Patients In Puerto Rico Don’t Get Coverage For Drugs To Cure Hepatitis C
The program that provides health care for about half of the U.S. territory’s population cannot afford to cover the drugs.
Demasiado drogado para conducir: estados exploran límites al consumo de marihuana
Al parecer, es mucho más difícil establecer si la persona consumió marihuana, y cuándo lo hizo, que con el consumo de alcohol.
Cómo afecta el cierre del gobierno a los programas de salud
Hay siete proyectos de ley pendientes, con presupuestos sin resolver, que impactan fuerte en iniciativas importantes relacionadas con la salud.
Podcast: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’ Ask Us Anything!
From Medicare dental coverage to drug prices to fetal tissue research, the panelists answer listeners’ questions. Joanne Kenen of Politico, Stephanie Armour of The Wall Street Journal and Paige Winfield Cunningham of The Washington Post join KHN’s Julie Rovner.
Coverage Denied: Medicaid Patients Suffer As Layers Of Private Companies Profit
Managed-care plans, which reap billions in taxpayer dollars to coordinate care for low-income Americans on Medicaid, outsource crucial treatment decisions to subcontractors that aren’t directly accountable to the government. In California, health officials say one firm improperly withheld or delayed care for hundreds of people.
How The Government Shutdown Affects Health Programs
Medicare and Medicaid are fine, but the food safety component of the Food and Drug Administration and bio-threat surveillance done by the Department of Homeland Security are among the public health functions feeling the pinch.
Too High To Drive: States Grapple With Setting Limits On Weed Use Behind Wheel
States that have legalized marijuana are trying to set standards for pot impairment that would help keep the roadways safe. But the science behind it is not clear-cut.
How Sen. Orrin Hatch Changed America’s Health Care
Utah’s Orrin Hatch is leaving the Senate, after 42 years. The Republican led bipartisan efforts to provide health care to more kids and AIDS patients. He also thrived on donations from the drug industry.
En Route To Congress, California Democrats Hit Wall On ‘Medicare-For-All’
California’s incoming congressional delegation will be the largest in the U.S. House of Representatives to support progressive health care policies such as “Medicare-for-all.” But the political reality of a Republican Senate and president means that they will need to pursue ideas that “aren’t pie in the sky.”
Insured But Still In Debt: 5 Jobs Pulling In $100K A Year No Match For Medical Bills
An Arizona couple played by the rules and bought employer-provided health insurance. But after they had a baby this year, their out-of-pocket hospital costs and doctors’ bills climbed to more than $12,000 — and medical debt now threatens their new family.
Hasta un tercio de los reemplazos de rodilla causan dolor… y arrepentimiento
Los 723,000 reemplazos de rodilla realizados en 2014 costaron a pacientes, aseguradoras y contribuyentes más de $40.000 millones. No siempre funcionan.
Up To A Third Of Knee Replacements Pack Pain And Regret
Many patients face lingering pain and disappointment after undergoing knee replacement surgery, which costs an average $31,000. And doctors are increasingly concerned that the procedure is overused and that its benefits have been oversold.
Massachusetts Stroke Patient Receives ‘Outrageous’ $474,725 Medical Flight Bill
After a 34-year-old woman suffered a stroke in Kansas, doctors there arranged for her to be transferred to a Boston hospital, via an Angel MedFlight Learjet. The woman and her father believed the cost of the medical flight would be covered by her private insurance. Then they got the bill.
Refund On The Way To Latest ‘Bill Of The Month’ Patient
Ski buff Sarah Witter will get $6,358.26 back from her hospital and insurer after a careful review of her bill following the KHN-NPR story on her case.