Latest KFF Health News Stories
To Grow Market Share, A Drugmaker Pitches Its Product To Judges
Some drug courts offer participants a full range of evidence-based treatment, including medication-assisted treatment. Others don’t allow addiction medications at all. And some permit just one: Vivitrol.
Florida Law Will Let Patients Get All Their Drug Renewals At The Same Time
The new law will help people with chronic conditions that require multiple prescriptions cut down on their shuttles to the drug store and could improve adherence to their drugs.
Under Trump, Hospitals Face Same Penalties Embraced By Obama
Federal records show that 2,573 hospitals around the country will have their Medicare payments reduced because they have too many patients readmitted.
Cuando las heridas no sanan, las terapias pueden costar hasta $5 mil millones
Cerca de 6,5 millones de personas en el país tienen heridas que tardan meses, y hasta años en sanar… si llegan a curarse. El costo, económico y psicológico, de estos padecimientos es astronómico.
EMS Delays In Rural Areas Leave First-Aid Gap For Bystanders To Fill
Response times for emergency medical service units are about twice as long in rural areas as in urban areas, researchers say, underscoring the need for trained lay people to provide first aid until professional help arrives.
When Wounds Won’t Heal, Therapies Spread — To The Tune Of $5 Billion
The market for wound care products booms among a growing older and diabetic patient pool, but many treatments are untested and funding for research falls short.
Despite Insurers’ Tactical Win On ACA’s Cost-Sharing Payments, Uncertainty Lingers
Court allows state attorneys general to join a pending legal challenge to keep billions in subsidies flowing to consumers and insurers, despite the Trump administration’s resistance.
Anthem’s Retreat Leaves Californians With Fewer Choices, More Worries
The nation’s second-largest insurer is shrinking its presence on Obamacare exchanges and in the broader individual market in response to prevailing uncertainty. California is just the latest — and the biggest — example.
Covered California Expects 12.5% Average Rate Rise In 2018
The figure could be higher if President Trump ends an important consumer subsidy, which he has threatened to do. The exchange also announced that Anthem Blue Cross will pull out of Covered California and the overall individual market in 16 of the 19 regions it currently serves.
Denial, Appeal, Approval … An Adult’s Thorny Path To Spinraza Coverage
The FDA granted approval for Spinraza in late December for use on children and adults with spinal muscular atrophy. Insurance coverage is mostly focused on infants and children.
Drug Puts A $750,000 ‘Price Tag On Life’
The high cost of Spinraza, a new and promising treatment for spinal muscular atrophy, highlights how the cost-benefit analysis insurers use to make drug coverage decisions plays out in human terms.
¿Por qué las personas no hacen planes para el final de la vida?
Aunque se han promovido directrices anticipadas durante casi 50 años, sólo un tercio de los adultos estadounidenses las prepara, revela un estudio reciente.
Podcast: ‘What The Health?’ Now What?
In this episode of “What the Health?” Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Joanne Kenen of Politico, Sarah Kliff of Vox.com, and Mary Agnes Carey of Kaiser Health News discuss what happens now in the wake of the apparent demise of the Republican-only repeal and replace efforts for the Affordable Care Act.
In Strong-Arm Tactic, Trump Puts Congressional Health Benefits Into Play
By taking aim at the subsidies received by some congressional staff members who, under the Affordable Care Act, are mandated to get their health coverage from the Obamacare exchanges, the president reignited an old fight.
Many Still Sidestep End-Of-Life Care Planning, Study Finds
Only about a third of U.S. adults have advance directives in place to guide the care they receive in the event that they are unable to make their own decisions about life-sustaining medical treatments.
Counting On Medicaid To Avoid Life In A Nursing Home? That’s Now Up To Congress.
Tighter Medicaid budgets could jeopardize states’ home-based services that help older adults and disabled people live in their homes instead of more expensive nursing homes.
Even Without Congress, Trump Can Still Cut Medicaid Enrollment
The Trump administration is poised to grant states waivers that some critics say could change the shape of the program.
Podcast: What The Health? What A Week!
In this episode of “What the Health?” Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Joanne Kenen of Politico, Sarah Kliff of Vox.com, and Mary Agnes Carey of Kaiser Health News deconstruct the drama leading to the middle-of-the-night collapse of Senate Republicans’ last-ditch effort to overhaul the Affordable Care Act.
Cronología: las experiencias cercanas a la muerte del Obamacare
Nunca una norma sufrió tantos intentos de homicidio como la Ley de Cuidado de Salud Asequible. Los republicanos han tratado de derogarla por años, pero hasta ahora, sigue vigente.
Analysis: GOP Failure To Replace The Health Law Was Years In The Making
As postmortems mount regarding the collapse of the Senate Republican health plan, it’s clear how complex political and policy issues worked against the replacement effort.