Latest KFF Health News Stories
Costly Hepatitis C Treatments Help Drive 12 Percent Drug Spending Jump
Increases are expected to moderate as more brand-name drug patents expire and the impact of the liver disease treatments lessens.
Big Changes For 2015 Workplace Plans: Watch Out For These Six Possible Pitfalls
Consumers who get health insurance through their employers need to pay close attention this year to their enrollment materials.
Pacemakers Get Hacked On TV, But Could It Happen In Real Life?
Concerns about the potential vulnerability of medical devices are getting the attention of regulators, health care providers and manufacturers.
Laws Spreading That Allow Terminal Patients Access To Experimental Drugs
Five states have approved the measures this year, but critics note that they don’t address the issues of patient costs and don’t mean the drug makers will necessarily make the medications available.
You Paid What? How Negotiated Deals Hide Health Care’s Cost
A patient’s portion of a health care bill is a complicated equation – but it’s simple compared to the deals between insurers and hospitals.
Employers With Workers In Several States Face Challenge Using SHOP Exchanges
Each state may have different options and regulations.
How The Health Law Is Using Medicare To Improve Hospital Quality
Among the tools: penalties for admitting patients too soon after they were discharged and a focus on reducing hospital-acquired infections.
Florida Hospitals Could Lose Billions Without Medicaid Expansion, Group Warns
Federal funding cuts made by the ACA and other programs will hit safety net hospitals hard.
The Future Is Uncertain For The National Children’s Study
What was once considered a ground-breaking U.S. study to track the health of children from birth to adulthood may be stopped before its official start, causing alarm for researchers who say its findings are crucial to developing prevention strategies for a range of childhood illnesses.
How Employers Are Getting Ready For Open Enrollment
Some large employers will face penalties if they don’t offer workers health insurance in 2015. In addition, workers can expect to see increased cost-sharing and employers pushing them to “private exchanges” to save money.
Kidney Dialysis Company Expands Into The Hospital Business
DaVita HealthCare Partners, a kidney dialysis company, is picking up on a new way insurers and the government are paying for health care — by keeping people healthy through primary care.
Thinking About Enrolling In Obamacare? Keep These 5 Tips In Mind
The online health insurance marketplaces open on Nov. 15 for three months. Here’s a checklist of several things to consider.
How Much Is That MRI, Really? Massachusetts Shines A Light
A state law now requires insurers to reveal prices of their medical tests, and the variation is amazing, bargain hunters say. An MRI of the back is $614 at one place; $1,800 at another.
Soda Tax Succeeds In Berkeley, Fizzles In San Francisco
The nation’s first tax on sugary drinks aims to combat obesity and diabetes, with a penny-per-ounce levy.
Obamacare Still Has “Back-End Issues”
While consumers may experience easier navigation, insurers are likely to have continuing difficulties, which could result in double-billing and other problems.
Hospitals Take Cues From The Hospitality Industry
Satisfied patients have better health outcomes and, not incidentally, boost hospitals’ bottom lines under new Medicare reimbursement rules.
L.A. County Officials Demand Details On Reduced Nursing Home Penalties
The order follows a Kaiser Health News report detailing three fatal cases in which sources say recommended nursing home citations were downgraded.
Medicaid Expansion Could Be In Play In Georgia After Election Day
Gov. Nathan Deal, a Republican, opposes the program’s expansion and signed a law giving final say to the Republican-controlled Legislature. But Democratic challenger Jason Carter, a state senator, says that if he were elected governor, he would seek a “creative solution” with state lawmakers.
With Good Hospital Practices, Emory Rises To Ebola Challenge
The same Atlanta hospital that treated the first U.S. Ebola patient in August discharged its fourth patient Tuesday. All survived. Patients in isolation need extra emotional support, the team says.
Medicare Changes Could Limit Patient Access To ALS Communication Tools
Patient advocates say that, because of an official coverage reminder “the door is closing” for ALS patients who depend on Medicare to get speech-generation devices.
