Latest KFF Health News Stories
Congress Urged To Cut Medicare Payments To Many Stand-Alone ERs
As free-standing emergency departments multiply, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission recommends a 30 percent reduction in some federal reimbursements for those within 6 miles of a hospital.
Barbara Bush’s End-Of-Life Decision Stirs Debate Over ‘Comfort Care’
The former first lady’s announcement “not to seek additional medical treatment” and to focus on “comfort care” shone a light on end-of-life choices.
Safety Violations Compound Pain Of Painkiller Shortages
California and federal officials have cracked down on a major compounding pharmacy they say posed a threat to public safety, but their actions are worsening shortages of medications that doctors rely on to keep their patients out of pain.
‘Scary’ Lung Disease Now Afflicts More Women Than Men In U.S.
Barbara Bush’s case highlights that chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) — a disease linked to long-term smoking and traditionally considered a men’s disease — is now more prevalent among women.
PrEP Campaign Aims To Block HIV Infection And Save Lives In D.C.
Washington, D.C., is trying to stop new cases of HIV in the district by making sure residents who might be at risk are taking PrEP, medicine that cuts the risk of contracting the virus by 92 percent.
Podcast: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’ It’s Nerd Week
In this episode of KHN’s “What the Health?” Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Sarah Kliff of Vox.com, Stephanie Armour of The Wall Street Journal and Paige Winfield Cunningham of The Washington Post discuss the Trump administration’s latest effort to revise rules for next year’s Affordable Care Act marketplaces. They also discuss state efforts to stabilize their individual markets in light of some of the changes being made at the federal level.
What We Know And Don’t Know About Memory Loss After Surgery
Memory problems and trouble multitasking are among the symptoms of POCD, a little-known condition that affects a substantial number of older adults after surgery.
FDA Launches Criminal Investigation Into Unauthorized Herpes Vaccine Research
The Food and Drug Administration rarely prosecutes research violations, but its criminal division is looking into the experimental herpes vaccine research by Southern Illinois University professor William Halford.
Medical Marijuana’s ‘Catch-22’: Federal Limits On Research Hinder Patients’ Relief
Suffering Americans seek medical marijuana as an alternative to opioids and other powerful pharmaceuticals. Though legal in 29 states, some doctors say the lack of strong data makes it hard to recommend.
Make Room For Baby: After Giving Birth, Duckworth Presses Senate To Bend Rules
The Illinois Democrat is the first sitting senator to give birth. She’s using the opportunity to call for adjusting Senate rules to accommodate new parents.
Is There Such A Thing As Normal Aging?
Our experts track the signs of normal aging from ages 50 to 100 — and there are some surprises.
KHN On C-SPAN: Current Capitol Hill Thinking On Combating The Opioid Crisis
KHN’s Shefali Luthra offers insight into what federal and state officials are eyeing to help reduce addiction problems.
How A Drugmaker Turned The Abortion Pill Into A Rare-Disease Profit Machine
An abortion drug invented decades ago is being used to treat Cushing’s syndrome — and it’s bringing in tens of millions of dollars a year.
C-SPAN: FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb Talks To KHN
Kaiser Health News reporter Sarah Jane Tribble sat down with Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb on C-SPAN’s “Newsmakers” program. The conversation ranged from how the nation should combat the opioid epidemic to reining in drug prices.
Former California State Contractor Sued Over Breach Of HIV Patient Privacy
A lawsuit claims that a private company hired by the state public health department to manage enrollment in an AIDS drug assistance program for low-income patients inadvertently allowed unauthorized access to their medical status.
A Tale Of Two CT Scanners — One Richer, One Poorer
Why is the price of a CT scan 33 times higher in an hospital emergency room than in an outpatient imaging center just down the street?
Must-Reads Of The Week From Brianna Labuskes
Happy Friday! Welcome to the inaugural edition of KHN’s Friday Breeze. As the newsletter editor at Kaiser Health News, I read hundreds of health stories a week, and I’m here each Friday to sum up the more important ones — interesting reads, news that will have lasting impact, unique takes on the big problems in the […]
Dialysis Patients Sign Up For November Ballot Fight
Frustrated by dialysis centers they call dirty and understaffed, patients and health care workers rallied across California Thursday before delivering more than 600,000 signatures to election offices in support of a ballot initiative intended to improve patient care.
Patient Advocacy Groups Take In Millions From Drugmakers. Is There A Payback?
Kaiser Health News launches “Pre$cription for Power,” a groundbreaking database to expose Big Pharma’s ties to patient groups.
To Treat Pain, PTSD And Other Ills, Tennessee Vets Try Tai Chi
In hopes of reducing an over-reliance on pills for anxiety and pain, the Department of Veterans Affairs has taken a turn toward alternative medicine.
