Latest KFF Health News Stories
For Substance Abusers, Recovery-Oriented Care May Show The Way To A Productive Life
Advocates emphasize peer support and community reintegration for people with behavioral health problems.
Prison helped Richie Tannerhill overcome substance abuse, but that was just the beginning of rebuilding his life.
A Doctor Yearns For A Return To The Time When Physicians Were ‘Artisans’
Dr. Abraham Nussbaum, author of a new book examining the drive toward quality metrics such as checklists, says he fears medicine could become just another job and not a “calling.”
Doctors’ House Calls Saving Money For Medicare
A pilot project in which doctors provide primary care at home for very frail Medicare beneficiaries saved $25 million in 2014, and nine of the 14 practices participating earned bonuses totaling nearly $12 million.
A Tender Steak Could Be A Little Dangerous
A new label for mechanically tenderized beef helps consumers avoid foodborne illness.
People With HIV Are Less Likely To Get Cancer Treatment
New research finds that patients infected with the virus that causes AIDS are less likely to get treatment for nine common cancers than are people who don’t have HIV.
Study Of Birth Defects, Folic Acid In Foods Finds More Questions Than Answers
But the authors caution against concluding that folic acid is ineffective.
Georgia Women Weigh Zika Risks As Mosquito Season Arrives
The CDC is advising pregnant women, especially in the South, to take some precautions to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes that could carry the Zika virus. So far, Zika cases in Georgia are linked to travel, not bites.
Rushing To Move Excluded Immigrants Into Obamacare — Before Obama Exits
In California, backers of a plan to allow adults living in the country illegally to buy coverage on the state’s exchange hurry to get federal approval — fearing opposition or inaction under a new administration.
Inspectors Find Calif. Hospital’s Pharmacy Posed Infection Risk
Thousands of patients at the San Diego-area hospital may have been exposed to infection last year because of unsanitary conditions in the compounding lab where IVs were mixed, officials found.
Critics Of Medicare’s Overall Hospital Star Rating Push For Changes
Federal officials delayed the release of the ratings after the hospital industry and members of Congress objected to the formula, saying it worked against hospitals that take the patients that are the toughest to treat.
New York Aims To Become The Next State To Toss The Tampon Tax
Five states have already eliminated sales tax on feminine products, and New York City is also trying to make the products available for free in schools.
Three Firms Vie To Run CalPERS’ Drug Benefits
UnitedHealth’s OptumRx is the lowest bidder and wins a key endorsement ahead of final vote by California’s public retirement system.
Final EEOC Rule Sets Limits For Financial Incentives On Wellness Programs
The federal agency says the wellness programs can get health details about workers and their spouses as long as the financial rewards or penalties do not exceed 30 percent of the cost for an individual in the company’s group health plan.
Insurers Quitting Health Law Exchanges May Still Sell Plans To Individuals
KHN’s consumer columnist answers readers’ questions including whether recent announcements about plans pulling out of the health law’s exchanges could affect the access to coverage for consumers who don’t use those exchanges.
Supreme Court Sends Health Law Birth Control Case Back To Lower Courts
Justices give lower courts more instructions for trying to get all parties to reach an accommodation.
Fix For VA Health Snarls Veterans And Doctors In New Bureaucracy
A program that was supposed to help veterans see doctors closer to home more quickly is not fulfilling its promise.
Five Health Issues Presidential Candidates Aren’t Talking About — But Should Be
The U.S. faces a variety of serious concerns beyond just the future of the federal health law.
Health Coverage Rates For Lower Income Children Improving
Although Medicaid and CHIP were already helping many children get insurance, the implementation of the health law has improved coverage.
‘Walking Wounded’ Share Jarring Stories For No-Smoking Campaign
But reaching Spanish speakers might take some extra effort.