Latest KFF Health News Stories
When Nursing Homes Push Out Poor And Disabled Patients
Complaints are rising in California and other states about improper evictions and discharges. Advocates say some patients end up in cheap hotels, homeless or back in the hospital.
Doing More Harm Than Good? Epidemic of Screening Burdens Nation’s Older Patients
Patients are often aggressively screened for cancer, even if they won’t live long enough to benefit.
Drug Industry Spent Millions To Squelch Talk About High Drug Prices
Last year, the pharma industry’ biggest trade group raised millions to change the conversation about drug pricing.
No Sweeteners Added To Tax Bill To Spread Use Of Health Savings Accounts
These accounts are exempt from taxes and linked to high-deductible health plans. Republicans tried last summer in their unsuccessful efforts to replace the health law to make the accounts more enticing for consumers, but they didn’t make those changes in the current tax bill.
Not-So-Happy New Year: Alabama Set To Toss Kids Off Insurance Plan Starting Jan. 1
Funding for the joint federal-state Children’s Health Insurance Program expired Oct. 1, and Congress has not yet agreed to a plan to continue the popular coverage.
Canada’s Single-Payer Health System: What Is True? What Is False?
It’s a regular part of the politically charged debate over health care. But the lines sometimes blur between rhetoric and how Canada’s system actually works.
Mirando al norte: ¿puede un sistema de seguro universal funcionar en EE.UU.?
El senador independiente por Vermont, Bernie Sanders, es un promotor de este sistema de pagador único, que ha desarrollado Canadá.
Looking North: Can A Single-Payer Health System Work In The U.S.?
American single-payer advocates want to emulate Canada’s system. But many Canadian experts say the U.S. first needs to address some basic questions.
Podcast: ‘What The Health?’ Farewell, Individual Mandate
In this episode of “What the Health?” Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Joanne Kenen of Politico, Alice Ollstein of Talking Points Memo and Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times discuss health issues in the emerging tax bill, including the likely repeal of fines for those who fail to obtain health insurance. They also talk about the end of “open enrollment” for 2018 individual health insurance coverage.
Medicare Fails To Recover Hundreds Of Millions Of Dollars In Lab Overcharges
Genetic testing firms declare bankruptcy and wipe out debt to the federal government.
Good Deals For Some, Sticker Shock For Others As ACA Enrollment Winds Down
In Tennessee, an Obamacare consumer saw her rate go from $750 to just $5 a month. But a man in Maryland had to buy a less comprehensive plan to keep his costs under $1,000 a month. Income and geography determine prices for health insurance in the fifth year of Affordable Care Act coverage.
Listen: Collins Plays Let’s Make A Deal On ACA Mandate Repeal
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) says she will vote for the GOP tax bill even though it repeals the ACA’s mandate that everyone buy insurance. She’s gotten trade offs that she says will stabilize the market, but not everyone agrees they will offset the damage of losing the mandate.
Los buenos amigos podrían ayudar a mantener un cerebro sano al envejecer
Nuevos estudios revelan que las relaciones positivas pueden ayudar a que no se deterioren las funciones cognitivas.
Telemedicine For Addiction Treatment? Picture Remains Fuzzy
One Indiana addiction specialist doesn’t shy away from telemedicine, but he still requires in-person visits to begin and maintain his patients’ Suboxone prescriptions.
Good Friends Might Be Your Best Brain Booster As You Age
SuperAgers, men and women over age 80 with extraordinary memories, share a commitment to sustaining friendships.
El miedo compromete la salud y el bienestar de las familias inmigrantes
El clima político en derredor de la inmigración ha generado más estrés y temor en las familias que temen ser separadas por la deportación.
Fear Compromises The Health, Well-Being Of Immigrant Families, Report Finds
Interviews with immigrants from 15 countries and pediatricians in eight states reveal that fear of deportation is putting parents and children under heightened stress, impeding daily activities and jeopardizing long-term health.
Consumers Who Froze Their Credit Reports Could Hit A Glitch Enrolling In Insurance
The federal marketplace generally uses credit reports to help verify identities, but that doesn’t work if consumers have put a security freeze on them — as some did after the Equifax breach this year. Workarounds for this issue exist, but they make the process more time-consuming.
Why Do People Hate Obamacare, Anyway?
It’s not just ideology; a lot of people don’t understand what the law does or how it works.
These Annual Checkups Help Seniors Not Only Survive But Thrive
Seniors are living longer and defying predictions of cognitive and functional decline. Wellness coaches guide them in setting goals for the year — whether physical, social, intellectual or spiritual.