Latest KFF Health News Stories
Patients Question How FDA Approves Medical Devices
High-profile failures of implantable medical devices — such as certain hip joints and pelvic mesh — have prompted the Food and Drug Administration to revise its assessment process.
This Time When My Water Breaks, Take Me To A Hospital Without Surprise Bills
New research shows how an experience with surprise medical bills can guide patients’ future decision-making.
Must-Reads Of The Week From Brianna Labuskes
Newsletter editor Brianna Labuskes wades through hundreds of health articles from the week so you don’t have to.
Medicare Trims Payments To 800 Hospitals, Citing Patient Safety Incidents
The penalties are part of a program set up by the Affordable Care Act to prompt hospitals to pay more attention to safety issues that can lead to injuries, such as falls or hospital-acquired infections.
Americans Ready To Crack Down On Drug Prices That Force Some To Skip Doses
In a new poll, consumers give thumbs up to ads that display drug prices and the removal of barriers to generics, among other cost-cutting measures.
Podcast: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’ ‘Medicare-For-All’ Debate: Who’s Going To Pay
Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Paige Winfield Cunningham of The Washington Post and Jennifer Haberkorn of the Los Angeles Times join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss the new “Medicare-for-all” bill introduced by House Democrats, the grilling of pharmaceutical company CEOs by a Senate committee and new Trump administration rules that take aim at Planned Parenthood. Plus, Rovner interviews KHN’s Julie Appleby about the latest “Bill of the Month” installment.
Listening To Older Patients Who Want To Stop Dialysis
Older adults with advanced kidney disease sometimes want to stop dialysis but often meet resistance from doctors, new research shows. We explore options available to these patients, including conservative care.
Despite 1991 Ruling, Foes Of New Family Planning Rules See Law On Their Side
Lawyers seeking to block the Trump administration’s decision to alter rules for the Title X family planning program say their efforts will not be stymied by the Supreme Court’s approval of similar rules 28 years ago. They point to new protections enacted in the Affordable Care Act and language in funding bills that shifts the legal calculus.
Detention Centers In California Lack Oversight And Proper Care, Reports Find
Health and safety problems at immigration detention facilities throughout California pose a serious risk to detainees, according to two reports released Tuesday. State Attorney General Xavier Becerra and California State Auditor Elaine Howle concluded that federal and local governments are failing to adequately oversee the facilities, allowing the problems to persist.
Pharma Execs Dig In For A Fight Against Outraged Senators
The Senate Finance Committee grilled executives from seven major drugmakers on Tuesday.
In Florida, Drug Importation From Canada Finds New Champions, Old Snags
The state’s governor said the plan has the full support of the White House. But the Trump administration was noncommittal about whether allowing states to buy and import cheaper drugs from up north could be the answer to the nation’s drug-pricing problem.
A Parent-To-Parent Campaign To Get Vaccine Rates Up
Kim Nelson started the group South Carolina Parents for Vaccines after learning that religious exemptions from vaccine requirements were way up in her community.
HHS Finalizes Rule Seeking To Expel Planned Parenthood From Family Planning Program
The new regulation would drop previous rules for the Title X program requiring that women with unintended pregnancies be told about all options, including abortion. It would also mandate that organizations separate facilities providing federally funded services from those providing abortions.
Talk About Déjà Vu: Senators Set To Re-Enact Drug Price Hearing Of 60 Years Ago
Tuesday’s Senate hearing with pharma CEOs will tackle the same issues as the famous Kefauver hearings in 1960.
Today’s Concerns About Drug Prices Echo The Past
Confrontational hearings 60 years ago sparked remarkably similar quotes about drug prices and health care policy.
Hey, Hey! Ho, Ho! Is Striking For School Nurses The Way To Go?
Inspired by Los Angeles teachers, who were promised 300 more school nurses after striking last month, unions in Denver, Oakland, Calif., and beyond are demanding more school nurses or better compensation for them.
Trump Plan To Beat HIV Hits Rough Road In Rural America
Health officials and doctors treating patients with HIV welcome the funding push, but warn that the strategies that work in progressive cities don’t necessarily translate to rural areas.
More States Say Doctors Must Offer Overdose Reversal Drug Along With Opioids
In an emerging new tactic against the rising toll of opioid deaths, California, Ohio, Virginia and Arizona are among the states requiring physicians to offer patients naloxone when they give them prescriptions for the powerful painkillers. The Food and Drug Administration is weighing a national recommendation to do so.
For 2020 Dem Hopefuls, ‘Medicare-For-All’ Is A Defining Issue, However They Define It
Support for “Medicare-for-all” is becoming a front-runner topic among Democratic presidential candidates. But the phrase is being used to describe any number of policies.
The High Cost Of Sex: Insurers Often Don’t Pay For Drugs To Treat Problems
Medicare and many private insurers view prescribing drugs to improve sexual function as a lifestyle issue that’s not medically necessary to pay for.
