Latest KFF Health News Stories
KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: Spooky Stuff
If it’s Halloween, that means open enrollment for plans on the Affordable Care Act exchanges is right around the corner. Prices are down this year, but the future of the health law remains in doubt due to a lawsuit seeking to have the entire measure thrown out. This week, Stephanie Armour of The Wall Street Journal, Mary Agnes Carey of Kaiser Health News and Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, the panelists read the top entries in KHN’s Halloween Health Haiku Contest.
Grief Grew Into A Mental Health Crisis And A $21,634 Hospital Bill
She spent five days in the hospital undergoing psychiatric care. The bill she got is about the same price as a new Honda Civic.
Hospitals Take Shot At Opioid Makers Over Cost Of Treating Uninsured For Addiction
A few hundred hospitals have banded together to sue drugmakers in state courts, but far more are staying on the sidelines to avoid ‘unflattering attention’ about their role in the opioid crisis.
Moved Overseas For School, Stayed For Insulin
Katie West, an American health researcher who has lived in Germany the past three years, hasn’t mastered the language and misses her family. But not having to worry about the cost of her lifesaving medication makes it OK.
Snooze You Can Use: California Legislates More Sleep For Better Health
Other states may follow California’s new law requiring later start times for middle and high school students. The new law highlights the importance of better sleep, which will once again be on people’s minds as most of America — but not all — sets the clock back an hour early next month.
Must-Reads Of The Week From Brianna Labuskes
Newsletter editor Brianna Labuskes wades through hundreds of health care policy stories each week, so you don’t have to.
KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: All About Medicaid
Medicare’s sister program actually covers more people than Medicare. It’s complex and sometimes confusing, but Medicaid is critical to states, health care providers and the more than 70 million people it serves. In this episode of KHN’s “What the Health?” host Julie Rovner interviews Diane Rowland, formerly EVP and Executive Director of the Medicaid Program at the Kaiser Family Foundation and one of the nation’s top Medicaid experts. Then Rovner, Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Tami Luhby of CNN and Joanne Kenen of Politico discuss some of the current debates surrounding Medicaid and its future.
Compression Garments Can Ease Lymphedema. Covering Costs? Not So Easy.
Private insurance plans vary in coverage for compression garments, and some fall short of meeting patients’ needs. Although Medicaid programs cover some of these expenses, Medicare does not.
Monstruoso marketing de millones de dólares impulsa el uso de mamografías 3D
La investigación de KHN muestra que el dinero de la industria ha delineado políticas, a la opinión pública y a la atención al paciente en torno a las pruebas 3D.
A Million-Dollar Marketing Juggernaut Pushes 3D Mammograms
Companies are aggressively touting 3D mammograms, although there’s no evidence they save lives.
For Boomers Reframing Aging, Age-Proofing A Home Won’t Come Cheap
More baby boomers look forward to aging in place — in their homes, rather than in a care facility. But the costs of retrofitting a house is likely prohibitive for many Americans.
In Hamburg, ‘Gesundheit’ Means More Than A Wish For Good Health
Even with Germany’s generous universal coverage, sizable health disparities persist between Hamburg’s wealthier and poorer neighborhoods. Two health centers are among those trying to close the gaps.
Sen. Grassley Questions UVA Health On Findings From KHN Investigation
A letter from the Senate Finance Committee chairman questions the University of Virginia Health System about its financial assistance policies, billing practices and prices.
Surprise Settlement In Sutter Health Antitrust Case
Sutter Health has reached a tentative settlement in an antitrust suit brought by the California Attorney General’s Office. Details have not been made public.
Warren Trots Out Her Own Harvard Law Research
Warren’s claim on health insurance and bankruptcy is narrow enough to hold up.
Biden Gets Too Specific On ‘Medicare For All’ Tax Hikes
It comes down to questionable methodology.
Health Care Stayed Front And Center At Democratic Debate
The topic, which polls show is top of mind among voters, kept returning throughout the fourth debate of Democratic presidential candidates.
Patients Eligible For Charity Care Instead Get Big Bills
Nonprofit hospitals admit they sent $2.7 billion in bills over the course of a year to patients who probably qualified for free or discounted care.
California’s New Transparency Law Reveals Steep Rise In Wholesale Drug Prices
Pharmaceutical companies raised the wholesale cost of their drugs by a median of nearly 26% from 2017 to early 2019, according to California’s first-ever report stemming from a new drug price transparency law. Prices for generic drugs rose nearly 38% during that time.
Age-Old Health Care Debate Shifts From Insuring More People To Cutting Costs
U.S. political parties for years have argued about the role of government in providing health care and expanding coverage to more people. But as the cost of medical services continues to grow faster than most Americans’ incomes, even people with private insurance coverage are finding the cost of care becoming unaffordable, KHN’s Julie Rovner writes in a new article in BMJ.
