Indiana State Senator Moves To Scrap Hospital Monopoly Law He Helped Create
After rival hospitals in Terre Haute scuttled plans to merge, a state senator has introduced a bill to forbid similar mergers by repealing a state law he helped write.
Health Industry
481 - 500 of 3,991 Results
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Biden Administration Bars Medical Debt From Credit Scores
The move, which comes less than two weeks before President-elect Donald Trump is set to take office, represents a challenge to the new administration.
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Health Insurers Limit Coverage of Prosthetic Limbs, Questioning Their Medical Necessity
Advocates say it is discrimination and are arguing for “insurance fairness” on the grounds that people who have joints surgically replaced typically don’t face the same kinds of coverage challenges.
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Syringe Exchange Fears Hobble Fight Against West Virginia HIV Outbreak
Health workers and researchers say an HIV outbreak in West Virginia that three years ago was called “the most concerning” in the U.S. continues to spread after state and local officials restricted syringe service programs.
By Taylor Sisk -
In Year 7, ‘Bill of the Month’ Gives Patients a Voice
In the seventh year of KFF Health News’ “Bill of the Month” series, patients shared their most perplexing, vexing, and downright expensive medical bills, and reporters analyzed $800,000 in charges — including more than $370,000 owed by 12 patients and their families.
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In Settling Fraud Case, New York Medicare Advantage Insurer, CEO Will Pay up to $100M
A whistleblower suit alleged a health insurer bilked Medicare by exaggerating how sick patients were.
By Fred Schulte -
Employers Press Congress To Cement Health Price Transparency Before Trump’s Return
Donald Trump’s first administration advanced rules forcing hospitals and insurers to reveal prices for medical services. Employers don’t want to risk backtracking during Trump’s second administration.
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Readers Offer ‘Solo Agers’ Support and Reflect on Ancestors
KFF Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
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Obamacare Sign-Ups Lag After Trump Election, Legal Challenges
The number of new and returning enrollees using healthcare.gov — the federal marketplace that serves 31 states — is well below last year’s as of early December. Also, a Biden administration push to give “Dreamers” access to Obamacare coverage and subsidies is facing court challenges.
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News Analysis
Rage Has Long Shadowed American Health Care. It’s Rarely Produced Big Change.
The outpouring of anger at health insurers following the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson continues a cycle of rage that dates back decades.
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How a Duty To Spend Wisely on Worker Benefits Could Loosen PBMs’ Grip on Drug Prices
As criticism of pharmacy benefit managers heats up, fear of lawsuits is driving some big employers to drop the “Big Three” PBMs — or force them to change.
By Arthur Allen -
Helicopters Rescued Patients in ‘Apocalyptic’ Flood. Other Hospitals Are at Risk, Too.
The helicopter evacuation of 70 people from a Tennessee hospital during Hurricane Helene is considered a success story. The building was destroyed by floodwaters, but no one died. In hindsight, why was it built next to a river?
By Lauren Sausser and Holly K. Hacker -
Native American Patients Are Sent to Collections for Debts the Government Owes
Federal law says Native Americans aren’t liable for medical bills the Indian Health Service promises to pay. Some are billed anyway as a result of backlogs or mistakes from the agency, financial middlemen, or health systems.
By Katheryn Houghton and Arielle Zionts -
Perspective
Removing a Splinter? Treating a Wart? If a Doctor Does It, It Can Be Billed as Surgery
Minor interventions are increasingly being rebranded and billed as surgery, for profit. This means a neurologist spending 40 minutes with a patient to tease out a diagnosis can be paid less for that time than a dermatologist spending a few seconds squirting a dollop of liquid nitrogen onto the skin.
A Killing Touches Off Backlash Against Health Insurers
Episode 376The shocking shooting death of UnitedHealthcare’s chief executive in Midtown Manhattan prompted a public outcry about the problems with the nation’s health care system, as stories of delayed and denied care filled social media. Meanwhile, President-elect Donald Trump continues to avoid providing specifics about his plans for the Affordable Care Act and other health issues. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call, and Rachel Cohrs Zhang of Stat join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Francis Collins, who was the director of the National Institutes of Health and a science adviser to President Joe Biden.
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Former Montana Health Staffer Rebukes Oversight Rules as a Hospital ‘Wish List’
The push-pull in Montana reflects a national tension as states try to decide what counts as fair checks on tax-exempt hospitals and industry players weigh in. The debate centers on whether nonprofit hospitals do enough good to earn their charitable status.
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Rural Governments Often Fail To Communicate With Residents Who Aren’t Proficient in English
Access to information in languages other than English is protected by various federal, state, and local policies. But researchers tracking them say that as rural America grows more diverse, people not proficient in English face added barriers to critical public health information and services.
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Six Years Into an Appalachia Hospital Monopoly, Patients Are Fearful and Furious
Ballad Health, with the largest state-sanctioned hospital monopoly in the nation, has failed for years to meet many quality-of-care goals, leaving some patients afraid of their local hospitals but with no other nearby options.
By Brett Kelman -
How Measles, Whooping Cough, and Worse Could Roar Back on RFK Jr.’s Watch
Inoculation campaigns that protect children and adults from dangerous diseases rely on a delicate web of state and federal laws and programs. If senior officials cast doubt on vaccine safety, the whole system might collapse, especially in red states.
By Arthur Allen