Cost and Quality

Latest KFF Health News Stories

Viejos moteles cobran nueva vida ayudando a las personas sin hogar a sanar

KFF Health News Original

El uso de moteles deteriorados para cuidar y albergar temporalmente a personas sin hogar recientemente dadas de alta del hospital ayuda a estabilizarlos de manera económica, previniendo retornos innecesarios y costosos a las salas de emergencia y a los hospitales.

Sounds Like A Good Idea? Regulating Drug Prices

KFF Health News Original

Presidential candidates from both parties have proposals they say would help lower the cost of prescription drugs. But most experts say that efforts to regulate prices might not end up saving much money.

If You Want To Spend A Bundle On Your Bundle Of Joy, Go To Northern California

KFF Health News Original

A new study shows that Sacramento and San Francisco are the two most expensive places to give birth among the nation’s 30 largest metropolitan areas. One possible reason: consolidation of hospitals and doctors.

Catastrophic Insurance Could Help With Long-Term Care Expenses: Studies

KFF Health News Original

Urban Institute researchers examine how such a plan could work and whether it would be better to make payments when people first need care or after they have used up much of their own money instead.

Old Motels Get New Life Helping Homeless Heal

KFF Health News Original

Using run-down motels to care for and temporarily house homeless people recently discharged from the hospital helps stabilize them inexpensively, preventing unnecessary and costly returns to ERs and hospitals.

California Drug Price Measure Fiercely Opposed By Pharmaceutical Industry

KFF Health News Original

Proposed legislation would require drugmakers to disclose and justify price hikes. The industry has taken to Facebook and Twitter, warning that the proposal could lead to medication shortages in some regions of the state.

Doctors Wrestle With Mixed Messages When Deciding Whether To Prescribe Painkillers

KFF Health News Original

Though the CDC’s new prescribing guidelines follow a theme of less is more, another federal agency’s patient satisfaction surveys include questions about pain management that some say encourage doctors to prescribe the highly addictive medicines.

Colon Cancer Screening: Five Things To Know

KFF Health News Original

The U.S Preventive Services Task Force recently expanded the list of approved colorectal cancer screening tests. Here’s a primer on these various tests and how they might be covered now and in the future by health insurance.

Saving Lives And Saving Money

KFF Health News Original

A pioneering program in southern California provides ongoing care and housing to homeless people who are “super-utilizers” of hospital emergency rooms. The effort is reducing ER visits and saving a lot of money.