Health Industry

Latest KFF Health News Stories

‘Time’s Up’: Covered California Takes Aim At Hospital C-Section Rates

KFF Health News Original

Starting in less than two years, if state hospitals haven’t met targets for safety and quality, they’ll risk being excluded from the “in-network” designation of health plans sold on the state’s insurance exchange.

Insurer Slashes Breast Pump Payments, Stoking Fears Fewer Moms Will Breastfeed

KFF Health News Original

Anthem, one of the country’s largest insurers, has cut the reimbursement rate it pays for breast pumps by nearly half, fueling concerns that new moms — especially ones with lower incomes — will not be able to afford the pumps they need.

Trump Proposes Cutting Planned Parenthood Funds. What Does That Mean?

KFF Health News Original

The Trump administration is pulling out an old regulation that it believes will be able to meet a key conservative goal: withholding some federal funding for Planned Parenthood in the government’s family planning program.

Por qué Trump quiere quitarle fondos a Planned Parenthood

KFF Health News Original

La reactivación de una norma que data de la presidencia de Ronald Reagan podría ayudar al presidente a cumplir su promesa de campaña de “cancelar” Planned Parenthood.

Vermont Legislators Pass A Drug Importation Law. So What?

KFF Health News Original

The first-in-the-nation measure would empower Vermont to set up a wholesale program to import prescription drugs from Canada. But it still will have to get federal buy-in before it is operational.

California Hospital Giant Sutter Health Faces Heavy Backlash On Prices

KFF Health News Original

In a case with possible national repercussions, the state’s attorney general has sued over alleged price gouging, and other legal and legislative challenges are afoot. Sutter is pushing back hard, denying anticompetitive behavior.

Sticker Shock Jolts Oklahoma Patient: $15,076 For Four Tiny Screws

KFF Health News Original

A woman with foot pain was floored by the high cost of titanium screws used in her surgery. “Unless the metal [was] mined on an asteroid, I do not know why it should cost that amount,” she says.

Podcast: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’ The Politics Of Rising Premiums And Menu Labeling

KFF Health News Original

In this episode of KHN’s “What the Health?” Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Stephanie Armour of The Wall Street Journal, Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times and Anna Edney of Bloomberg News discuss the latest on the politics of rising premiums, GOP efforts to take back money from the Children’s Health Insurance Program, and the controversy over new rules requiring calorie information on menus. Plus for extra credit, the panelists recommend their favorite health stories of the week.

Cómo las cuentas médicas pueden afectar el historial de crédito

KFF Health News Original

Casi el 40% de los adultos menores de 65 años informaron un puntaje de crédito más bajo debido a deudas médicas, según el análisis más reciente del Commonwealth Fund.

When Credit Scores Become Casualties Of Health Care

KFF Health News Original

The complexity of health insurance coverage rules, along with market trends that leave consumers open to more out-of-pocket costs, lead to mounting medical debt for consumers.

‘Pharma Bro’ Shkreli Is In Prison, But Daraprim’s Price Is Still High

KFF Health News Original

The saga of Martin Shkreli and Turing Pharmaceuticals focused a lot of attention on prescription drug prices, but no reversal of the exponential price increases for the lifesaving drug Daraprim resulted. The story offers an object lesson into the interworkings of the pharmaceutical market.

Weak Oversight Blamed For Poor Care At California Nursing Homes Going Unchecked

KFF Health News Original

The scathing report cites a significant increase in cases of poor care — especially ones with the potential to cause serious injuries or death. A state lawmaker called the findings “very, very disturbing.”