Latest KFF Health News Stories
When An Insurer Balks And Treatment Stops
A 22-year old man from Orange County, Calif., alleges in a lawsuit that his health insurer stopped paying for a crucial — and expensive — immunotherapy drug, leading him to become seriously ill. Treatments for patients with similar conditions are increasingly denied or interrupted, experts and patient advocates say.
Hospitals Now Tap Lawyers To Fulfill Patients’ Legal Needs
About 300 health care systems around the country have set up medical-legal partnerships to help patients who are dealing with legal problems that affect their health.
As Government-Funded Cancer Research Sags, Scientists Fear U.S. Is ‘Losing Its Edge’
More of the research studies being presented at the world’s largest annual gathering of cancer scientists comes from abroad.
Drug Rebates Reward Industry Players — And Often Hurt Patients
A new JAMA study examines how drug rebates can direct money to middlemen and force Medicare patients to cough up more money.
Defensores desconfían de nuevas reglas para inscribir en planes de salud en el otoño
En el otoño, corredores y aseguradoras podrán guiar a los consumidores en el proceso para obtener un plan de salud de principio a fin. Pero algunos piensan que no mostrarán todas las opciones por igual, sino aquéllas por las que obtendrían una comisión.
Target Of Medicare Insider Trading Case Boasted He Was Unstoppable ‘Beast’
Prosecutors say hedge-fund traders made millions trading on information leaked from Medicare.
Consumer Advocates Wary Of New Marketplace Rules For Brokers
Federal officials relaxed their rules this month about how brokers and insurers can work with individuals to apply for health law policies.
Molina Healthcare, A Top Obamacare Insurer, Investigates Breach Of Patients’ Data
“It’s unconscionable that such a basic, security 101 flaw could still exist at a major health care provider,” says one cybersecurity expert.
A Busy Week For Health: Budget Cuts, CBO Scores And Mitch McConnell’s Cryptic Signal
KHN’s Mary Agnes Carey and Julie Rovner discuss some of the developments that shook up health news this week.
Influx Of Elderly Patients Forces ER To Practice Comfort Care
Despite a culture clash and lack of time and training, ER doctors see how palliative care averts suffering for elderly patients with serious illnesses.
Putting A Lid On Waste: Needless Medical Tests Not Only Cost $200B — They Can Do Harm
The health care industry thrives on ordering up tests and treatments, but some hospitals are urging restraint.
GOP’s Health Bill Could Undercut Some Coverage In Job-Based Insurance
In states that take up the bill’s option to change the essential health benefits, the out-of-pocket spending limits and annual and lifetime caps on coverage in large group plans could fray.
New York State Wants Its Prescription Drug Money Back — Or Else
A new law gives Medicaid regulators power to threaten drugmakers with cost-effectiveness scrutiny unless they grant additional rebates.
California Bill Addresses Safety Concerns At Dialysis Clinics
Legislation would require minimum staffing levels, longer intervals between patients and more frequent state inspections.
UnitedHealth Doctored Medicare Records, Overbilled U.S. By $1 Billion, Feds Claim
The company, which is the nation’s largest Medicare Advantage operator, denies wrongdoing and argues that the Justice Department “fundamentally misunderstands” how Medicare Advantage works.
Populares antiácidos, ¿podrían causar daño a los riñones?
Una nueva investigación ha vinculado a los PPI, con graves efectos secundarios, incluyendo enfermedad renal crónica, y demandas presentadas recientemente alegan que los que producen la droga deberían haber sabido sobre sus daños potenciales.
Do Best-Selling Drugs That Calm Stomachs Damage Kidneys? The Answer’s Unclear.
With flawed systems for tracking the side effects of prescription drugs, a link between proton pump inhibitors and kidney disease suggested by research cannot be proven. Patients who swear by the drugs hope it won’t be.
Report: Congressional Ethics Office Probing Rep. Chris Collins’ Aussie Investment
The Buffalo News reports the Buffalo, N.Y.-area Republican has drawn inquiries from the Office of Congressional Ethics related to his investment in Australian biotech company Innate Immunotherapeutics.
Quiz: Help Us Take The Pulse Of Our Readers
Even the most exalted among us realize health care policy is complicated. Here’s a pop quiz to see what you have learned as a regular reader of Kaiser Health News.
Overwrought Marketing? Ads, Not Research, Create Some Pharma Best-Sellers
A look at how and why strategic, star-studded advertising brought a drug for a little-known neurological condition into your home.
