Readers Wrestle With Healthcare Inequalities and Want a Word With Congress
KFF Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
Healthcare Costs
41-60 of 1,964 results
-
Anger Over Health Costs Clouds Midterms
Episode 462Amid a campaign already focusing on affordability, anxious voters are unlikely to be assuaged by headlines about healthcare costs rising even more next year. And a lawsuit that could cut off access nationwide to the abortion pill mifepristone gets a hearing in federal court. Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico Magazine, Sandhya Raman of Bloomberg Law, and Amanda Seitz of KFF Health News join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Rovner also interviews Lauren Sausser, who wrote the latest KFF Health News “Bill of the Month.”
-
Nonprofits Are Helping Musicians Pay for Insurance in Austin, Texas, and Beyond
A nonprofit and a local public health agency are subsidizing marketplace health insurance for Austin music artists, even as shifting marketplace conditions make the program a more expensive proposition. It’s becoming a model for other cities and sectors.
-
‘It’s Triage’: California’s Next Governor Will Face Destabilizing Surge in Uninsured
The nation’s uninsured rate hit a historic low when Xavier Becerra was health secretary. Now he wants to be California’s next governor as states stare down the biggest rise in the uninsured rate in a generation.
-
High Fertility Costs Push Americans Abroad for IVF Treatment
Despite President Donald Trump’s promises to make fertility treatment more affordable, the overall costs for one IVF cycle in the U.S. remain in the tens of thousands of dollars. So more Americans than ever are going to Europe to seek IVF treatment for a fraction of the cost.
By LJ Dawson Summer’s Health Policy Themes
Episode 461As summer wanes, some of the season’s major health policy stories continue to simmer, including declining insurance coverage, increasing measles cases, and cuts to federal health programs. Shefali Luthra of The 19th, Rachel Roubein of The Washington Post, and Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Dean Rosen about his work for former Sen. Nancy Landon Kassebaum, who died last week at 94.
-
In Toss-Up House District, Voters Crave Leadership To Fix Broken Healthcare
Voters in California’s 22nd Congressional District call healthcare a top priority in November’s midterm elections. Although challenger Randy Villegas has built a following among residents craving change, undecided voters say they want to hear more from the Democrat and from GOP incumbent Rep. David Valadao on their affordability plans.
-
Her Breast MRI Was Approved, But That Didn’t Mean Her Insurance Would Pay
Stephanie Halver’s doctor recommended she get a breast MRI, partly because of her family’s cancer history. Her insurer approved the scan, but unlike mammograms, breast MRIs aren’t universally covered as zero-cost preventive care.
-
The Medicare GLP-1 Discount Has One Big Catch: Some Sick Patients Don’t Qualify
The new Medicare GLP-1 Bridge program promises eligible beneficiaries access to popular weight loss drugs for as little as $50 a month. But for some, having the very medical conditions these drugs are approved to treat means they don't qualify for the discount.
-
California Weighs Penalties for Healthcare Providers That Don’t Rein In Costs
About half of U.S. adults say they can’t afford healthcare. California is among at least eight states that have set spending growth targets for the healthcare sector. It may soon impose enforcement penalties aimed at pushing hospitals and other providers to meet those goals.
-
Watch: Mark Cuban Says You Can’t Fix Healthcare Until Every Price Is Known
With his online pharmacy, Mark Cuban changed how generic drugs are sold — and he has thoughts about how to fix the healthcare system. The billionaire businessman talks to KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to answer the question: “How Would You Fix It?”
By Julie Rovner and Hannah Norman -
New DOJ Guidance Could Give States Cover To Cut Disability Services
A new rule from the Justice Department upends a 25-year-old interpretation of federal disability law. Advocates fear it could result in cuts to services that help many disabled Americans live at home instead of in institutions.
Headless FDA Gets a New Nominee
Episode 460President Trump is nominating Heidi Overton, a physician and White House policy adviser, to lead the FDA, which has been without a Senate-confirmed leader since May. Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico Magazine, Shefali Luthra of The 19th, and Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss this story and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews billionaire businessman Mark Cuban.
-
How Much of a Cancer Drug Is Too Much? Patients, Researchers Challenge FDA-Approved Dosages
Patients and researchers point to evidence that many cancer drug dosages are excessive, and that reducing the amount and frequency could save billions of dollars and prevent some of the worst side effects.
By Arthur Allen -
Medicare’s Paying Less for Cataract Surgery. Eye Doctors Are Turning to Lucrative Lasers.
More cataract patients, wanting not only restored but improved vision, are paying extra for their doctors to use a laser when a scalpel would do.
-
Newsom Promotes Affordable Insulin, but California’s Generic Label Off to a Slow Start
California is the first to launch state-branded insulin as Gov. Gavin Newsom tries to disrupt the pharmaceutical industry. But the new CalRx drug label has been slow to reach pharmacies and patients.
By Angela Hart -
Hospitals, Leery of Unpaid Bills, Increasingly Seek Payments Before Care Is Delivered
Get our weekly newsletter, The Week in Brief, featuring a roundup of our original coverage, Fridays at 2 p.m. ET.
Trump’s Vaccine Agenda
Episode 459President Trump is trying to unilaterally change the number and schedule of childhood vaccines in the U.S., though it remains unclear how much of an impact his orders will have. Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Maya Goldman of Axios, and Sandhya Raman of Bloomberg Law join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss this story and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KFF Health News’ Paula Andalo, who wrote the latest “Bill of the Month.”
-
Readers Speak Out on Work Requirements, Federal Data Grab, Opioid Payback Cash
KFF Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
-
Hospital Prepayment Requirements Add New Wrinkles to Patients’ Financial Responsibility
Hospitals and other medical providers are increasingly asking for payment before providing care, collecting more of what patients might owe as rising insurance deductibles add to Americans' financial pressures.