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Latest KFF Health News Stories

Sky-High Prices For Orphan Drugs Slam American Families And Insurers

KFF Health News Original

Orphan drugs for rare diseases have helped or saved hundreds of thousands of patients like 2-year-old Luke Whitbeck, but families and insurers are picking up the astronomical cost.

Drugmakers Manipulate Orphan Drug Rules To Create Prized Monopolies

KFF Health News Original

Drugmakers have brought almost 450 orphan drugs to market and collected rich incentives but nearly a third of those products aren’t new or were repurposed multiple times, an investigation shows.

Timeline: The Orphan Drug Act

KFF Health News Original

Follow the twists and turns of the orphan drug industry over the past three decades.

Video Highlights: Trump Vows Replacement Will Pass At Same Time As Health Repeal

KFF Health News Original

President-elect Donald Trump says his administration will offer its plan to overhaul the federal health law once Rep. Tom Price is confirmed as the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.

A Peer Recovery Coach Walks The Frontlines Of The Opioid Epidemic

KFF Health News Original

Charlie Oen was addicted to heroin as a teenager. At 25, he’s now clean and a peer counselor in Lima, Ohio, where he tries to help people who started using drugs before he was born.

769 Hospitals Penalized For Patient Safety In 2017: Data Table

KFF Health News Original

The federal government has cut payments to hospitals with high rates of patient injuries this year. Those hospitals will lose 1 percent of Medicare payments over the federal fiscal year, which runs from October 2016 through next September. Maryland hospitals are exempted from penalties because that state has a separate payment arrangement with Medicare. Below […]

Hospital Surprise: Medicare’s Observation Care

KFF Health News Original

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.

Sounds Like A Good Idea? Regulating Drug Prices

KFF Health News Original

Presidential candidates from both parties have proposals they say would help lower the cost of prescription drugs. But most experts say that efforts to regulate prices might not end up saving much money.

Sounds Like A Good Idea? Selling Insurance Across State Lines

KFF Health News Original

Republicans have long touted a proposal to allow insurers to sell across state lines as a way to help keep coverage costs down. But there are some significant obstacles to making such a system work, as this video points out.

Health Care’s Hard Realities On The Reservation: A Photo Essay

KFF Health News Original

For American Indians on the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation in South Dakota, getting health care can be a weeks-long proposition, and it has some moving away from their homes and families seeking better access.

Why Did The Supreme Court Uphold The Health Law’s Subsidies?

KFF Health News Original

The Supreme Court Thursday upheld a key part of the 2010 health law – tax subsidies for people who buy health insurance on marketplaces run by the federal government. KHN’s Mary Agnes Carey discusses the decision with Stuart Taylor Jr., of the Brookings Institution, and KHN’s Julie Appleby.

KHN Video: The Supreme Court Decision In King v. Burwell Could Affect Your Wallet

KFF Health News Original

Confused about the latest challenge to the Affordable Care Act before the Supreme Court? The justices are expected to rule on the King v. Burwell case by the end of the month. Here’s what you need to know about it — in less than 2 minutes.

KHN Video: Momentary Healing

KFF Health News Original

Wynne Lee, 17, struggled with depression and cultural expectations for several years. The teen from Diamond Bar, California, is like many kids from Asian American families who often have trouble finding appropriate treatment.