Latest KFF Health News Stories
Heart Drug Spotlights Troubling Trends In Drug Marketing
Critics worry the marketing of Vascepa, a purified fish oil product, could prove a fish story.
Podcast: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’ Open Enrollment And A Midterm Preview
In this episode of KHN’s “What the Health?” Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News and Joanne Kenen of Politico discuss the start of open enrollment for individual health insurance plans for 2019 and preview what next week’s midterm elections might mean for health policy. Plus, Barbara Feder Ostrov of KHN and California Healthline talks to Julie about the latest NPR-KHN “Bill of the Month” feature.
Billions In ‘Questionable Payments’ Went To California’s Medicaid Insurers And Providers
The money was paid on behalf of more than 400,000 people who may have been ineligible for the public program, a state audit found. One had been dead for four years before payments stopped.
Pricey Precision Medicine Often Financially Toxic For Cancer Patients
Medical treatments targeting the DNA in tumor cells are celebrated, but insurers often won’t cover the skyrocketing cost.
In Search Of Insurance Savings, Consumers Can Get Unwittingly Wedged Into Narrow-Network Plans
Restrictive lists of doctors and hospitals expose people to larger out-of-pocket costs, but trend appears to be slowing.
Trump Rollback Of Disability Rules Can Make Doctor’s Visits Painstaking
Standards have been proposed to address what are often viewed as disparities in treatment, but the Trump administration has declined to enforce them.
In Swing Districts, Republicans May Pay For Having Tried To Reverse The Health Law
Though Rep. Tom MacArthur (R-N.J.) counts himself a moderate, many of his voters heading to the polls are furious about how he aided his party’s efforts to dismantle Obamacare.
Impulso republicano por restringir la migración olvida la necesidad de médicos
Según la Asociación Médica Americana, el 18% de los médicos practicantes y los residentes en el país son nacidos en el extranjero.
Republicans’ Drive To Tighten Immigration Overlooks Need For Doctors
Many areas in the U.S. depend on foreign doctors, but bitter political arguments over immigration have sown concerns about limited opportunities for these physicians.
With One Hand, Administration Boosts ACA Marketplaces, Weakens Them With Another
The Trump administration gives states more flexibility to get around the health law’s requirements for insurance plans. But at the same time it wants employers to move millions of workers to the insurance exchanges.
GOP’s Latest Campaign Punch On Health Care Relies On Classic Hook: Medicare
Republicans seek to turn the tables on charges that they are undermining preexisting conditions, so they’re hammering the plans championed by some Democrats to expand Medicare.
Dialysis Giant DaVita Defends Itself In Court And At The Polls
Although dialysis provider DaVita Inc. has taken major financial hits this year, including a $383.5 million jury award in response to wrongful death lawsuits, it still rakes in profits. The company faces its biggest threat next month, when California voters weigh in on a ballot initiative that could force it to leave the state.
That’s A Lot Of Scratch: The $48,329 Allergy Test
A California college professor never imagined that trying to figure out what was causing her rash could add up to such a huge bill.
In California, Novel Initiatives Test Cities’ Power — And Will — To Tame Health Costs
Union-backed initiatives in Palo Alto and Livermore, Calif., aim to cap charges by hospitals and doctors, seeking to build on national furor over rising medical bills. The measures arise in health care markets that are among the most expensive in the nation.
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.
Trump Adds A Global Pricing Plan To Wide Attack On Drug Prices, But Doubts Persist
Over the past five months, the Trump administration has proposed a series of reforms to lower the cost of prescription drugs.
Readers And Tweeters: Are Millennials Killing The Primary Care Doctor?
Kaiser Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
Gun Store Owner Marshals Voters To Expand Medicaid In Idaho
Idaho is one of four conservative states where voters next month will determine whether to buck the GOP’s resistance to the Affordable Care Act and implement or renew its expansion of Medicaid to adults.
Podcast: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’ Trump, GOP Fight Back On Health Care
In this episode of KHN’s “What the Health?” Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Kimberly Leonard of the Washington Examiner and Alice Ollstein of Politico discuss a flurry of proposals from the Trump administration on prices Medicare pays for drugs and the Affordable Care Act.
In Days Of Data Galore, Patients Have Trouble Getting Own Medical Records
Federal law guarantees that people have the right to see and obtain a copy of their medical records. But, hospitals, doctors, pharmacies and insurance companies often erect obstacles.