Latest KFF Health News Stories
Buyers Of Short-Term Health Plans: Wise Or Shortsighted?
Policyholders reason that their health is good — for now — and they don’t see the need for costly comprehensive coverage. Detractors say the plans undermine the Affordable Care Act, and agents advise reading the fine print. “You basically have to be in perfect health,” says one.
Playing On Fear And Fun, Hospitals Follow Pharma In Direct-To-Consumer Advertising
Hospitals are increasingly advertising medical services directly to patients to enhance their national brands. They think the image building improves their ability to negotiate with health plans and brings in wealthier patients.
Must-Reads Of The Week From Brianna Labuskes
Newsletter editor Brianna Labuskes wades through hundreds of health articles from the week so you don’t have to.
Estrategia para frenar infecciones sexuales: tratar a la pareja sin cita médica
Aunque es una práctica recomendada oficialmente para frenar la diseminación de infecciones sexuales, muchos médicos no la ponen en práctica.
An Underused Strategy For Surge In STDs: Treat Patients’ Partners Without A Doctor Visit
For over a decade, federal health officials have recommended the practice, known as expedited partner therapy. It is allowed in most states, but many doctors don’t do it — either because of legal or ethical concerns, or because they are unaware of it.
Fish Oil And Vitamin D Pills No Guard Against Cancer Or Serious Heart Trouble
And new study finds no reason to get routine vitamin D tests, researchers say.
Píldoras de aceite de pescado y de vitamina D no protegen contra el cáncer o males cardíacos
Los investigadores definieron los males cardíacos graves como el índice combinado de ataques cardíacos, apoplejía y muertes relacionadas con el corazón.
Measure To Cap Dialysis Profits Pummeled After Record Spending By Industry
The dialysis industry raised nearly $111 million in a successful bid to defeat the measure, which also was opposed by hospitals and doctors. The union that sponsored the measure collected about one-sixth that amount.
Beyond The Buzz: What Do Americans Mean By ‘Medicare-For-All’?
KHN’s news analysis on “Medicare-for-all” sparks a broader conversation.
Like Clockwork: How Daylight Saving Time Stumps Hospital Record-Keeping
One of the most popular electronic health records software systems used by hospitals, Epic Systems, can delete records or require cumbersome workarounds when clocks are set back for an hour, prompting many hospitals to opt for paper records for part of the night shift.
The Election’s Impact On Health Care: Some Bellwether Races To Watch
A number of health issues — from preexisting conditions to Medicaid expansion to changes to Medicare — could be at stake when voters head to the polls Tuesday.
Heart Drug Spotlights Troubling Trends In Drug Marketing
Critics worry the marketing of Vascepa, a purified fish oil product, could prove a fish story.
Billions In ‘Questionable Payments’ Went To California’s Medicaid Insurers And Providers
The money was paid on behalf of more than 400,000 people who may have been ineligible for the public program, a state audit found. One had been dead for four years before payments stopped.
Pricey Precision Medicine Often Financially Toxic For Cancer Patients
Medical treatments targeting the DNA in tumor cells are celebrated, but insurers often won’t cover the skyrocketing cost.
Dialysis Giant DaVita Defends Itself In Court And At The Polls
Although dialysis provider DaVita Inc. has taken major financial hits this year, including a $383.5 million jury award in response to wrongful death lawsuits, it still rakes in profits. The company faces its biggest threat next month, when California voters weigh in on a ballot initiative that could force it to leave the state.
That’s A Lot Of Scratch: The $48,329 Allergy Test
A California college professor never imagined that trying to figure out what was causing her rash could add up to such a huge bill.
In California, Novel Initiatives Test Cities’ Power — And Will — To Tame Health Costs
Union-backed initiatives in Palo Alto and Livermore, Calif., aim to cap charges by hospitals and doctors, seeking to build on national furor over rising medical bills. The measures arise in health care markets that are among the most expensive in the nation.
Must-Reads Of The Week From Brianna Labuskes
Newsletter editor Brianna Labuskes wades through hundreds of health articles from the week so you don’t have to.
Readers And Tweeters: Are Millennials Killing The Primary Care Doctor?
Kaiser Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
Podcast: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’ Trump, GOP Fight Back On Health Care
In this episode of KHN’s “What the Health?” Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Kimberly Leonard of the Washington Examiner and Alice Ollstein of Politico discuss a flurry of proposals from the Trump administration on prices Medicare pays for drugs and the Affordable Care Act.
