Latest KFF Health News Stories
Hospitals Say They’re Being Slammed By Drug Price Hikes
In a report out Tuesday, hospital groups said drug prices have skyrocketed since 2013, triggering a huge increase in what hospitals spend on pharmaceuticals.
Dialysis At Home? Medicare Wants More Patients To Try It
Nationwide, fewer than 10 percent of people who need kidney dialysis do it at home. But close to 40 percent of patients of a Montana doctor do it at home. Medicare is hoping it’s a trend.
Pricey New Treatment Roils Issues Of How To Treat Prostate Cancer
High-intensity focused ultrasound, often not covered by insurance, leads to discussions about which patients benefit in the real world.
Health Law Targets Women’s Preventive Services, But It Offers Help To Men, Too
A number of preventive services used by both men and women are now available at no cost to consumers.
Poll Finds Majority Of Americans Want Restraints On Drug Prices
As the spiraling costs attract headlines, many people are looking to the government to rein in prescription drug prices, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation poll.
It’s Not Just For Kids: Medicare EpiPen Spending Up 1,100 Percent
The number of prescriptions for Medicare beneficiaries is on the rise, too.
Study Finds Seniors Benefit When Asked How To Help Them
A federally funded research project in Baltimore has potential to help aging-in-place efforts elsewhere, a study in Health Affairs reports.
How To Fight For Yourself At The Hospital — And Avoid Readmission
This new column explains what older adults and their families can do to avoid hospital readmission.
Cardiac Rehab Improves Health, But Cost And Access Issues Complicate Success
Research shows exercise-based cardiac rehab programs help heart patients heal faster and live longer. But fewer than a third take part. Time and cost are the main barriers, doctors and patients say.
Patients, Fearing Pricey Follow-Ups, May Shy Away From Some Colon Cancer Tests
Most screening tests for colon cancer are covered by insurance but if they come back positive, they may require a diagnostic colonoscopy and that may not be covered completely by insurance.
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT: Hospital Surprise: Medicare’s Observation Care
You’re in a hospital and think you’re admitted. Maybe not. Many Medicare beneficiaries are surprised to learn that even after spending a couple of days, they are receiving observation care, which Medicare considers an outpatient service, so the seniors’ costs can be more than expected.
Protecting California’s Seniors From Surprise Hospital, Nursing Home Bills
Lawmakers approve bill to help Medicare patients with “observation care” costs.
FAQ: Hospital Observation Care Can Be Costly For Medicare Patients
A guide to help Medicare patients receiving observation care.
Hospital Surprise: Medicare’s Observation Care
You’re in a hospital and think you’re admitted. Maybe not. Many Medicare beneficiaries are surprised to learn that even after spending a couple of days, they are receiving observation care, which Medicare considers an outpatient service, so the seniors’ costs can be more than expected.
Doctors Raise Concerns For Small Practices In Medicare’s New Payment System
The government is laying out plans to use payment incentives to promote higher quality care, but physicians say the new system may be hard on solo practices and small groups.
As The For-Profit World Moves Into An Elder Care Program, Some Worry
PACE, a little-known Medicare program that helps keep older people in their own homes, is allowing for-profit companies in. Tech and venture capital have expressed interest.
Government-Protected ‘Monopolies’ Drive Drug Prices Higher, Study Says
Researchers at Harvard University examined thousands of studies to determine why drug prices have climbed and what might be done about it.
CMS Identifies Hospitals Paid Nearly $1.5B In 2015 Medicare Billing Settlement
A year after settling billing disputes with 2,022 hospitals for 68 cents on the dollar, the government has revealed who got paid and how much.
1965: The Year That Brought Civil Rights To The Nation’s Hospitals
A conversation with author David Barton Smith examines how civil rights activists working at the Social Security Administration and the Public Health Service in the 1960s used the new Medicare law to end racial discrimination at hospitals.
Medicare’s Readmission Penalties Hit New High
Medicare will withhold an estimated $528 million in 2017 from more than 2,500 hospitals that have too many patients returning within 30 days.
