Latest KFF Health News Stories
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.
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.
Discharged, Dismissed: ERs Often Miss Chance To Set Overdose Survivors On ‘Better Path’
Only a small percentage of people who survived an opioid overdose received in the next year some form of drug abuse treatment, according to an analysis of West Virginia Medicaid claims data. Experts say the findings underscore a national disconnect.
Utah’s Novel Plan For Medicaid Expansion Opens Door To Spending Caps Sought By GOP
Utah’s proposal to limit federal and state funding on Medicaid is a radical change. Anti-poverty advocates are concerned that caps could limit how many people are enrolled and restrict services. They also worry other states would adopt a similar plan.
Seniors Aging In Place Turn To Devices And Helpers, But Unmet Needs Are Common
A new study examines how seniors with deteriorating strength and other physical functions deal with such challenges as taking a shower or getting dressed in the morning.
Utah Voters Approved Medicaid Expansion, But State Lawmakers Are Balking
Political fights over health care continue to flare. In Utah, angry voters say lawmakers are disregarding their wishes by trying to limit the scope of a ballot referendum that expanded Medicaid.
