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Latest KFF Health News Stories

Hospital Honchos Hone New Message In Wake Of Opioid Epidemic: Expect Pain

KFF Health News Original

“We really do have a lot of responsibility and culpability,” says one hospital official who is part of a working group trying to address the opioid epidemic. Patients have to expect more pain after surgery and understand the risk of addiction, says another doctor.

Trump Administration Clears Way To Force Some Medicaid Enrollees To Work

KFF Health News Original

Allowing states to mandate that non-disabled Medicaid enrollees work as a condition for coverage would mark one of the biggest changes to the program since it began more than 50 years ago. A decision on the first of the state requests could come within days.

Facebook Live: It’s 2018, Can Big Pharma Hold The Line Against Pricing Controls?

KFF Health News Original

In this chat, KHN senior correspondent Jay Hancock discusses how drug-pricing battles could play out this year in D.C., state legislatures and beyond. What do we know about the drug industry’s agenda to quiet the drumbeat of cost control and transparency proposals? How will they officials target their efforts? Will the battles take place at the state level? Senior editor Stephanie Stapleton moderates.

A Poor Neighborhood In Chicago Looks To Cuba To Fight Infant Mortality

KFF Health News Original

Infant mortality in some of the poorest ZIP codes in the United States rivals that of countries like war-torn Syria. Cuba, meanwhile, does a good job of keeping babies healthy on a tight budget. A team of Cuban health professionals recently spent time in Chicago helping peers there tackle the daunting problem.

Drug Overdose Deaths Soar Nationally But Plateau In Some Western States

KFF Health News Original

Fatalities are climbing in states that have been flooded by the deadly opioid fentanyl, but are remaining flat — or even falling — in many Western states, where the drug has not yet been as common as other parts of the country.