Latest KFF Health News Stories
Sometimes Tiny Is Just The Right Size: ‘Microhospitals’ Filling Some ER Needs
These facilities are full-service hospitals and offer a full array of emergency services but may have only a handful of beds for admitted patients.
Democrats Unite, But What Happened To ‘Medicare For All’?
Advocates for a single payer health care system say it would be more efficient, but other analysts predict that such an unprecedented change could be extremely disruptive to a key part of the nation’s economy.
Doctors Get Creative To Distract Tech-Savvy Kids Before Surgery
Anxiety before surgery can be dangerous for kids. Medication can help calm them down. But an anesthesiologist in California has come up with a safer, cheaper and much more entertaining alternative.
Heart Failure Patients Warned About The Dangers Of Mixing Prescriptions
The American Heart Association issues a statement to guide heart failure patients and doctors about the effects that drugs for other conditions can have on the heart.
Sounds Like A Good Idea? Regulating Drug Prices
Presidential candidates from both parties have proposals they say would help lower the cost of prescription drugs. But most experts say that efforts to regulate prices might not end up saving much money.
Study Finds Doctors Quick To Change Practice For Breast Cancer Patients
Despite the usual view that physicians are slow to alter their routines based on new scientific evidence, researchers found that breast cancer surgeons quickly adopted advice to not remove lymph nodes after a landmark clinical trial in 2011.
Report: ‘Convergence Science’ Has Potential To Accelerate The Research-To-Product Pipeline
Some say this trend is the future of biomedical research. But along with its potential, it also faces significant challenges.
Gingrich, Kennedy Take On Opioid Addiction — The KHN Conversation
Patrick Kennedy, a former congressman from Rhode Island, and Newt Gingrich, who was once the House speaker, are advancing policies to combat this national crisis.
American ‘Stem Cell Tourists’ Don’t Have To Travel Abroad, Study Says
Treatments marketed as everything from anti-aging applications to therapies for degenerative diseases are increasingly available at commercial clinics in the U.S., but their growing numbers raise ethical and regulatory concerns in the scientific community.
5 Things To Know About The Supreme Court’s Texas Abortion Decision
It was a big win for pro-abortion rights advocates, but abortion opponents are not daunted. Stay tuned for how it will affect presidential politics and the next generation of women voters.
Anthem, Express Scripts Face Legal Challenge Over Prescription Drug Prices
The case alleges that insured consumers were overcharged because of a contract agreement.
Ga., Calif. Hospitals Sue Blue Cross Plan For Sending ER Reimbursements To Patients
The lawsuits allege that the practice costs the hospitals money because the patients often spend the funds.
HHS Proposes To Streamline Medicare Appeals Process
The changes announced Tuesday seek to eliminate the backlog by 2021.
‘Digital Health’ Not Just For Well-Heeled Fitness Fiends
A small group of advocates and entrepreneurs is using mobile phones and digital scales to make a difference in the health of poor people, too.
California Drug Price Measure Fiercely Opposed By Pharmaceutical Industry
Proposed legislation would require drugmakers to disclose and justify price hikes. The industry has taken to Facebook and Twitter, warning that the proposal could lead to medication shortages in some regions of the state.
Doctors Wrestle With Mixed Messages When Deciding Whether To Prescribe Painkillers
Though the CDC’s new prescribing guidelines follow a theme of less is more, another federal agency’s patient satisfaction surveys include questions about pain management that some say encourage doctors to prescribe the highly addictive medicines.
Filling A Prescription? You Might Be Better Off Paying Cash
Amid growing concern about rising drug costs, the practices of prescription benefit management firms are drawing a new level of attention.
California Insurance Commissioner Weighs In Against Aetna-Humana Deal
Commissioner says $37 billion deal would stifle market competition, raise health insurance rates and reduce access to care.
In Alameda County, A Big Data Effort To Prevent Frequent ER Visits
Hospitals share patient records of “super-users” to save money and avoid duplicating medical treatment.
Office Chatter: Your Doctor Will See You In This Telemedicine Kiosk
Employers and insurers are installing sophisticated kiosks in more workplaces so that workers can quickly consult a doctor offsite when they take ill at work.
