Latest KFF Health News Stories
Readers And Tweeters: No Rush To Judge Patients Who Leave The ER Without OK
Kaiser Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
‘An Arm And A Leg’: Forget The Shakedown. To Get Paid, Hospitals Get Creative.
An unexpected hospital bill can bust the family budget. That leaves lots of people with bills they can’t pay. Turns out, that’s a crisis for hospitals too, and some are getting creative about collecting debt.
Social Security Error Jeopardizes Medicare Coverage For 250,000 Seniors
The problem affects private drug policies and Medicare Advantage plans that provide both medical and drug coverage and substitute for traditional government-run Medicare. It could leave plan members without coverage.
Error del Seguro Social pone en riesgo cobertura de Medicare de 250,000 adultos mayores
El problema abarca a la cobertura de medicamentos recetados (Medicare parte D) y a los beneficiarios que tienen planes médicos de Medicare Advantage.
¿Es legal que cancelen tu cobertura de salud sin previo aviso?
Como le ocurrió a ésta, muchas familias olvidan el pago de una prima y son removidas de sus planes de salud sin recibir un alerta previa o claras notificaciones.
Dropped From Health Insurance Without Warning: Was It Legal?
People who buy insurance on their own may have little notice when something goes amiss. It’s a quirk in health policy at the heart of the next episode of ‘An Arm and a Leg’ podcast.
‘An Arm And A Leg’: Expecting A Baby And Unexpectedly Dropped By Insurer
Health care — and how much it costs — is scary. But you’re not alone with this stuff, and knowledge is power. “An Arm and a Leg” is a podcast about these issues, and its second season is co-produced by KHN.
California Gov. Newsom Proposes Penalty To Fund Health Insurance Subsidies
Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to help an estimated 850,000 Californians pay their health insurance premiums and would fund his plan with a tax penalty on people who don’t have coverage. If he succeeds, California would be the first state to subsidize middle-income people who make too much to qualify for federal financial aid.
The Unexpected Perk Of My Group Pregnancy Care: New Friends
Group prenatal visits are catching on — they save money and reduce the risk of premature births. It turned out to be the best decision one couple made during their pregnancy.
Partera recibe factura de $4,836 por usar gas de la risa en su propio parto
Por lo general, supervisado por enfermeras y administrado con cuidado, el óxido nitroso se factura con una tarifa fija, de $100 a $500 por el acceso a la máquina y al gas.
Not Funny: Midwife Slapped With $4,836 Bill For Laughing Gas During Her Labor
As nitrous oxide makes a comeback for pain relief during childbirth, one medical professional fights back over an overblown charge for using it.
Lawmakers Push To Stop Surprise ER Billing
Millions of Californians are vulnerable to hefty surprise medical bills from their trips to the emergency room. Now, state lawmakers are considering a measure to cap how much out-of-network hospitals can charge privately insured patients for emergency care, which could serve as a model for other states.
UCSF Medical Center Backs Off Plan To Deepen Ties With Dignity Health
The University of California’s flagship San Francisco hospital system cut off negotiations with the Catholic-run health care system in the face of heated opposition from UCSF faculty and staff.
A Final Comfort: ‘Palliative Transport’ Brings Dying Children Home
In a rare but growing practice, some hospitals offer parents the choice to transport their dying children out of the intensive care unit, with life support in tow, so that they can die at home.
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.
Análisis: cambios en el sistema de salud eliminarían 2 millones de empleos, y está bien
Cualquier reforma significativa requeriría una realineación importante del sector de atención médica, que ahora es el mayor empleador en al menos una docena de estados.
Analysis: A Health Care Overhaul Could Kill 2 Million Jobs, And That’s OK
Reform has a cost. But the point of a health care system is to treat patients, not to buttress the economy.
Sen. Alexander Releases Bipartisan Plan To Lower Health Costs, End Surprise Bills
The Republican’s legislation, prepared with Sen. Patty Murray, the ranking Democrat on Alexander’s health committee, would be an ambitious lift because it also deals with prescription drug patents, health transparency and vaccine messaging.
Coming Soon: ‘An Arm And A Leg’ Season Two
Health care — and how much it costs — is scary. But you’re not alone with this stuff, and knowledge is power. “An Arm and a Leg” is a podcast about all these issues, and its second season, co-produced by Kaiser Health News, starts on June 4.
House Hagglers Zero In On Single-Payer And It All Comes Down To Two Little Words
At Wednesday’s House Budget Committee, Congressional Budget Office experts outlined the complexities of implementing an overhaul of America’s health insurance system.
