Latest KFF Health News Stories
Fact Check: Who’s Right On Protections For Preexisting Conditions? It’s Complicated
Consumers favor ACA’s safeguards on the promise that patients who have health problems can get insurance. In the heat of the midterm campaigns, politicians in both parties agree, but their arguments don’t always add up.
‘Grossly Unfair’? Widower Takes Ban On Military Injury Claims To Supreme Court
When a young Navy lieutenant died following low-risk childbirth, her husband claimed military doctors botched her care. But his wrongful death claim was dismissed because of a 1950 ruling that bars active-duty service members from suing the U.S. government — for any reason.
Will Maine Voters Decide To Make Aging In Place Affordable?
A ballot initiative in Maine proposes that free home care services be available to all residents who need help with at least “one daily activity.”
Doctors Give Medicare’s Proposal To Pay For Telemedicine Poor Prognosis
Federal officials are proposing that Medicare pay doctors for a 10-minute “check-in” call with beneficiaries. But many doctors already do this for free, and the plan would require a cost-sharing charge of many patients.
No More Secrets: Congress Bans Pharmacist ‘Gag Orders’ On Drug Prices
Congress approved two bills last month that prohibit provisions keeping pharmacists from telling patients when they can save money by paying the cash price instead of the price negotiated by their insurance plan.
Spurred By Convenience, Millennials Often Spurn The ‘Family Doctor’ Model
These young adults are looking for medical care that is convenient, fast and offers cost transparency. They frequently seek treatment at retail clinics, urgent care centers or other options.
Black Market For Suboxone Gives Some A Glimpse Of Recovery
Addiction experts argue that buprenorphine, which drug users buy on the street, actually saves lives because it is used in place of more dangerous substances, like heroin and fentanyl.
The Feds’ Termination Of A Tiny Contract Inflames Bitter Fight Over Fetal Tissue
Just weeks before midterm elections, a move by federal health officials spotlights a contentious issue: the use of human fetal tissue in research. Here’s what you need to know to understand the debate.
Medicare Advantage Plans Shift Their Financial Risk To Doctors
Some private Medicare Advantage plans are offering large physician-management companies more money upfront and control of their patients’ care, but the doctors are responsible for staying within the budget.
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.
Patient Advocacy Or Political Ploy? Union, Industry Square Off Over Dialysis Initiative
The measure, which will appear on the November ballot, seeks to cap industry profits. The SEIU-UHW union has raised almost $17 million, but opponents from the industry have invested more than four times that.
In The Battle To Control Drug Costs, Old Patent Laws Get New Life
Health insurers and pharmacy benefit managers are exploring how two legal provisions — which have been on the books for decades — could bring down the price tags of certain prescription medications.
Managing Your Mental Health While Managing A Newsroom’s Social Media
Reflections on coping with a new high-stress profession.
Congress Targets Misuse Of Hospice Drugs
In the bipartisan opioid bill headed to the president’s desk, hospice workers would be allowed to destroy patients’ unneeded opioids, reducing the risk that families misuse them.
Podcast: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’ Some Things Old, Some Things New
In this episode of KHN’s “What the Health?” Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Rebecca Adams of CQ Roll Call, Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times and Kimberly Leonard of the Washington Examiner discuss final action on bills in Congress to address the opioid epidemic and fund federal health agencies. They also look at new efforts by the Food and Drug Administration to crack down on teen nicotine use.
Without Safety Net Of Kids Or Spouse, ‘Elder Orphans’ Need Fearless Fallback Plan
Older adults who lack a conventional support system should plan ahead to deal with life’s predictable challenges as they age.
VA Adding Opioid Antidote To Defibrillator Cabinets For Quicker Overdose Response
A project that started in a Boston Veterans Affairs facility will soon go nationwide. It puts naloxone, also known as Narcan, into emergency supplies cabinets throughout the VA system.
Drugmakers Play The Patent Game To Lock In Prices, Block Competitors
Pharmaceutical companies like Purdue Pharma, maker of OxyContin, often win patents for incremental changes with debatable value. Now there’s a twist involving an opioid treatment.
Feds Settle Huge Whistleblower Suit Over Medicare Advantage Fraud
A DaVita subsidiary will pay $270 million over allegations that it cheated the federal government for years.
Immigrants’ Health Premiums Far Exceed What Plans Pay For Their Care
Immigrants accounted for nearly 13 percent of premiums paid to private plans but only about 9 percent of insurers’ expenditures, according to a new study in Health Affairs. The cost of care for the group of native-born customers, however, exceeded their premiums.
