Healthcare Costs Archives - Page 32 of 95

Democrats See Opportunity in GOP Threats to Repeal Health Law

Episode 325

Dec. 7, 2023

Sensing that Republicans are walking into a political minefield by threatening once again to repeal the Affordable Care Act, the Biden administration is looking to capitalize by rolling out a series of initiatives aimed at high drug prices and other consequences of “corporate greed in health care.” Meanwhile, the Supreme Court hears a case that could determine when and how much victims of the opioid crisis can collect from Purdue Pharma, the drug company that lied about how addictive its drug, OxyContin, really was. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, and Rachana Pradhan of KFF Health News join KFF Health News chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Dan Weissmann of KFF Health News’ sister podcast, “An Arm and a Leg,” about his investigation into hospitals suing their patients over unpaid bills.

Listen Now

A medicare card is layered over a U.S. $100-dollar-bill.

Dodging the Medicare Enrollment Deadline Can Be Costly

As open enrollment ends, many people are tuning out. They could wind up with a surprise next year: higher costs and less access to health care providers.

By Susan Jaffe

Dec. 7, 2023

Colorful pills and capsules are scattered on top of a U.S. $100-dollar-bill.

Colorado Blames Biden Team and Drugmakers for Delaying Canadian Imports

Colorado officials say they haven’t been able to stand up a program to import drugs from Canada because of drugmaker opposition — and the Biden administration’s inaction.

By Phil Galewitz

Dec. 7, 2023

Kilolo Kijakazi reviews a sheet of paper being handed to her.

KFF Health News-CMG TV Stations Investigation

Social Security Clawbacks Hit a Million More People Than Agency Chief Told Congress

More than 2 million people a year have been sent notices that Social Security overpaid them and demanding they repay the money. That’s twice as many as the head of Social Security disclosed at a congressional hearing in October.

By David Hilzenrath and Jodie Fleischer, Cox Media Group

Dec. 6, 2023

Dying Broke: A KFF Health News-New York Times Project

Watch: The Long-Term Care Crisis: Why Few Can Afford to Grow Old in America

Long-term care options in the U.S. are costly, complex, and often inadequate. KFF Health News' Jordan Rau and Reed Abelson of The New York Times host a Zoom panel to explore the challenges of providing — and affording — care.

By Jordan Rau

Dec. 6, 2023

Letters to the Editor

Readers Slam Hospital Monopolies and Blame the Feds for Understaffed Nursing Homes

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

Dec. 6, 2023

Donated prescription drugs are stacked on shelves. On the top shelf, a sign reads, "DONATED MEDICATIONS / INJECTABLES" On the shelf below, a second sign says, "DONATED MEDICATIONS / INHALERS / NASAL SPRAYS"

These Programs Put Unused Prescription Drugs in the Hands of Patients in Need

States and counties look to expand programs that accept donations of unused surplus drugs from places like nursing homes and hospitals and redistribute them to low-income and uninsured residents.

By Kate Ruder

Dec. 6, 2023

The Health 202

Colorado Says Drug Industry Blocked Its Canada Dreams – And Biden Hasn’t Helped

By Phil Galewitz

Dec. 5, 2023

Two photos shown side-by-side: On the left, a portrait of a man with his wide; on the right, an x-ray of a broken artificial hip.

When Medical Devices Malfunction

Patients Expected Profemur Artificial Hips to Last. Then They Snapped in Half.

The FDA and the manufacturer were alerted to Profemur titanium hips breaking inside U.S. patients as of 2005. It took 15 years to recall the devices. Many fractures could have been avoided.

By Brett Kelman and Anna Werner, CBS News

Dec. 5, 2023

A health care worker rests their hand on their forehead behind stacks of paperwork.

California’s Ambitious Medicaid Experiment Gets Tripped Up in Implementation

The health care insurers, nonprofit organizations, and other groups responsible for implementing Gov. Gavin Newsom’s ambitious plan to infuse Medicaid with social services say their ability to serve vulnerable, low-income Californians is hamstrung.

By Angela Hart

Dec. 5, 2023

A photo of a caretaker aiding an elderly woman.

Dying Broke: A KFF Health News-New York Times Project

Desperate Families Search for Affordable Home Care

Facing a severe shortage of aides and high costs, people trying to keep aging loved ones at home often cobble together a patchwork of family and friends to help.

By Reed Abelson, The New York Times

Dec. 4, 2023

A photo of people sitting in chairs while using pool noodles to bounce a balloon in the air.

Dying Broke: A KFF Health News-New York Times Project

What to Know About Home Care Services

Finding an aide to help an older person stay at home safely takes work. Here’s a guide.

By Reed Abelson, The New York Times

Dec. 4, 2023

FTC Chief Gears Up for a Showdown With Private Equity

Lina Khan, chair of the FTC, says a recent lawsuit is meant to chill the consolidation of medical groups that results in higher prices for consumers. But it may be too late to curb price hikes.

By Harris Meyer

Nov. 30, 2023

Uncle Sam Wants You … to Help Stop Insurers’ Bogus Medicare Advantage Sales Tactics

The Biden administration wants to crack down on deceptive or misleading Medicare Advantage and drug plan sales tactics. It’s counting on beneficiaries to help catch offenders.

By Susan Jaffe

Nov. 30, 2023

An Arm and a Leg

To Get Health Insurance, This Couple Made a Movie

Season 10, Episode 6

Nov. 30, 2023

On this episode of “An Arm and a Leg,” hear how a couple wrote and directed a short film, starring one of them — just to maintain health insurance through the actors union.

Listen Now

A photo of a doctor examining an elderly patient's knee.

Medicare Advantage Increasingly Popular With Seniors — But Not Hospitals and Doctors

Some hospitals and physician groups are rejecting Medicare Advantage plans over payment rates and coverage restrictions, causing turmoil for patients.

By Julie Appleby

Nov. 29, 2023

Medicaid ‘Unwinding’ Makes Other Public Assistance Harder to Get

The bottleneck caused by states’ reevaluation of Medicaid enrollees has swept up low-income families that rely on other safety-net services.

By Katheryn Houghton, Rachana Pradhan, and Samantha Liss

Nov. 29, 2023

Nora Super sitting in a wheelchair with a pillow behind her back and head. She smiles at the camera.

Navigating Aging

She Once Advised the President on Aging Issues. Now, She’s Battling Serious Disability and Depression.

Coping with disability — and the cost of coping with disability — is an enormously important issue for older adults. Nora Super, an expert on aging, shares her personal story.

By Judith Graham

Nov. 28, 2023

A digital illustration painted with colorful gouache in yellow and blue tones shows a woman with her head tilted back in exhaustion, exposing her neck. The thyroid gland, shaped like a butterfly, is painted black in the center of her neck. Dots of various sizes swirl around her. Flowing into the thyroid gland are pill symbols. Dots with money symbols flow out.

Many Autoimmune Disease Patients Struggle With Diagnosis, Costs, Inattentive Care

Despite the prevalence of autoimmune conditions, like the thyroid disease Hashimoto’s, sometimes finding help can prove frustrating as well as expensive. There are often no definitive diagnostic tests, so patients may rack up big bills as they search for confirmation of their condition and for treatment options.

By Andy Miller

Nov. 27, 2023

A digital illustration of Andy Miller in the center, with a doctor and a pill bottle to each side. Above him, text reads "THYROID PROBLEM"

Illustrated Report

How the Thyroid Gland Mystifies Doctors and Patients

This illustrated report has been adapted from a KFF Health News article, “Many Autoimmune Disease Patients Struggle With Diagnosis, Costs, Inattentive Care” by Andy Miller, with artwork by Oona Tempest.

By Oona Zenda and Andy Miller

Nov. 27, 2023

Trump 2.0

Public Health

Audio Reports

Special Reports

More Topics

Healthcare Costs