Latest KFF Health News Stories
Mining A New Data Set To Pinpoint Critical Staffing Issues In Skilled Nursing Facilities
Low staffing is a root cause of many injuries in nursing homes. Kaiser Health News senior correspondent Jordan Rau explains how he connected the dots between manpower and risk at facilities nationwide, using a federal tool known as the Payroll-Based Journal.
Readers And Tweeters: On Seniors Packing Heat And When They Should Pack It In
Kaiser Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
1,400 Nursing Homes Get Lower Medicare Ratings Because Of Staffing Concerns
Medicare said those homes either lacked a registered nurse for “a high number of days” over three months, provided data the government couldn’t verify or didn’t supply their payroll data at all.
Drug Trade Group Quietly Spends ‘Dark Money’ To Sway Policy And Voters
Grants by top pharma group to lightly regulated, politically active nonprofits dwarf its conventional campaign spending.
Must-Reads Of The Week From Brianna Labuskes
KHN’s newsletter editor, Brianna Labuskes, wades through hundreds of health articles from the week so you don’t have to.
Community Frets As Buyer For Cherished Rural Hospital Slips From View
Some residents of remote Surprise Valley in Northern California fear their hospital will close like so many others around the country, as hope wanes for financial support from a Denver entrepreneur. The businessman, Beau Gertz, had planned to raise money through lab billing for faraway patients.
Podcast: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’ Congress And Health Care. Again.
In this episode of KHN’s “What the Health?” Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Alice Ollstein of Talking Points Memo and Kimberly Leonard of the Washington Examiner talk about the new push on health legislation by Republicans in the House, as well as developments on Medicaid work requirements, drug prices and the fate of children separated from their parents at the U.S.-Mexican border. Plus, for extra credit, the panelists offer their favorite health stories of the week.
A Transgender Woman’s Quest For Surgery Caught In Political Crosswinds
Dramatic policy swings, from an unprecedented expansion of transgender rights under the Obama administration to the unpredictable reduction of trans rights under President Donald Trump, have left many trans Americans feeling the whiplash.
A Transgender Woman’s ‘Bait-And-Switch’ $92,000 Surgery Bill
After being promised a significant discount for paying cash upfront and forgoing insurance, a Wisconsin patient gets caught in the middle between hospital and insurer — and feels snookered by a last-minute surprise and billing snafu.
¿Qué tan pronto conviene saber si tienes Alzheimer?
José Belardo fue diagnosticado con Alzheimer precoz a los 50 años. Siempre memorioso, el contraalmirante retirado olvidó por dos años consecutivos su aniversario de bodas. Fue cuando la familia se dio cuenta que algo estaba pasando.
Top Trump Health Official Takes Swipes At ACA, Single-Payer In Enemy Territory
After a San Francisco speech focused mostly on Medicare, Seema Verma fielded questions that underscored the administration’s differences with California on other key health care issues.
How Soon Is Soon Enough To Learn You Have Alzheimer’s?
Only about half of people with Alzheimer’s symptoms get a diagnosis, partly out of fear of an incurable decline, doctors suspect. But Jose Belardo says facing the future allows him to plan for it.
No Gaps In Understanding: Here’s Your Primer On Medigap Coverage
Seniors often don’t realize that private insurers are required to offer Medigap policies, or supplemental insurance, only when people first sign up for Medicare.
¿Llegó el momento de la colonoscopía? Asegúrate que el instrumental esté esterilizado
Las infecciones por duodenoscopios contaminados pueden ser fatales. Qué hacer para ayudar a garantizar que el instrumental médico esté esterilizado.
Resurge polémica por popular maniobra para salvar a alguien que se está ahogando
El hijo y la hija del doctor Henry Heimlich, fallecido en 2016, están lanzando una campaña sobre la popular maniobra luego de una controversia de décadas.
How To Save A Choking Senator: Heimlich Heirs, Red Cross Disagree On Technique
The Red Cross and some other organizations suggest that first aid for choking begin with five slaps on the back. The family of Dr. Henry Heimlich, who developed the abdominal thrusts to dislodge objects that prevent breathing, is launching a campaign to demand proof of why back slaps should come first.
Déjà Voodoo: Pharma’s Promises To Curb Drug Prices Have Been Heard Before
Several major drugmakers vow to contain drug prices, but similar pledges since the 1990s have not had much impact.
Time For That Colonoscopy? Probe Your Doc First On How The Scopes Are Cleaned
Millions of Americans undergo procedures each year requiring medical scopes, but there’s growing concern about the risk of infection from dirty devices. Be prepared to ask questions — and bail if you’re not satisfied with the answers.
Purdue Pharma Edits Public Service Ad In Washington Post
Did OxyContin maker admit opioids can be dangerous even when patients take them as prescribed — then walk it back?
Perfiles a la venta: cómo pequeños datos pueden armar una valiosa imagen de tu salud
Las compañías de recopilación de datos pueden espiar tus hábitos de consumo y vender esa información a farmacéuticas y aseguradoras.