Medicare

Latest KFF Health News Stories

Millions Of Diabetes Patients Are Missing Out On Medicare’s Nutrition Help

KFF Health News Original

Health experts say the little-used benefit represents a lost opportunity for older adults to improve their health — and for the program to save money by preventing costly complications from diabetes and chronic kidney disease.

Watch: Five Things To Know About Hunger Among America’s Aging

KFF Health News Original

One out of every 13 seniors in America struggles to get enough food to eat while the federal program intended to help hasn’t kept pace with the graying population. KHN Midwest editor/correspondent Laura Ungar explains what you need to know about this largely hidden problem.

Trump Promises ‘Phenomenal’ Health Plan. What Might That Mean?

KFF Health News Original

In the background, advisers weigh the risks of rolling out a comprehensive health care proposal. Peering into the crystal ball, here’s a glimpse of what could be included in the GOP plan.

KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: All About Medicare

KFF Health News Original

Before “Medicare for All,” there was just Medicare, the federal program that provides insurance to 60 million Americans. This week, KHN’s Julie Rovner talks to Tricia Neuman of the Kaiser Family Foundation about how Medicare works and whom it serves. Then, Joanne Kenen of Politico, Paige Winfield Cunningham of The Washington Post and Kimberly Leonard of the Washington Examiner join Rovner to talk about some current Medicare issues being debated in Washington, D.C.

Feds Pave The Way To Expand Home Dialysis — But Patients Hit Roadblocks

KFF Health News Original

What changes are needed to bring home dialysis to more patients — especially older adults, the fastest-growing group of patients with serious, irreversible kidney disease? We asked nephrologists, patient advocates and dialysis company officials for their thoughts.

Democrats’ Different Takes On Tackling Health Care

KFF Health News Original

KHN reporter Emmarie Huetteman joined Connecticut Public Radio’s Lucy Nalpathanchil on the “Where We Live” program Tuesday to talk about the variety of options that Democratic presidential candidates are proposing for voters.

KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: We Answer Your Questions

KFF Health News Original

You asked about drug prices, the “Cadillac tax” on generous insurance plans and why Americans don’t know that most other countries also have combination public-private insurance systems. This week, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico and Caitlin Owens of Axios join KHN’s Julie Rovner to answer those questions.

Watch: Defining The Debate On Health Care Coverage Options

KFF Health News Original

Politicians are throwing around a lot of terms when they talk about their health care plans: universal care, “Medicare for All,” “Medicare Buy-In.” KHN helps explain what they are talking about.

Going Down Fighting: Dying Activist Champions ‘Medicare For All’

KFF Health News Original

Presidential hopeful Elizabeth Warren tried to tell the story of Ady Barkan in the latest Democratic debate. He’s one of the most prominent advocates for “Medicare for All” and is spending his remaining time alive doing everything he can to make the case that all Americans need affordable health coverage.

Class-Action Lawsuit Seeks To Let Medicare Patients Appeal Gap in Nursing Home Coverage

KFF Health News Original

Medicare beneficiaries under observation care in the hospital can face higher costs for treatment and are not covered for nursing home care when discharged. A federal trial in Hartford, Conn., will determine whether the government’s ban on appeals involving observation care coverage is fair.

KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: Deciphering The Democrats’ Health Debate

KFF Health News Original

Health care was a major topic at the Democratic presidential candidate debates in Detroit on Tuesday and Wednesday, but the focus on plan minutiae may have left viewers more confused than edified. Alice Ollstein of Politico, Kimberly Leonard of the Washington Examiner and Caitlin Owens of Axios join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss the points made by the candidates plus a series of Trump administration health initiatives on drug prices and hospital shopping.