Latest KFF Health News Stories
Insurance Commissioners Say Help Offered By Congress Is Not Enough To Save Market
Making needed fixes to Obamacare before next year may be more difficult — and expensive — than Senate leaders think, state insurance commissioners suggested at a Senate hearing Wednesday.
Vital Health Officials You’ve Never Heard Of: Insurance Commissioners In The Hot Seat
The fate of the Affordable Care Act’s individual insurance marketplaces remains in play as state insurance commissioners take a central role in the debate.
Dying At Home In An Opioid Crisis: Hospices Grapple With Stolen Meds
As more patients receive hospice care at home, some of the powerful, addictive drugs they’re prescribed are ending up in the wrong hands.
Oregon, Texas Are Latest States To Put Down Markers On Abortion Coverage
The governors of both states signed abortion legislation last week. Texas will restrict insurance coverage while Oregon will require that it be covered.
Medi-Cal Sued For Pushing Patients Into Managed Care Despite Judges’ Orders
Advocates say California’s Medicaid program is violating its own rules by overturning decisions that would allow seriously ill patients to stay out of managed care and keep their doctors.
Programa contra la tuberculosis en Texas podría reproducirse a nivel nacional
En 20 condados se están realizando pruebas a personas vulnerables, para saber si tienen tuberculosis latente, una condición que pone a la persona en un riesgo mucho mayor de desarrollar tuberculosis activa.
South Texas Fights Tuberculosis One Blood Test At A Time
A Medicaid-funded effort in San Antonio seeks to test vulnerable populations for latent TB infections.
Health Gap Widens Between Appalachia And Rest Of The U.S.
In the early 1990s, people in this economically depressed region lagged only slightly behind other parts of the country. Today, rates of infant mortality in Appalachia are significantly higher than elsewhere, and the difference in life expectancy has grown noticeably.
‘Bureaucratic Ninjas’ Slice Red-Tape To Battle Health Disparities
A person’s ZIP code can be as important to her health as her genetic code. One large health system has begun to tackle the social challenges that influence a person’s health by asking questions and giving extra help to people in need.
Even Without Congress, Trump Can Still Cut Medicaid Enrollment
The Trump administration is poised to grant states waivers that some critics say could change the shape of the program.
Analysis: GOP Failure To Replace The Health Law Was Years In The Making
As postmortems mount regarding the collapse of the Senate Republican health plan, it’s clear how complex political and policy issues worked against the replacement effort.
Sin rechazar el Obamacare, Trump todavía puede desmantelar el Medicaid
Funcionarios de salud del presidente Donald Trump podrían diseñar una inscripción más baja, aprobando solicitudes de varios estados republicanos ansiosos por controlar los presupuestos del Medicaid.
States Have Tried Versions Of ‘Skinny Repeal.’ It Didn’t Go Well.
Republican senators are warming to the idea of a scaled-back plan that would delete the Affordable Care Act’s individual and employer mandates but leave the rest of law generally intact. But this approach has caused difficulties in the past.
Opioid Treatment Funds In Senate Bill Would Fall Far Short Of Needs
The $45 billion for opioid treatment in the Senate bill sounds like a lot of money, but an advocate estimates it would provide $1,000 to $2,000 per year for each person in Pennsylvania who might need treatment. Meanwhile, one year of methadone treatment for opioid addiction costs about $4,700 per year,
Postcard From Capitol Hill: Lawmakers Put Women’s Health Care In Its Place
Where women prefer to go for health care becomes a proxy for the abortion debate.
Cinco poderosas razones por las que fracasó el proyecto de salud republicano
Mientras surgen los análisis post-mortem sobre el colapso del plan de salud republicano del Senado, es claro cómo problemas politicos y de legislación obraron en contra del esfuerzo por reemplazar ACA.
In Massachusetts, Proposed Medicaid Cuts Put Kids’ Health Care At Risk
Doctors, consumers and politicians say big federal cuts to Medicaid funding would jeopardize the treatment a lot of kids rely on. The state would either have to make up lost funding or cut benefits.
In Texas, People With Mental Illness Find Work Helping Peers
Peer support, well-known in addiction treatment, is gaining ground for people with serious mental illness. Texas and 35 other states are training and paying peer support specialists to help bridge a gap in mental health treatment.
Crippling Medicaid Cuts Could Upend Rural Health Services
Patient advocates say that the Senate Republicans’ proposal to change federal funding for Medicaid could lead to more shutdowns of rural facilities, reduced payments to doctors and fewer programs for people with health needs or disabilities.
Millions Of Kids Fall Outside Senate Plan To Shield Disabled From Medicaid Cuts
The Republican plan to replace Obamacare would reduce federal funding for Medicaid, but senators want to keep current funding levels for children who are blind or have other disabilities. Their proposal, however, would not apply to the majority of those kids.