Health Industry Archives - Page 26 of 201

New Year, New Congress, New Health Agenda

Episode 379

Jan. 9, 2025

Health is unlikely to be a top priority for the new GOP-led 119th Congress and President-elect Donald Trump. But it’s likely to play a key supporting role, with an abortion bill already scheduled for debate in the Senate. Meanwhile, it’s unclear when and how the new Congress will deal with the bipartisan bills jettisoned from the previous Congress’ year-end omnibus measure — including a major deal to rein in the power of pharmacy benefit managers. In this “catch up on all the news you missed” episode, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Shefali Luthra of The 19th, and Lauren Weber of The Washington Post join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more.

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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.

By Samantha Liss

Jan. 8, 2025

Diagnosis: Debt

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.

By Noam N. Levey

Jan. 7, 2025

A photograph of a man from the waist down who is facing away from the camera. He has his hands in the pockets of his shorts. His left leg is a prosthetic.

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.

By Michelle Andrews

Jan. 6, 2025

A pile of medical syringes on wooden background.

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

Jan. 3, 2025

A grid of 12 photos each showing a portrait of a person or a person and their child.

Bill of the Month

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.

Dec. 30, 2024

A photo of a gavel resting on a stack of money.

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

Dec. 20, 2024

A photo illustration showing a stethoscope and hundred dollar bills coming from behind the U.S. capitol building.

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.

By Julie Appleby

Dec. 20, 2024

Letters to the Editor

Readers Offer ‘Solo Agers’ Support and Reflect on Ancestors

KFF Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.

Dec. 20, 2024

Health Brief

Federal ACA Marketplace Enrollment Lagging

By Julie Appleby

Dec. 19, 2024

A photo of hands typing on a laptop keyboard.

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.

By Julie Appleby

Dec. 19, 2024

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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.

By Noam N. Levey

Dec. 18, 2024

A photo of Mark Cuban speaking into a microphone.

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

Dec. 18, 2024

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

Dec. 16, 2024

A portrait of a middle-aged woman standing in a grassy field with mountains in the background on a sunny day.

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

Dec. 16, 2024

A close up photo of a doctor's hands putting on blue sterilized surgical gloves in a medical setting.

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.

By Elisabeth Rosenthal

Dec. 13, 2024

What the Health? From KFF Health News

A Killing Touches Off Backlash Against Health Insurers

Episode 376

Dec. 12, 2024

The 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.

By Katheryn Houghton

Dec. 11, 2024

A middle-aged woman sits at a computer desk and smiles in the direction of the camera.

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.

By Jazmin Orozco Rodriguez

Dec. 10, 2024

A portrait of a husband and wife standing on their porch. They face the camera with a serious expression.

The Only Hospital in Town

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

Dec. 6, 2024

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