Latest KFF Health News Stories
People In Recovery Worry GOP Medicaid Cuts Would Put Treatment Out Of Reach
In Pennsylvania alone, 124,000 people received drug or alcohol addiction treatment through Medicaid. Republicans in Congress want to cut Medicaid by as much as $800 billion over the next decade, leaving people in recovery wondering what will happen to their treatment.
AARP: States Lag In Keeping Medicaid Enrollees Out Of Nursing Homes
States are not doing enough to help elderly and disabled Medicaid enrollees receive services in homes and community locations instead of in nursing homes, where care is more expensive, AARP report says.
Zika en América: la saga de una mamá hispana
Lo primero que hizo María Ríos cuando nació su beba es chequear el tamaño de su cabeza. Fue entonces cuando supo que sus miedos se habían hecho realidad: la niña había nacido con microcefalia, una consecuencia del zika.
Out Of Work And Looking For Insurance: COBRA May Be The Best Bet For Now
With lots of questions about the 2018 insurance market still in play, someone who is between jobs might want to stick with their job-based insurance at least until the outlines of the health law’s marketplaces are clear in the fall.
Zika In America: One Mother’s Saga
So far, 72 affected babies have been born in the continental U.S. One young mother, infected in Mexico last year, and her infant face an uncertain future in rural Washington.
“¿Cuánto tiempo me queda, doctor?” Por qué muchos pacientes con cáncer no obtienen respuestas
Muchas veces los pacientes con cáncer no reciben respuestas adecuadas a preguntas críticas, entre ellas, la más crucial y universal de todas.
In Texas, Abstinence-Only Programs May Contribute To Teen Pregnancies
Across the U.S., the number of teenagers having babies has hit a record low — it’s down to about 1 out of every 45 young women. That trend hasn’t extended to certain parts of Texas, however, where the teen birth rate is still nearly twice the national average.
Medical Responses To Opioid Addiction Vary By State, Analysis Finds
The study also found that the largest percentage of medical coverage claims related to opioid abuse and dependence nationally come from older patients — those ages 51 to 60.
‘How Long Have I Got, Doc?’ Why Many Cancer Patients Don’t Have Answers
Due to poor doctor-patient communication, most people with advanced cancer don’t know enough about their disease to make vital decisions.
California’s Aid-In-Dying Law Turns 1, But Not All Doctors Have Adopted It
At least 500 terminally ill Californians have asked for the medicine that allows them to end their lives, and nearly 500 health organizations have signed on to help.
Quantity Over Quality? Minorities Shown To Get An Excess Of Ineffective Care
The researchers looked at 11 services that medical groups have said are often unnecessary and found that Hispanics and blacks got them at higher rates than whites.
As Insurance Options Shrink, Families Are ‘Holding Our Breath’
One of two insurers in this tiny state has announced it will not be back in the marketplaces next year, leaving customers concerned about the prices they will pay.
Capitol Hill Dems, HHS Secretary Price Trade Jabs On HHS Budget
Tom Price defends proposed spending reductions in Medicaid and other HHS programs while demurring on questions about cost-sharing subsidies for the 2018 Obamacare marketplace.
If Insurance Market Crashes, Can Lawmakers Put The Pieces Back Together?
Actions by the Trump administration are putting pressure on the fragile market for individuals who buy their own coverage, but analysts say it should be able to rebound.
Protected But Priced Out: Patients Worry About Health Law’s Future In Arizona
Corinne Bobbie has a love-hate relationship with the Affordable Care Act. As the GOP tries to repeal the law, the experiences and fears of voters like Bobbie could determine a politician’s fate.
Former Pharma Reps’ New Mission: To School Docs On High Drug Costs
One insurer is turning the tables on drugmakers with what may be a new job category: a sales force for cost-effective medicine.
Daylight On Diabetes Drugs: Nevada Bill Would Track Insulin Makers’ Profits
With the cost of medications up 300 percent in the past decade, supporters see this as a first step to rein in prices.
‘My Life Is Very Full’: People With Disabilities Worry About GOP Medicaid Cuts
The Obamacare replacement bill passed by House Republicans would cut Medicaid by $834 billion over a decade. That has people with disabilities scared that services that allow them to live independently, such as job training and transportation, will disappear.
When An Insurer Balks And Treatment Stops
A 22-year old man from Orange County, Calif., alleges in a lawsuit that his health insurer stopped paying for a crucial — and expensive — immunotherapy drug, leading him to become seriously ill. Treatments for patients with similar conditions are increasingly denied or interrupted, experts and patient advocates say.
GOP Medicaid Cuts Hit Rural America Hardest, Report Finds
Medicaid covers more children and adults in rural counties and small towns than in urban areas and rural America would be affected most by changes in Medicaid.