Latest KFF Health News Stories
Nursing Home Disaster Plans Often Faulted As ‘Paper Tigers’
Too often enforcement of rules for dealing with crisis is lax, advocates for nursing home residents say.
Cinco puntos clave del nuevo esfuerzo republicano para derogar ACA
El proyecto de Graham-Cassidy pone de nuevo en la carrera legislativa la meta republicana de eliminar el Obamacare. Los puntos clave que hay que conocer.
As Care Shifts From Hospital To Home, Guarding Against Infection Falls To Families
Despite a lack of medical training, relatives increasingly are assigned complex, risky medical tasks at home, such as maintaining catheters. If done incorrectly, blood clots, infections, even death can result.
Bemoaning Budget Cuts, Navigators Say Feds Don’t Appreciate Scope Of The Job
The Trump administration has dramatically trimmed money for the groups that help people enroll in marketplace plans, but those navigators say federal officials have unrealistic assessments of the tasks involved.
El ultimátum de Trump a los “soñadores” impacta en la industria de la salud
Médicos y académicos consideran que el potencial final del programa de Acción Diferida para los Llegados en la Infancia (DACA) impactaría negativamente en el campo de la salud.
Trump’s Deadline On ‘Dreamers’ Reverberates Through Health Industries
From medical students to home health aides, the loss of DACA could deal a blow to the health care workforce, industry leaders suggest.
Without Price Breaks, Rural Hospitals Struggle To Stock Costly, Lifesaving Drugs
A federal drug program blocks rural hospitals from getting discounts on rare-disease drugs, forcing staff to cut back on supplies of lifesaving medicines.
Expertos elaboran nuevas recomendaciones para la detección del cáncer cervical
Un panel de expertos en prevención dice que las mujeres deberían alternar las pruebas de Papanicolau y VPH, en vez de hacerse las dos a la vez.
This Gift Voucher Might Just Get You A Kidney
A retired California judge came up with the idea of donating his kidney to a stranger now to maximize his grandson’s prospects for such a donation later. The idea caught on.
Prevention Experts Propose Easing Advice On Number Of Cervical Cancer Screenings
A draft recommendation from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force says women between ages 30 and 65 should get a Pap test every three years or an HPV screening every five years, but they don’t need to do both.
Reporter’s Notebook: In Health Care, A Good Price (Or Any Price) Is Hard To Find
Not only are health prices hidden, industry players are contractually obligated to keep them secret. That’s why answering a simple question — how much does it cost to have a baby in Mountain View, Calif.? — became a journalistic quest.
FDA Moves To Guard Against Abuse Of ‘Orphan Drug’ Program
Following a KHN investigation, the Food and Drug Administration has moved to speed up approvals of “orphan drugs” while closing a loophole that allowed drugmakers to skip pediatric testing.
Podcast: ‘What The Health?’ Health Plans Busting Out All Over
In this episode of “What the Health?” Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Joanne Kenen of Politico, Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times and Stephanie Armour of The Wall Street Journal discuss Democratic, Republican and bipartisan health proposals all being pursued in Congress, including the latest version of Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I-Vt.) “Medicare-for-All” proposal. Plus, for “extra credit,” the panelists recommend their favorite health stories of the week.
Postcard From The Hill: Senators Shelve Histrionics In Search Of Obamacare Fix
The Senate health committee is putting aside partisan bickering this month to seek a legislative remedy to a possible spike in Obamacare premiums this fall.
Uninsured Rate Falls To Record Low Of 8.8%
Census Bureau reports that 28.1 million people in the country were without insurance in 2016, down from 29 million the year before.
If You’re Blindsided By Health Plan Changes, Learn The Root Causes — And Your Rights
Insurers can reduce benefits or change cost sharing, but they are generally supposed to tell enrollees about the change beforehand. And although plans must tell patients when they are denied coverage, sometimes treatment is affected for other reasons.
Cuando la demencia acecha a toda la familia
El seguimiento médico de miembros de una familia que portan una mutación genética ha ayudado a entender un poco más sobre una devastadora forma de demencia.
Quiz: How Well Are You Paying Attention?
To strengthen your core knowledge of health care policy, it helps to be a regular reader of Kaiser Health News. Here’s a pop quiz to gauge what you have learned.
A Rare Dementia Gene Runs In The Family, But He’s Fine — So Far
A Washington state man inherited the mutated gene that stole his mother’s mind. He doesn’t have the disease, and doctors don’t know why.
Cuestionan la necesidad de una vacuna contra la meningitis B para universitarios
Expertos dicen que farmacéuticas están apelando al miedo de los padres para promover dos vacunas contra le meningitis B entre estudiantes universitarios, luego de dos brotes en campus.