Latest KFF Health News Stories
Influential Leapfrog Group Jumps In To Rate 5,600 Surgery Centers
In the wake of a KHN/USA Today Network investigation, Leapfrog will check the safety and quality of outpatient centers.
Drugmakers Funnel Millions To Lawmakers; A Few Dozen Get $100,000-Plus
Drugmakers’ contributions to lawmakers have peaked as surging drug prices emerge as a hot-button political issue. In the past decade, Congress has received nearly $79 million from 68 pharma PACs, run by employees of companies that make drugs treating everything from cancer to erectile dysfunction.
TV Ads Must Trumpet Drug Prices, Trump Administration Says. Pharma Tries A Plan B.
Drug pricing is a top issue in the run-up to the midterm elections.
Medicare Advantage Riding High As New Insurers Flock To Sell To Seniors
The private health plans that are an alternative to government-run Medicare continue to grow despite the Affordable Care Act’s cuts of billions of dollars in funding.
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.
‘Grossly Unfair’? Widower Takes Ban On Military Injury Claims To Supreme Court
When a young Navy lieutenant died following low-risk childbirth, her husband claimed military doctors botched her care. But his wrongful death claim was dismissed because of a 1950 ruling that bars active-duty service members from suing the U.S. government — for any reason.
Doctors Give Medicare’s Proposal To Pay For Telemedicine Poor Prognosis
Federal officials are proposing that Medicare pay doctors for a 10-minute “check-in” call with beneficiaries. But many doctors already do this for free, and the plan would require a cost-sharing charge of many patients.
No More Secrets: Congress Bans Pharmacist ‘Gag Orders’ On Drug Prices
Congress approved two bills last month that prohibit provisions keeping pharmacists from telling patients when they can save money by paying the cash price instead of the price negotiated by their insurance plan.
Spurred By Convenience, Millennials Often Spurn The ‘Family Doctor’ Model
These young adults are looking for medical care that is convenient, fast and offers cost transparency. They frequently seek treatment at retail clinics, urgent care centers or other options.
The Feds’ Termination Of A Tiny Contract Inflames Bitter Fight Over Fetal Tissue
Just weeks before midterm elections, a move by federal health officials spotlights a contentious issue: the use of human fetal tissue in research. Here’s what you need to know to understand the debate.
Medicare Advantage Plans Shift Their Financial Risk To Doctors
Some private Medicare Advantage plans are offering large physician-management companies more money upfront and control of their patients’ care, but the doctors are responsible for staying within the budget.
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.
Patient Advocacy Or Political Ploy? Union, Industry Square Off Over Dialysis Initiative
The measure, which will appear on the November ballot, seeks to cap industry profits. The SEIU-UHW union has raised almost $17 million, but opponents from the industry have invested more than four times that.
In The Battle To Control Drug Costs, Old Patent Laws Get New Life
Health insurers and pharmacy benefit managers are exploring how two legal provisions — which have been on the books for decades — could bring down the price tags of certain prescription medications.
Drugmakers Play The Patent Game To Lock In Prices, Block Competitors
Pharmaceutical companies like Purdue Pharma, maker of OxyContin, often win patents for incremental changes with debatable value. Now there’s a twist involving an opioid treatment.
Feds Settle Huge Whistleblower Suit Over Medicare Advantage Fraud
A DaVita subsidiary will pay $270 million over allegations that it cheated the federal government for years.
Estudiantes de medicina se posicionan: quieren salvar al sistema de salud
En una reunión en Nueva York, los jóvenes confirmaron que siguen creyendo en la atención primaria, y en el acceso a la atención médica como un derecho.
White Coats As Superhero Capes: Med Students Swoop In To Save Health Care
Students from eight medical schools in and around New York City attended a conference Sept. 23 on progressive activism during their training years — and beyond.
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.
Más “desiertos de contracepción” por medidas de la administración Trump
Normas impulsadas por el gobierno federal privilegian a las clínicas que solo ofrecen control de la natalidad a través de métodos naturales.
