Health Care Costs

Latest KFF Health News Stories

Facebook Live: The Prescription Drug Pricing Pipeline

KFF Health News Original

In this Facebook Live, KHN’s Julie Appleby talks with Stephanie Stapleton and answers readers’ questions about the prescription drug pricing pipeline and the industry stakeholders who have a role in what you pay.

Too Few Patients Follow The Adage: You Better Shop Around

KFF Health News Original

Three-quarters of participants in a newly released study said they did not know of resources for comparing health care costs, while half said that if a website were available to provide such information, they would use it.

Pacientes posponen tratamientos críticos por culpa de los deducibles altos

KFF Health News Original

La evidencia está mostrando que los deducibles altos han obligado a la gente a retrasar atención que podría prevenir emergencias de salud más tarde, o mejorar su calidad de vida.

When High Deductibles Hurt: Even Insured Patients Postpone Care

KFF Health News Original

The number of Americans with high-deductible health plans is growing, along with the fear that even insured people won’t get the care they need because it’s too costly.

In Appalachia, Two Hospital Giants Seek State-Sanctioned Monopoly

KFF Health News Original

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.

Health Insurers Try Paying More Upfront To Pay Less Later

KFF Health News Original

Some health plans are beginning to offer free maintenance care for people with chronic health problems, hoping that spending a little more early on will save a lot of money in the long run.

Whichever Way ‘Repeal And Replace’ Blows, Pharma Is Due For Windfall

KFF Health News Original

A little-noticed provision in President Donald Trump’s executive order on drug prices may offer a clue to why Big Pharma hasn’t opposed a bill that could bleed their balance sheets of millions of patients.

Seesawing Family Income Threatens Kids’ Medicaid Coverage In Texas

KFF Health News Original

Critics point to the state’s aggressive eligibility checks as an example of what can go wrong when states have flexibility and add a reason to worry about GOP efforts to overhaul the program.

Cuts In Federal Housing Help Would Hurt People’s Health, Research Suggests

KFF Health News Original

A study in Health Affairs shows that people who receive federal housing vouchers and other forms of public housing assistance are more likely to have health insurance and get regular medical care.

GOP’s Health Bill Could Undercut Some Coverage In Job-Based Insurance

KFF Health News Original

In states that take up the bill’s option to change the essential health benefits, the out-of-pocket spending limits and annual and lifetime caps on coverage in large group plans could fray.

Why Blue States Might Ditch Beloved Obamacare Protections

KFF Health News Original

With limited federal subsidies under the GOP health care bill, experts say states like California and New York would be under pressure to cut costs. That could mean shrinking benefits and dropping the prohibition against charging sicker patients higher premiums.

Federal Money For State-Level Zika Tracking, Prevention May End This Summer

KFF Health News Original

California has reported more than 500 travel-related Zika infections, and five babies have been born in the state with birth defects related to the mosquito-borne disease.

5 Things To Know About The Subsidies At The Heart Of A Capitol Hill Battle

KFF Health News Original

Democrats want a bill to fund the government for the rest of the year to include funding for the health law’s cost-sharing reductions for low-income marketplace customers, but Republicans want to keep the issues separate.

Health Care In America: An Employment Bonanza And A Runaway-Cost Crisis

KFF Health News Original

The Trump administration has pledged to create jobs and shrink health care spending — almost a contradiction in a country where health care is a roaring engine of the economy.