Latest KFF Health News Stories
Screening Positive For Depression Doesn’t Mean You’ll Get Treatment, Study Finds
A study in JAMA Internal Medicine suggests that patients known as the “worried well” are actually the highest utilizers of mental health care — and likely to receive antidepressants.
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.
California Lawmaker Pulls Plug On Drug Price Transparency Bill
The legislation would have required drug companies to notify the state and insurers about expensive new treatments or price hikes.
People With Obamacare Plans Filled More Prescriptions, But Had Lower Costs
A study explores how coverage gains resulting from the federal health law may have changed people’s health care habits and spending.
Fraud Concerns Emerge As Compounding Drug Sales Skyrocket
Federal spending has soared for drugs that are handmade in local pharmacies, and federal investigators are raising concerns about fraud or overbilling.
Busting Myths About Mental Illness
Mental illness is common — and so are misperceptions about it. These too-often-believed myths can be harmful to you and your loved ones.
Sounds Like A Good Idea? Regulating Drug Prices
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.
Medical Marijuana Linked To Modest Budget Benefits For Medicare Part D, Study Finds
A Health Affairs study determines that Part D spending went down slightly on prescription drugs for which medical marijuana is viewed as a possible alternative.
Study: Brand-Name Drugs’ High Copays Soak Medicare Part D Patients
A study in Health Affairs finds Medicare Part D beneficiaries were charged copays averaging 10.5 times more for Crestor and Nexium than generic drugs would have cost them.
Medicaid, Private Insurers Begin To Lift Curbs On Pricey Hepatitis C Drugs
Over the past few months, Massachusetts, Florida, New York, Delaware and Washington have lifted restrictions on the expensive medications, and private insurers around the country are also making the changes.
Anthem, Express Scripts Face Legal Challenge Over Prescription Drug Prices
The case alleges that insured consumers were overcharged because of a contract agreement.
California Drug Price Measure Fiercely Opposed By Pharmaceutical Industry
Proposed legislation would require drugmakers to disclose and justify price hikes. The industry has taken to Facebook and Twitter, warning that the proposal could lead to medication shortages in some regions of the state.
Filling A Prescription? You Might Be Better Off Paying Cash
Amid growing concern about rising drug costs, the practices of prescription benefit management firms are drawing a new level of attention.
Report From Key Calif. Agency Raises Concerns About Proposal To Cut Drug Prices
Staff researchers at California’s largest public buyer of health benefits say the goal of reducing drug costs for the state is appealing but might not work in the real world.
Advisory Panel Targets Rising Medicare Drug Costs In Its Latest Report To Congress
The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission outlined a package of changes to Medicare’s drug program that could save billions of dollars.
FDA Eases Paperwork To Help Some Patients Get Experimental Drugs
The Food and Drug Administration has introduced a simplified form that doctors will use to seek FDA approval to treat seriously ill patients with experimental drugs after other options run out.
Florida Stores Help Consumers Buy Imported Drugs Despite Federal Ban
Thousands of Floridians patronize storefront businesses that help them buy cheaper drugs online from Canada and other countries, but the Food and Drug Administration calls the practice illegal and risky.
Inventing A Machine That Spits Out Drugs In A Whole New Way
A refrigerator-sized machine could someday make lifesaving drugs on site when outbreaks occur or where medicine is in short supply, like on the battlefield.
FDA Considering Pricey Implant As Treatment For Opioid Addiction
The FDA could soon approve an implantable form of a drug used to treat opioid addiction. While the approach helped patients avoid relapse in tests, its price may be prohibitive for some, doctors say.
Medicare’s Drug-Pricing Experiment Stirs Opposition
A proposal to change the way Medicare pays for some drugs has set off intense reaction and lobbying — all tied to a common theme: How far should the government go in setting prices for prescription drugs?
