Latest KFF Health News Stories
Liquid Gold: Pain Doctors Soak Up Profits By Screening Urine For Drugs
With the nation’s opioid crisis, urine testing has become a booming business and is especially lucrative for doctors who operate their own labs, a Kaiser Health News investigation finds. And dozens of practitioners have earned “the lion’s share” of their Medicare income exclusively from urine drug screens.
Sickle Cell Patients Suffer Discrimination, Poor Care — And Shorter Lives
People with the genetic blood disorder that mainly afflicts African-Americans can live into their 60s with competent care. So why is life expectancy slipping down to around age 40?
Insurer Tries A Soft Touch — Puppies! — For This Year’s Hard Sell Of Obamacare Plans
Open enrollment for health insurance on the Affordable Care Act exchanges started last week. Across the country, municipalities, insurers and grass-roots groups are working hard to help folks navigate the hoops.
Big Premium Hike? Blame It On The Kids
Premiums are rising for many reasons next year, and one is that insurers are charging a lot more for teenagers.
House Tax Bill Would Scrap Deduction For Medical Expenses
About 9 million people claimed about $87 billion in medical deductions in 2015.
House Republicans Aim To Yank Tax Credits For Orphan Drugs
House Republicans want to repeal federal tax credits that have helped spur a boom in orphan drugs for rare diseases.
Poll: Americans Avoid Planning For Serious Illness
A majority of Americans say it’s important to write down their medical wishes in case of serious illness, but only a third have done so.
Podcast: ‘What The Health?’ How Confused Are We?
In this episode of “What the Health?” Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Stephanie Armour of The Wall Street Journal, Joanne Kenen of Politico and Paige Winfield Cunningham of The Washington Post discuss the start of open enrollment under the Affordable Care Act, legislative efforts on Capitol Hill on taxes and children’s health insurance, and recommendations of the president’s opioid commission.
Funding For ACA Sign-Up Campaigns Varies Widely From State To State
States aren’t getting nearly as much federal money this year to explain and campaign for Affordable Care Act policies. Some are trying to make up the shortfall; others lack the cash or political will.
Rising Health Insurance Costs Frighten Some Early Retirees
Higher premiums loom for Americans in their late 50s and early 60s who are still too young for Medicare and don’t qualify for subsidies under Obamacare.
Stoked! Weed May Light The Flame For A Roll In The Hay
A new study of tens of thousands of Americans contradicts stereotypes that stoners have less sex.
Past-Due Premiums, Missing Tax Forms May Hamstring Marketplace Customers
People hoping to get federal subsidized marketplace coverage may need to make sure their 2017 premiums are paid and that they filed all the correct documents with their 2016 taxes.
Postcard From Canada: In The Land Of Single-Payer, Bernie Sanders Gets Hero’s Welcome
The Vermont senator found a friendly audience when he took his “Medicare-for-all message” to Canada.
Timeline: Insulin Market Under Scrutiny
A flurry of federal and state probes have targeted insulin manufacturers and pharmacy benefit managers — middlemen in the prescription drug-pricing pipeline. Here, we connect the legal dots.
Período de inscripción caótico pone en peligro cobertura de latinos
Una de las metas del Obamacare fue que los latinos accedieran a atención médica. Pero ese logro, se bajó el porcentaje de hispanos sin seguro de 43% en 2010 a menos del 25% en 2016, corre peligro en un período que comienza con incertidumbres.
Big Gains In Latino Health Coverage Poised To Slip During Chaotic Enrollment Season
Efforts in past years have cut uninsured rates among Hispanics from 43 to 25 percent, but navigators say they anticipate a challenging sign-up period.
Money For Health Law Navigators Slashed — Except Where It’s Not
Two states, North and South Carolina, have very different outlooks since the Trump administration cut funding for the people who help others sign up for health insurance.
Flurry Of Federal And State Probes Target Insulin Drugmakers And Pharma Middlemen
Over the past two years, a powerful federal prosecutor and several state attorneys general have launched investigations related to diabetes drugs.
Rural Areas — Already Short On Health Resources — Face Enrollment Hitches
Affordable Care Act supporters in Georgia say they are facing a daunting task in getting people signed up for health insurance.
Seeking A Peaceful Death Amid The Flames
During Northern California’s recent wildfires, dozens of hospice patients who had hoped to spend their last days in the comfort of their homes had to be relocated to evacuation shelters, assisted living facilities and relatives’ homes instead.
