Latest KFF Health News Stories
So Much Care It Hurts: Unneeded Scans, Therapy, Surgery Only Add To Patients’ Ills
Overtreatment of breast cancer and other diseases is pervasive, burdening patients and the health care system with enormous costs and needless suffering.
Desperate Quest For Herpes Cure Launched ‘Rogue’ Trial
Patients flocked to researcher who ignored usual patient protections, as university claimed ignorance.
Hospitals Step In To Help House The Homeless. Will It Make A Difference?
They say it will help reduce unnecessary ER visits and ensure better follow-up care. It’s also good P.R., and helps them meet their obligations to provide benefits to the community in exchange for significant tax breaks.
Chasing Millions In Medicaid Dollars, Hospitals Buy Up Nursing Homes
The strategy has been used mostly in Indiana, where many county-owned hospitals purchased or leased nursing homes to take advantage of a wrinkle in Medicaid payment rules and augment federal reimbursements.
On Back Roads Of Appalachia’s Coal Country, Mental Health Services Are As Rare As Jobs
Long commutes and scarcity of providers make it hard for patients who need counseling or psychiatric care.
Cascade of Costs Could Push New Gene Therapy Above $1 Million Per Patient
The costs of using a new class of cancer treatments include far more than the drug’s sticker price.
Anthem Eases Up On Premium Hikes After State Scrutiny
After regulators questioned Anthem’s forecast for medical costs, the company agreed to reduce rate hikes on its individual and small-business health plans next year, saving customers an estimated $114 million.
In Oregon, End-of-Life Wishes Are Just A Click Away
A new link creates two-way access to the state registry that documents the type of medical care sick and frail patients want — or refuse.
New Law Challenges ‘Evils’ Of Pharma Profits, California Governor Claims
Gov. Jerry Brown signed the measure, which takes effect next year and will require drug companies to publicly justify big price increases.
Training New Doctors Right Where They’re Needed
Eight teaching centers in California aim to train and retain doctors in medically underserved areas such as California’s Central Valley. They are among 57 such institutions across the country that may soon receive a boost in funding from Congress.
Entrenando a nuevos médicos justo en donde se los necesita
En el Valle Central de California, no hay una escuela de medicina, y los nuevos médicos a menudo evitan el área en favor de los centros urbanos más ricos, donde pueden ganar más dinero.
Eyes Fixed On California As Governor Ponders Inking Drug Price Transparency Bill
“If it gets signed by this governor, it’s going to send shock waves throughout the country,” one legislator says. Pharma has spent $16.8 million lobbying against this bill and other drug laws in California.
Tragedia de Las Vegas plantea la capacidad de un hospital para atender a las víctimas
En la ciudad hay un solo centro de trauma, especializado en tratar a pacientes con lesiones severas producto de disparos, caídas o accidentes automovilísticos. Qué pasa a nivel nacional
Las Vegas Faced a Massacre. Did It Have Enough Trauma Centers?
Hospitals view adding trauma care as a potential profit tool, but experts say having more centers does not necessarily improve the system’s ability to respond to a mass casualty event.
Heart Device Failure: Medicare Spent $1.5B Over 10 Years To Replace Defective Implants
The inspector general at Health and Human Services says defective pacemakers or defibrillators had to be replaced from 2005 through 2014, costing Medicare $1.5 billion.
Latest Scandal Too Much For HHS Secretary Tom Price. He’s Out.
Tom Price resigned from running the Department of Health and Human Services after a series of news stories detailing how he tallied more than $400,000 in private plane travel paid for by taxpayers.
For Some Refugees, Women’s Health Care Is A Culture Shock
Refugee women from conservative Muslim countries can be shocked by some U.S. medical conventions — like trusting a male doctor to care for them.
Right After Trump Blamed High Drug Prices On Campaign Cash, Drugmakers Gave More
At a political rally in March, President Donald Trump said drug prices are “outrageous” and blamed campaign contributions. Drugmakers funneled nearly $280,000 to Congress the very next day.
Nowhere To Go: Young People With Severe Autism Languish In Hospitals
Some teens and young adults are spending weeks or even months in retrofitted emergency rooms — even in mesh-covered tents — until specialized care can be found. ‘It’s a huge problem,’ one doctor says.
Need An MRI? Anthem Directs Most Outpatients To Independent Centers
The insurer says hospital-based imaging services are too expensive and the independent facilities provide high-quality care.
