Latest KFF Health News Stories
When Wounds Won’t Heal, Therapies Spread — To The Tune Of $5 Billion
The market for wound care products booms among a growing older and diabetic patient pool, but many treatments are untested and funding for research falls short.
Despite Insurers’ Tactical Win On ACA’s Cost-Sharing Payments, Uncertainty Lingers
Court allows state attorneys general to join a pending legal challenge to keep billions in subsidies flowing to consumers and insurers, despite the Trump administration’s resistance.
Anthem’s Retreat Leaves Californians With Fewer Choices, More Worries
The nation’s second-largest insurer is shrinking its presence on Obamacare exchanges and in the broader individual market in response to prevailing uncertainty. California is just the latest — and the biggest — example.
Covered California Expects 12.5% Average Rate Rise In 2018
The figure could be higher if President Trump ends an important consumer subsidy, which he has threatened to do. The exchange also announced that Anthem Blue Cross will pull out of Covered California and the overall individual market in 16 of the 19 regions it currently serves.
Denial, Appeal, Approval … An Adult’s Thorny Path To Spinraza Coverage
The FDA granted approval for Spinraza in late December for use on children and adults with spinal muscular atrophy. Insurance coverage is mostly focused on infants and children.
Drug Puts A $750,000 ‘Price Tag On Life’
The high cost of Spinraza, a new and promising treatment for spinal muscular atrophy, highlights how the cost-benefit analysis insurers use to make drug coverage decisions plays out in human terms.
Even Without Congress, Trump Can Still Cut Medicaid Enrollment
The Trump administration is poised to grant states waivers that some critics say could change the shape of the program.
Sin rechazar el Obamacare, Trump todavía puede desmantelar el Medicaid
Funcionarios de salud del presidente Donald Trump podrían diseñar una inscripción más baja, aprobando solicitudes de varios estados republicanos ansiosos por controlar los presupuestos del Medicaid.
¿Funcionan los seguros de salud basados en la Biblia?
Los ministerios de salud son esencialmente programas de costos compartidos que se aplican a nivel nacional. Para ser miembro hay que tener una mirada de fe sobre la atención médica.
Leap Of Faith: Will Health Care Ministries Cover Your Costs?
Sharing ministries are based on biblical principles and are not the same as commercial insurance. They are not legally binding and may not cover some common medical expenses.
Cómo tener atención médica de largo plazo en el hogar sin caer en bancarrota
La gran mayoría de los adultos mayores reciben atención a largo plazo en sus casas, no en hogares. Pero pocas personas planean con anticipación para enfrentar este gasto.
Seema Verma Runs Medicaid. Her Husband’s Practice Won’t Accept It.
Dr. Sanjay Mishra, the husband of CMS Administrator Seema Verma, is part of a group practice in Indiana that does not accept Medicaid payments.
How To Get Long-Term Care At Home Without Busting The Bank
The majority of older adults receive long-term care at home and need help covering these services with affordable insurance policies. The long-term insurance industry needs to focus on home care.
Rural Californians Want Price Relief From GOP Health Bill, But Unlikely To Get It
In far northern Lassen and Modoc counties, residents say Obamacare premiums are unaffordable. But under the proposed Senate bill, insurance premiums would increase even more.
Price Transparency In Medicine Faces Stiff Opposition — From Hospitals And Doctors
A coalition of health care providers are blocking Ohio’s law requiring health care providers to tell what non-emergency services will cost them.
Follow The Money: Drugmakers Deploy Political Cash As Prices And Anger Mount
Embattled opioid seller Mallinckrodt is one of many pharmaceutical companies boosting political contributions and lobbying on Capitol Hill.
In Appalachia, Two Hospital Giants Seek State-Sanctioned Monopoly
Tennessee and Virginia regulators are considering approval of a merger between Mountain States Health Alliance and Wellmont Health System under their state laws. If they allow it, the Federal Trade Commission would be powerless to stop it.
Trump Plan Might Cut Expenses For Some Insured Patients With Chronic Needs
High-deductible health insurance plans linked to a health savings account cannot cover some care and drug expenses for chronic health conditions until the patient has met a deductible.
Cruz Plan Gets Thumbs Up From HHS But Thumbs Down From Most Everyone Else
During another day of fast-moving developments, Senate Republicans signaled their intent to attempt to bring an updated repeal-and-delay bill to the floor for a vote next week.
Fraud And Billing Mistakes Cost Medicare — And Taxpayers — Tens Of Billions Last Year
At a hearing Wednesday, federal health officials pointed to billing errors, fraud and overcharges that led Medicare to overpay by staggering sums.
