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Latest KFF Health News Stories

Congress Said COVID-19 Tests Should Be Free — But Who’s Paying?

KFF Health News Original

Some large employers interpreted themselves as exempt from new federal laws that say tests for the coronavirus should be free to patients. Large academic medical centers are holding back from sending bills to these patients to avoid a backlash over surprise billing.

KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: When It Comes To COVID-19, States Are On Their Own

KFF Health News Original

Just about every state is lifting some coronavirus-related restrictions, but it’s unclear how things are really going, considering data on the spread of the virus lags and may not be reliable. Meanwhile, the federal government continues to throw more responsibility for dealing with the pandemic to state and local governments. Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Kimberly Leonard of Business Insider and Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss this and more.

Reopening Dental Offices For Routine Care Amid Pandemic Touches A Nerve

KFF Health News Original

Most states ordered dental offices to close except for emergency patient care when the coronavirus hit the U.S. But the shutdown drilled deep into dentists’ finances, and they have been eager to reopen as states have relaxed their closures.

Scientist Has ‘Invisible Enemy’ In Sights With Microscopic Portraits Of Coronavirus

KFF Health News Original

As an electron microscopist at the National Institutes of Health’s Rocky Mountain Laboratories in Montana, Elizabeth Fischer has captured stunning images of emerging pathogens such as Ebola, the MERS coronavirus and now SARS-CoV-2.

Analysis: Get Ready For The Vaccine — They’re Never Simple

KFF Health News Original

Trials are an immense undertaking involving tens of thousands of participants. They’re likely to start this summer — but don’t expect quick results. And what’s a successful result, anyway?

‘Last Responders’ Seek To Expand Postmortem COVID Testing In Unexplained Deaths

KFF Health News Original

Early in the outbreak, some coroners and medical examiners didn’t have enough tests to use for people who died unexpectedly at home to see whether the coronavirus was a factor. Now, as testing gradually becomes widely available, more such mysteries could be solved.

Tourists, Beware: Foreign Visitors’ Travel Health Insurance Might Exclude Pandemics

KFF Health News Original

Many travel insurance plans offer health care coverage, but they could limit how much the insurer will pay or exclude coverage for health crises like the coronavirus pandemic. That may leave foreign travelers — unfamiliar with the way the American health system works ― on the hook for major expenses.

Medicaid Providers At The End Of The Line For Federal COVID Funding

KFF Health News Original

Congress authorized $100 billion for health care providers to help reimburse them for losses linked to the coronavirus pandemic. But the majority of that funding so far has gone to hospitals, doctors and other facilities that serve Medicare patients. Providers primarily serving low-income Medicaid populations and children have been largely left out.

‘An Arm And A Leg’: Angst And Advice From A Health Insurance Insider

KFF Health News Original

A podcast listener who works in the health insurance industry says that when you’re trying to untangle a problem with your health insurance company ask the representative on the phone to slow down. And if need be, don’t hesitate to ask to speak with a supervisor.

In The COVID Age, Bring A Mask And Gloves To A Protest

KFF Health News Original

After a police shooting in Indianapolis, activists held a protest — but, recognizing the dangers of the coronavirus in a crowd, many worked to make sure demonstrators took proper precautions.

In Reversal, Kansas Will Count All Positive COVID Cases, Even Asymptomatic Ones

KFF Health News Original

Following a KCUR report, Kansas officials said the state’s public reporting of pandemic trends will count all tests that come back positive for the new coronavirus, even when the patient has no symptoms.