Latest KFF Health News Stories
Lax Oversight Leaves Surgery Center Regulators And Patients In The Dark
A Kaiser Health News and USA Today Network investigation finds that a hodgepodge of state rules governing outpatient centers allow some deaths and serious injuries to go unexamined. And no rule stops a doctor exiled by a hospital for misconduct from opening a surgery center down the street.
Pharmacy-Made Pain Creams Flagged On Fears Of Medicare Fraud And Risk
Inspector general identifies possible problems in nearly 23 percent of pharmacies that bill Medicare for blended creams, gels and lotions.
As An Investor In Biotech Stock, Republican Chris Collins May Have Overshared
Rep. Chris Collins talked one time too many, according to federal prosecutors who on Wednesday charged him with violating insider trading laws.
Medicaid Expansion Making Diabetes Meds More Accessible To Poor, Study Shows
The number of diabetes drug prescriptions filled for low-income people enrolled in Medicaid rose sharply in states that expanded eligibility for the program under the Affordable Care Act, according to a new study.
La otra crisis de Puerto Rico: más de un millón en riesgo por recortes a Medicaid
La isla, que todavía está recuperándose de las tormentas de 2017, sufrirá un nuevo revés sanitario: fuertes recortes a Medicaid pueden impactar en la atención médica de los más vulnerables.
Expansión de Medicaid facilita el acceso de los más pobres a drogas anti diabetes
El estudio revela que las recetas para drogas contra la diabetes aumentaron un 40% en los estados que expandieron Medicaid bajo ACA. También lo hicieron los diagnósticos.
In Weary Post-Storm Puerto Rico, Medicaid Cutbacks Bode New Ills
The island’s government must squeeze $840.2 million in annual savings from Medicaid by 2023, part of the U.S. territory’s agreement with the federal government as Puerto Rico claws its way back from fiscal oblivion. Experts warn such drastic cuts defy actuarial science.
Must-Reads Of The Week From Brianna Labuskes
KHN’s newsletter editor, Brianna Labuskes, wades through hundreds of health articles from the week so you don’t have to.
How Rival Opioid Makers Sought To Cash In On Alarm Over OxyContin’s Dangers
Fentanyl and other painkillers marketed as safer than Purdue Pharma’s blockbuster drug left their own trail of overdose deaths.
To Tame Prescription Prices, HHS Dips A Toe Into Drug Importation Stream
The Trump administration signals it is willing to consider such a move if it is carefully tailored to focus solely on specific situations where a high-priced drug is made by one company.
A muchos universitarios, el hambre no los deja concentrarse en clases
El 50% de los universitarios informan que no comen lo suficiente o están preocupados por su alimentación, según revelan estudios. Programas intentan solucionar este problema del que se habla poco.
For Many College Students, Hunger Can ‘Make It Hard To Focus In Class’
With rising college costs, up to half of college students’ finances are stretched so tight they report that they were either not getting enough to eat or were worried about it, studies find.
Missed Visits, Uncontrolled Pain And Fraud: Report Says Hospice Lacks Oversight
A new government watchdog report outlines vulnerabilities in Medicare’s $17 billion hospice program, pointing to inadequate services, inappropriate billing and outright fraud.
Medicare Reconsiders Paying For Seniors’ Spine Operations At Surgery Centers
After a USA Today Network-Kaiser Health News investigation, Medicare announced last week that it is re-evaluating whether these procedures “pose a significant safety risk” to patients.
Readers And Tweeters: On Seniors Packing Heat And When They Should Pack It In
Kaiser Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
Drug Trade Group Quietly Spends ‘Dark Money’ To Sway Policy And Voters
Grants by top pharma group to lightly regulated, politically active nonprofits dwarf its conventional campaign spending.
Déjà Voodoo: Pharma’s Promises To Curb Drug Prices Have Been Heard Before
Several major drugmakers vow to contain drug prices, but similar pledges since the 1990s have not had much impact.
Can A Community Hospital Stay True To Its Mission After Sale To Large Corporation?
After 130 years as a nonprofit with deep roots in western North Carolina, Mission Health announced in March that it was seeking to be bought by HCA Healthcare, the nation’s largest for-profit hospital chain.
Long Waits To See Doctors In Puerto Rico, Where Medical Needs Are Great Post-Maria
KHN senior correspondent Sarah Varney reports on how the island’s mounting physician shortage is making it even more difficult to get care.
California’s ACA Rates To Rise 8.7% Next Year
The average increase in California is smaller than the double-digit hikes expected around the nation, due largely to a healthier mix of enrollees and more competition in its marketplace. Still, health insurance prices keep growing faster than wages and general inflation.
