Latest KFF Health News Stories
State, L.A. Near Deal To Boost Nursing Home Inspections
Supervisors are slated to vote Tuesday on a contract that would provide nearly $15M in additional state funds to hire 70 more staffers.
California Caps What Patients Pay For Pricey Drugs. Will Other States Follow?
Beginning in 2016, most Covered California customers will not have to pay more than $150 or $250 per prescription, per month. The price caps are a response to very expensive new drugs used to treat hepatitis and other serious illnesses.
When Does Workplace Wellness Become Coercive?
Employer, consumer groups are critical of the administration’s effort to answer that question.
Medicare Slow To Adopt Telemedicine Due To Cost Concerns
Less than 1 percent of beneficiaries use the technology because Congress has put tight restrictions on it.
Beware: Your Insurer May Define A Health Emergency Differently Than You Do
Once stabilized, you must transfer to an in-network hospital or you may be responsible for the entire cost of your care.
How Not To Find Out Your Health Plan Lacks Hospital Benefits
Don’t assume your employer’s health plan offers comprehensive coverage. Marlene Allen did. Then she got hurt.
Most Americans Say Drug Costs Are ‘Unreasonable,’ Although They Can Still Afford To Buy Them
Most blame drugmakers for high costs, finds Kaiser Family Foundation survey.
Although Smoking Has Declined, Its Consequences Continue, Study Finds
The bottom line, according to researchers, is that despite 50 years of declining smoking prevalence rates, almost 170,000 cancer deaths annually are still caused by this habit.
Prescription Drug Price Battles Show No Sign Of Letting Up
A pair of new cholesterol drugs is renewing a battle between pharmaceutical companies, which charge huge sums of money for new blockbuster drugs, and payers for those treatments, which include insurers, Medicare and Medicaid.
For Doctors Who Take A Break From Practice, Coming Back Can Be Tough
A handful of programs around the country aim to ease physicians’ reentry into clinical practice, but they can take months and cost thousands of dollars.
Medicare Drug Plans Favor Generic Opioids Over Those Designed To Avoid Abuse, Study Finds
The Part D plans have cut back coverage of a newer version of OxyContin that has been formulated to make it tougher for people to snort or inject it. That new version is 20 times more expensive than the generic.
Adult Dental Coverage Expanding Slowly in Medicaid
The health law mandated dental care for children, but not for adults. Still, some states are slowly making more services available.
Organ Donation: State Efforts Have Done Little To Close The Supply Gap
A study published in JAMA Internal Medicine found that most state-based policies to encourage organ donation in the United States have fallen flat.
Pa., Del. Move To Maintain Health Insurance Subsidy Access
A soon-to-be-announced Supreme Court ruling could threaten health insurance subsidies for millions of people in about three dozen states. But many state officials aren’t sharing contingency plans lest they be seen as supporting Obamacare.
Study: Highest-Charging U.S. Hospitals Are For-Profits, Concentrated In Florida
Most of the 50 hospitals with the highest charges are in the South and about half are owned by for-profit Community Health Systems.
Bill To Speed FDA Approvals Includes Rewards For Drugs Designed For Kids
The 21st Century Cures bill now being considered by Congress would extend a program that promotes pediatric drug research.
New Preventive Health Services Approved For No-Cost Coverage
Two new procedures have been added to the list of what should be covered by insurance without charge to consumers under provisions of the health law.
Florida To Review Proposed Obamacare Rate Hikes For First Time
After two years with its hands tied, the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation will be able to review proposed rate increases in a market seeing double digit hikes.
Bringing Doctors To Patients Who Need Them Most
California’s sprawling Inland Empire is making vigorous efforts to train and attract primary care doctors attuned to the needs of the fast-growing and under-served population.
Paramedics See Roles Expand – Minus The Lights And Sirens
In Reno and around the country, community paramedics are providing more primary and preventive care and taking nonemergency patients to facilities other than ERs.
