Healthcare Costs Archives - Page 28 of 95

Arizona Turns Back the Clock on Abortion Access

Episode 342

April 11, 2024

A week after the Florida Supreme Court said the state could enforce an abortion ban passed in 2023, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled that state could enforce a near-total ban passed in 1864 — over a half-century before Arizona became a state. The move further scrambled the abortion issue for Republicans and posed an immediate quandary for former President Donald Trump, who has been seeking an elusive middle ground in the polarized debate. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Rachel Cohrs Zhang of Stat, and Rachel Roubein of The Washington Post join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KFF Health News’ Molly Castle Work, who reported and wrote the latest KFF Health News-NPR “Bill of the Month” feature, about an air-ambulance ride for an infant with RSV that his insurer deemed not medically necessary.

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Pediatrician Patricia Braun (left) and Valerie Cuzella (right) sit side by side in a dental exam room.

Doctors Take On Dental Duties to Reach Low-Income and Uninsured Patients

More doctors are integrating oral health care into their practices, filling a need in America’s dental deserts.

By Kate Ruder

April 10, 2024

An Arm and a Leg

Attack of the Medicare Machines

Season 11, Episode 4

April 10, 2024

In this episode of “An Arm and a Leg,” host Dan Weissmann tells a horror story. Instead of monsters and aliens, it’s about private health insurance companies and algorithms that call the shots on patient care.

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Letters to the Editor

Readers Speak Up About Women’s Health Issues, From Reproductive Care to Drinking

KFF Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.

April 9, 2024

End of Internet Subsidies for Low-Income Households Threatens Telehealth Access

A federal program that helped pay for more than 23 million low-income households’ internet access runs out of money soon. The end of the subsidy launched earlier in the pandemic could have profound impacts on health care access.

By Sarah Jane Tribble

April 4, 2024

Diagnosis: Debt

Medical Debt Affects Much of America, but Colorado Immigrants Are Hit Especially Hard

Colorado is ahead of the curve on policies to prevent medical debt, but the gap between the debt load in places inhabited primarily by people of color versus non-Hispanic white residents is greater than the national average.

By Rae Ellen Bichell and Lindsey Toomer, Colorado Newsline

April 3, 2024

A photo of a female hospital receptionist talking on the phone. She is facing away from the camera.

Primary Care Disrupted

Hospitals Cash In on a Private Equity-Backed Trend: Concierge Physician Care

Hospitals are increasingly stretching a velvet rope, offering “concierge service” to an affluent clientele. Critics say the practice exacerbates primary care shortages.

By Phil Galewitz

April 1, 2024

Primary Care Disrupted

How Primary Care Is Being Disrupted: A Video Primer

Under pressure from increased demand, consolidation, and changing patient expectations, the model of care no longer means visiting the same doctor for decades.

By Julie Appleby, Hannah Norman, and Oona Zenda

April 1, 2024

The Health 202

Emergency Physicians Decry Surprise Air-Ambulance Bills

By Molly Castle Work

March 27, 2024

An unidentifiable patient is undergoing physical therapy while a health care professional takes notes behind them.

Navigating Aging

The Burden of Getting Medical Care Can Exhaust Older Patients

It’s estimated that an older patient can spend three weeks of the year getting care — and that doesn’t count the time it takes to arrange appointments or deal with insurance companies.

By Judith Graham

March 27, 2024

A rear view photograph of a nurse walking with senior man in a corridor at a nursing home.

Some Medicaid Providers Borrow or Go Into Debt Amid ‘Unwinding’ Payment Disruptions

Used to operating with scarce resources, Montana Medicaid providers say gaps in state payments have left them struggling further.

By Katheryn Houghton

March 27, 2024

A portrait of Antonio Abundis. He stands in front of a colorful mural on a sunny day.

California’s Expanded Health Coverage for Immigrants Collides With Medicaid Reviews

A state policy to extend Medi-Cal to qualified Californians without legal residency is running up against a federal requirement to resume eligibility checks. The redetermination process is causing many Latinos, who make up a majority of Medi-Cal beneficiaries, to be disenrolled.

By Jasmine Aguilera, El Tímpano

March 22, 2024

What the Health? From KFF Health News

The ACA Turns 14

Episode 339

March 21, 2024

Saturday marks the 14th anniversary of the still somewhat embattled Affordable Care Act. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra joins host Julie Rovner to discuss the accomplishments of the health law — and the challenges it still faces. Also this week, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Tami Luhby of CNN, and Mary Agnes Carey of KFF Health News join Rovner to discuss what should be the final funding bill for HHS for fiscal 2024, next week’s Supreme Court oral arguments in a case challenging abortion medication, and more. Plus, for “extra credit,” the panelists suggest health policy stories they read this week they think you should read, too.

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KFF Health News & PolitiFact HealthCheck

Biden Said Medicare Drug Price Negotiations Cut the Deficit by $160B. That’s Years Away.

Savings estimated by the Congressional Budget Office from allowing the federal government to negotiate Medicare drug prices are based on a 10-year cumulative projection.

By Amy Sherman, PolitiFact

March 21, 2024

The Health 202

A Battle Between Drugmakers and Insurers Hits Patients in the Wallet

By Julie Appleby

March 20, 2024

A photo of a stethoscope and calculator arranged on a table.

Georgia’s Medicaid Work Requirements Costing Taxpayers Millions Despite Low Enrollment

Republican Gov. Brian Kemp’s Georgia Pathways to Coverage program has seen anemic enrollment while chalking up millions in start-up costs — largely in technology and consulting fees. Critics say the money’s being wasted on a costly and ineffective alternative to Obamacare’s Medicaid expansion.

By Andy Miller and Renuka Rayasam

March 20, 2024

A man seated on his coach at home measures his blood pressure.

Covid and Medicare Payments Spark Remote Patient Monitoring Boom

Demand for help monitoring patients’ vital signs remotely has taken off since a Medicare change in 2019. Dozens of companies now push the service to help overburdened primary care doctors — and as a revenue stream. But some policy experts say its growth has outpaced oversight and evidence of effectiveness.

By Phil Galewitz and Holly K. Hacker

March 18, 2024

A close-up of a pharmacist scanning a prescription.

When Copay Assistance Backfires on Patients

Drugmakers offer copay assistance programs to patients, but insurers are tapping into those funds, not counting the amounts toward patient deductibles. That leads to unexpected charges. But the practice is under growing scrutiny.

By Julie Appleby

March 15, 2024

A photo of a doctor speaking to patients in a hospital waiting room.

Perspective

How Your In-Network Health Coverage Can Vanish Before You Know It

One of the most unfair aspects of medical insurance is this: Patients can change insurance only during end-of-year enrollment periods or at the time of “qualifying life events.” But insurers’ contracts with doctors, hospitals, and pharmaceutical companies can change abruptly at any time.

By Elisabeth Rosenthal

March 15, 2024

The Injured

They Were Injured at the Super Bowl Parade. A Month Later, They Feel Forgotten.

In the first of our series “The Injured,” a Kansas family remembers Valentine’s Day as the beginning of panic attacks, life-altering trauma, and waking to nightmares of gunfire. Thrown into the spotlight by the shootings, they wonder how they will recover.

By Bram Sable-Smith and Peggy Lowe, KCUR

March 14, 2024

Trump 2.0

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