Latest KFF Health News Stories
What Happens If You’re Forced To Switch Health Plans When You’re Sick?
State lawmakers in California have an answer: legislation that would require your new insurer to keep paying for your current doctors even if they’re not in the network.
¿Qué pasa si debes cambiar de plan de salud… estando enfermo?
El retiro de algunas aseguradoras del mercado ha obligado a miles de consumidores a cambiar de plan. Algo que se complica en el caso de pacientes con condiciones crónicas o graves.
Podcast: ‘What The Health?’ Back To Health Crunch Come September
In this episode of “What the Health?” Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Joanne Kenen of Politico, Paige Winfield Cunningham of The Washington Post and Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times discuss the continuing efforts in Congress to “repeal and replace” the Affordable Care Act, upcoming open enrollment for individual insurance and Congress’ long health care to-do list for September.
Podcast: ‘What The Health?’ Why Is It So Difficult To Control Drug Prices?
In this episode of “What the Health?” Mary Agnes Carey of Kaiser Health News, Sarah Karlin-Smith of Politico, Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times and Julie Appleby of Kaiser Health News discuss the recent extension of cost-sharing subsidies for millions of low-income beneficiaries on the Affordable Care Act’s marketplaces and the state of play on Capitol Hill and in the states concerning initiatives to lower prescription drug costs.
Más médicos apoyan un sistema de salud universal
Una nueva encuesta revela que cada vez más los profesionales de la salud se inclinan a un sistema con un pagador único que se haga cargo de las cuentas médicas.
Doctors Warm To Single-Payer Health Care
Growing numbers of physicians say they support a single-payer health care system, a 180-degree turn in opinion over a decade.
CBO: Killing Cost-Sharing Subsidies Would Hike Silver Plan Premiums And Deficit
The change would not be expected to have much long-term effect on the number of uninsured people. But it could cause a shift in which plans are popular with marketplace customers.
Insurers Can Bend Out-Of-Network Rules For Patients Who Need Specific Doctors
Individuals who require very specialized care for their health are advised to make their case when a plan doesn’t cover their doctor.
Readers Have Their Say … On Pain And Who Stands To Gain In Drug Market
Kaiser Health News gives readers a chance to respond, react and comment on our stories.
Podcast: ‘What The Health?’ No Vacation For Insurers
In this episode of “What the Health?” Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Joanne Kenen of Politico, Sarah Kliff of Vox.com, and Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times discuss the state of the individual health insurance markets in the wake of the failure (for now) of Congress’s efforts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.
Senate Democrats Delay HHS Nominee Over Women’s Health Funding
Sen. Patty Murray questions Dr. Brett Giroir’s willingness to stand up for women’s health programs such as family planning services and teenage pregnancy prevention.
Florida Law Will Let Patients Get All Their Drug Renewals At The Same Time
The new law will help people with chronic conditions that require multiple prescriptions cut down on their shuttles to the drug store and could improve adherence to their drugs.
Under Trump, Hospitals Face Same Penalties Embraced By Obama
Federal records show that 2,573 hospitals around the country will have their Medicare payments reduced because they have too many patients readmitted.
Despite Insurers’ Tactical Win On ACA’s Cost-Sharing Payments, Uncertainty Lingers
Court allows state attorneys general to join a pending legal challenge to keep billions in subsidies flowing to consumers and insurers, despite the Trump administration’s resistance.
Covered California Expects 12.5% Average Rate Rise In 2018
The figure could be higher if President Trump ends an important consumer subsidy, which he has threatened to do. The exchange also announced that Anthem Blue Cross will pull out of Covered California and the overall individual market in 16 of the 19 regions it currently serves.
Denial, Appeal, Approval … An Adult’s Thorny Path To Spinraza Coverage
The FDA granted approval for Spinraza in late December for use on children and adults with spinal muscular atrophy. Insurance coverage is mostly focused on infants and children.
Drug Puts A $750,000 ‘Price Tag On Life’
The high cost of Spinraza, a new and promising treatment for spinal muscular atrophy, highlights how the cost-benefit analysis insurers use to make drug coverage decisions plays out in human terms.
Whistleblowers: United Healthcare Hid Complaints About Medicare Advantage
A Wisconsin lawsuit alleges United Healthcare downplayed abusive sales tactics to avoid losing government bonuses.
Seema Verma Runs Medicaid. Her Husband’s Practice Won’t Accept It.
Dr. Sanjay Mishra, the husband of CMS Administrator Seema Verma, is part of a group practice in Indiana that does not accept Medicaid payments.
Scope Maker Olympus Hit With $6.6 Million Verdict In Superbug Outbreak Case
In the first case of its kind in the U.S., the company was ordered to pay damages to the hospital where a patient died of an infection linked to a contaminated scope. But jurors also found the hospital negligent, and it was ordered to pay the patients’ family $1 million.
