Latest KFF Health News Stories
Bills, Bills, Bills: Readers And Tweeters Offer Solace, Solutions And Scoldings
Kaiser Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
Emergency Medical Responders Confront Racial Bias
In a recent study of patients treated by emergency medical responders in Oregon, black patients were 40 percent less likely to get pain medicine than their white peers. Why?
Extreme Temperatures May Pose Risks To Some Mail-Order Meds
Loretta Boesing is on a mission to make sure prescription drugs delivered by mail are safe and effective. The life of her son — and others who order medicine by mail — could depend on it, she says.
Health Care Industry Spends $30B A Year Pushing Its Wares, From Drugs To Stem Cell Treatment
Critics say patients are often misled by ads that advocate high-priced drugs or genetic tests.
How Helping Patients Get Good Care At Home Helps Rural Hospitals Survive
Hospitals are now financially rewarded by insurers for safety and efficacy — which often results in patients spending less time as inpatients.
Will I Always Face The Threat Of A Peanut-Laden Kiss Of Death?
A reporter with a serious peanut allergy explains what it is like to process news reports that tout new pharmaceutical products that might minimize the danger of accidental exposure.
After Bitter Closure, Rural Texas Hospital Defies The Norm And Reopens
The 25-bed hospital in Crockett, Texas, abruptly closed its doors in 2017, joining the ranks of nearly 100 rural hospitals that have shut down in the past decade. But the community kept the faith and several doctors reopened the facility this year.
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.
When Medicine Makes Patients Sicker
The Food and Drug Administration is supposed to inspect all factories, foreign and domestic, that produce drugs for the U.S. market. But a KHN review of thousands of FDA documents — inspection records, recalls, warning letters and lawsuits — reveals how drugs that are poorly manufactured or contaminated can reach consumers.
As Hospitals Post Sticker Prices Online, Most Patients Will Remain Befuddled
The new rule took effect Jan. 1 but, for consumers seeking hospital price information, using it to find answers may be like searching for a needle in a haystack.
Podcast: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’ Ask Us Anything!
From Medicare dental coverage to drug prices to fetal tissue research, the panelists answer listeners’ questions. Joanne Kenen of Politico, Stephanie Armour of The Wall Street Journal and Paige Winfield Cunningham of The Washington Post join KHN’s Julie Rovner.
Hasta un tercio de los reemplazos de rodilla causan dolor… y arrepentimiento
Los 723,000 reemplazos de rodilla realizados en 2014 costaron a pacientes, aseguradoras y contribuyentes más de $40.000 millones. No siempre funcionan.
Up To A Third Of Knee Replacements Pack Pain And Regret
Many patients face lingering pain and disappointment after undergoing knee replacement surgery, which costs an average $31,000. And doctors are increasingly concerned that the procedure is overused and that its benefits have been oversold.
Massachusetts Stroke Patient Receives ‘Outrageous’ $474,725 Medical Flight Bill
After a 34-year-old woman suffered a stroke in Kansas, doctors there arranged for her to be transferred to a Boston hospital, via an Angel MedFlight Learjet. The woman and her father believed the cost of the medical flight would be covered by her private insurance. Then they got the bill.
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.
Year One Of KHN’s ‘Bill Of The Month’: A Kaleidoscope Of Financial Challenges
A crowdsourced investigation in which we dissect, investigate and explain medical bills you send us.
5 formas en las que el sistema colapsaría si se eliminara la ley de salud
No solo las disposiciones más prominentes del Obamacare se verían afectadas si se considera a la ley inconstitucional.
5 Ways Nixing The Affordable Care Act Could Upend The Entire Health System
There could be a long legal struggle ahead over the decision by a judge in Texas to invalidate the federal health law. But if his decision stands, it would have long-lasting effects on health care from insurance coverage to Medicare payments to privacy protections.
Taking Surprise Medical Bills To Court
Some legal experts say contract law could provide consumers another avenue to challenge unexpected hospital bills.
After Her Skiing Accident, An Uphill Battle Over Snowballing Bills
She took a bad fall on the slopes and her surgeon used a metal plate to put the splintered bones of her leg back together. When that device failed less than four months later, she and her insurer had to pay full price for the replacement plate.
