Latest KFF Health News Stories
Experts Say Stepped-Up Monitoring Is Crucial As Zika’s Threat Lasts Beyond A Baby’s Birth
A Brazilian case report indicates the virus may cause brain impairment after a child is born, increasing the need for tracking the development of children who may have been exposed.
EpiPen Controversy Fuels Concerns Over Generic Drug Approval Backlog
Four years after a huge push to speed generics to market, the FDA has more than 4,000 generics waiting for approval.
Under a new state law, California consumers could get money back if they were charged out-of-network prices after going to a medical provider who was listed in their health plan’s network.
Gaps In Care Persist During Transition From Hospital To Home
A partnership between San Diego County and four health systems seeks to bridge the longstanding gap between hospitals and social services.
Attending To The ‘Human Element’ Is Key To Keeping Patients Healthy
Research to be published in full this fall details how medicine’s “implicit bias” — whether real or perceived — undermines the doctor-patient relationship and the well-being of racial and ethnic minorities as well as lower-income patients.
‘Simple Choice Plans’ To Debut In 2017 Marketplace Enrollment
The standardized policy options would provide a way for consumers to make apples-to-apples comparisons.
Drop In Teen Pregnancies Is Due To More Contraceptives, Not Less Sex
Sexually active teenagers are more likely to use birth control and are choosing forms that are more effective, a study finds. Births to teens dropped by 36 percent from 2007 to 2013.
Burwell Says HHS Trying To Bring More Insurers Into Marketplaces
The administration is working to maintain competition on the health law exchanges to help keep premium prices lower.
What Happens When A Living Kidney Donor Needs A Transplant?
A new study examines how well efforts are working that prioritize the needs of these patients if they end up needing a kidney transplant of their own.
Taxpayers Foot 70 Percent Of California’s Health Care Tab, Study Finds
The public spending on health care outpaces the nation.
How To Fight For Yourself At The Hospital — And Avoid Readmission
This new column explains what older adults and their families can do to avoid hospital readmission.
Trans And Adopted: Exploring Teen Identity
A Boston health clinic that treats transgender kids and teens finds that the percentage of its young patients who are adopted is higher than expected. These kids might need extra support, doctors say.
Mylan’s Generic EpiPen — A Price Break Or Marketing Maneuver?
As news that Mylan will make available a generic version of its own brand-name product, KHN answers key questions about how this development could affect consumers.
Baltimore Draws 10-Year Blueprint To Cut Racial Health Disparities
Officials aim to bring elevated rates of lead poisoning, heart disease, obesity, smoking and overdoses among Baltimore’s African-Americans closer to those of whites.
Cardiac Rehab Improves Health, But Cost And Access Issues Complicate Success
Research shows exercise-based cardiac rehab programs help heart patients heal faster and live longer. But fewer than a third take part. Time and cost are the main barriers, doctors and patients say.
Did It Hurt Or Help? Researchers Analyze Ohio’s 2011 Abortion Law
A new study finds that women may have suffered more complications and needed more follow-up care as a result of the law. The law’s advocates question the findings.
‘America’s Other Drug Problem’: Copious Prescriptions For Hospitalized Elderly
Older people are often given a huge number of medications, and many of them are unnecessary or even harmful.
Patients, Fearing Pricey Follow-Ups, May Shy Away From Some Colon Cancer Tests
Most screening tests for colon cancer are covered by insurance but if they come back positive, they may require a diagnostic colonoscopy and that may not be covered completely by insurance.
A Young Woman Dies, A Teen Is Saved After Amoebas Infect The Brain
In Florida, perfect timing and alert medical staff saved a teen from almost certain death. But in North Carolina, one young woman died of an amoeba infection after rafting at a popular tourist site.
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT: Hospital Surprise: Medicare’s Observation Care
You’re in a hospital and think you’re admitted. Maybe not. Many Medicare beneficiaries are surprised to learn that even after spending a couple of days, they are receiving observation care, which Medicare considers an outpatient service, so the seniors’ costs can be more than expected.