Latest KFF Health News Stories
Federal Shutdown Mostly Spares Health Coverage, But Other Issues Loom
The length of the shutdown will dictate how furloughed and unpaid workers will be affected.
Emergency Medical Responders Confront Racial Bias
In a recent study of patients treated by emergency medical responders in Oregon, black patients were 40 percent less likely to get pain medicine than their white peers. Why?
Addiction Rooted In Childhood Trauma, Says Prominent Specialist
Dr. Gabor Maté of British Columbia recently visited Sacramento and laid out his theories in an interview with California Healthline.
Where Abortion Fights Will Play Out In 2019
Expect more aggressive regulatory action from the Trump administration while skirmishes continue in Congress and statehouses across the country. Many of these policies will ultimately be challenged in court.
To Get Mental Health Help For A Child, Desperate Parents Relinquish Custody
To get care for their 12-year-old son’s severe mental illness, Toni and Jim Hoy had to give up custody of him and allow the state of Illinois to care for him. It happens to hundreds, perhaps thousands of children each year. The exact number is unknown because two-thirds of states do not keep track.
Health Care Industry Spends $30B A Year Pushing Its Wares, From Drugs To Stem Cell Treatment
Critics say patients are often misled by ads that advocate high-priced drugs or genetic tests.
Newsom Comes Out Swinging On Day One For Single-Payer, Immigrant Coverage
Just hours into his tenure as California’s new governor, Democrat Gavin Newsom proposed major plans to insure more Californians, including state-funded financial aid for health insurance and a requirement for Californians to have coverage.
Medicaid Plans Cover Doctors’ Visits, Hospital Care — And Now Your GED
These private insurers say improving education can help enrollees achieve a healthier lifestyle, so some pay for the tests and find ways to assist people studying for the exams.
After Bitter Closure, Rural Texas Hospital Defies The Norm And Reopens
The 25-bed hospital in Crockett, Texas, abruptly closed its doors in 2017, joining the ranks of nearly 100 rural hospitals that have shut down in the past decade. But the community kept the faith and several doctors reopened the facility this year.
Democrats Fight Back Against Lawsuit Threatening Health Law
Among the first things Democrats did after officially taking control of the House was to express support for efforts to appeal a Texas district court decision declaring the Affordable Care Act unconstitutional.
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.
Medicaid Patients In Puerto Rico Don’t Get Coverage For Drugs To Cure Hepatitis C
The program that provides health care for about half of the U.S. territory’s population cannot afford to cover the drugs.
Podcast: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’ Ask Us Anything!
From Medicare dental coverage to drug prices to fetal tissue research, the panelists answer listeners’ questions. Joanne Kenen of Politico, Stephanie Armour of The Wall Street Journal and Paige Winfield Cunningham of The Washington Post join KHN’s Julie Rovner.
How The Government Shutdown Affects Health Programs
Medicare and Medicaid are fine, but the food safety component of the Food and Drug Administration and bio-threat surveillance done by the Department of Homeland Security are among the public health functions feeling the pinch.
En Route To Congress, California Democrats Hit Wall On ‘Medicare-For-All’
California’s incoming congressional delegation will be the largest in the U.S. House of Representatives to support progressive health care policies such as “Medicare-for-all.” But the political reality of a Republican Senate and president means that they will need to pursue ideas that “aren’t pie in the sky.”
Insured But Still In Debt: 5 Jobs Pulling In $100K A Year No Match For Medical Bills
An Arizona couple played by the rules and bought employer-provided health insurance. But after they had a baby this year, their out-of-pocket hospital costs and doctors’ bills climbed to more than $12,000 — and medical debt now threatens their new family.
Up To A Third Of Knee Replacements Pack Pain And Regret
Many patients face lingering pain and disappointment after undergoing knee replacement surgery, which costs an average $31,000. And doctors are increasingly concerned that the procedure is overused and that its benefits have been oversold.
Massachusetts Stroke Patient Receives ‘Outrageous’ $474,725 Medical Flight Bill
After a 34-year-old woman suffered a stroke in Kansas, doctors there arranged for her to be transferred to a Boston hospital, via an Angel MedFlight Learjet. The woman and her father believed the cost of the medical flight would be covered by her private insurance. Then they got the bill.
Refund On The Way To Latest ‘Bill Of The Month’ Patient
Ski buff Sarah Witter will get $6,358.26 back from her hospital and insurer after a careful review of her bill following the KHN-NPR story on her case.
‘Don’t Wash That Bird!’ And Other (Often Unheeded) Food Safety Advice
Washing poultry or meat before cooking it can do more harm than good — spreading pathogens that can be killed only in the cooking process. But the practice persists. Here’s what you need to know this holiday season.
