Latest KFF Health News Stories
Conservatives’ Goal To Relax Mandatory Health Benefits Unlikely To Tame Premiums
The federal health law requires most insurance plans to offer 10 specific categories of essential benefits. Conservatives would like to get rid of that rule in the hopes of bringing down premium costs.
What Doesn’t Kill You Can Maim: Unexpected Injuries From Opioids
Doctors are beginning to pay attention to injuries, such as brain damage or kidney failure, that can afflict people who survive an overdose.
For Doctors, A Clamp Down On Visas Could Have An Uneven Effect In The U.S.
New research shows that physicians getting H-1B visas account for just over 1 percent of all doctors, but some areas are much more likely to be seeking their services.
California Lawmakers Consider Mandatory Labels On Salon Products To Protect Workers
Bill would require disclosure of potentially harmful chemicals used in hair treatments, nail polish and other substances used in salons.
How To Help Alzheimer’s Patients Enjoy Life, Not Just ‘Fade Away’
Research shows that people with dementia can benefit significantly from efforts to ease communication, improve overall health and other key measures.
San Francisco Seeks To Ban Sale Of Menthol Cigarettes, Flavored Tobacco Products
A proposed ordinance would block access to menthol cigarettes, as well as e-cigarettes and smokeless tobacco with flavors such as chocolate, cherry or popcorn. Studies show such products are overwhelmingly favored by teenagers and some minorities.
Stalking the ‘Unknown Enemy’: Doctors Turn Scope On Rare Diseases
An NIH-funded network of hospitals uses advanced genetic science and nationwide collaboration to diagnose rare and sometimes undiscovered diseases.
California Hospitals Lose Ground In Quality Of Care, Report Card Shows
The nonprofit Leapfrog Group shows nearly half of California hospitals got a grade of C, D or F in patient safety measures — an increase from two years ago.
Nonprofit Linked To PhRMA Rolls Out Campaign To Block Drug Imports
The advocacy group behind an expensive media blitz opposing Canadian drug imports has deep ties to the drug industry’s largest trade group.
As California Weighs Soda Warning Labels, Tax In Berkeley Shown To Dilute Sales
Sales of sugary drinks dropped in the city by nearly 10 percent a year after tax took effect in 2015, while bottled water sales rose, researchers report.
Sen. Grassley Demands Scrutiny Of Medicare Advantage Plans
The powerful chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee wants the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to explain $125 million in overcharges by insurers.
Kids With Hepatitis C Get New Drugs And Coverage May Prove Easier Than For Adults
The drugs, approved by the FDA for children earlier this month, can run $100,000 for a course of treatment.
A New Worry For Smokers’ Families: ‘Thirdhand Smoke’
The chemical residue from cigarette smoke that can cling to walls, clothes and skin may present a danger to children.
Florida Congressman Draws Jeers At Home For Backing Failed GOP Health Care Plan
Rep. Brian Mast, a first-term Republican congressman, defends his party’s push to repeal Obamacare in a meeting with constituents but concedes its health care plan needs more work.
Tax Day Is Zero Hour For Health Insurance, Too
People who don’t have insurance coverage or get federal assistance to pay their insurance premiums need to take a little extra care when completing their tax forms.
Grasping For The Middle Ground On Obamacare
A University of Southern California professor says conservatives and liberals should split the difference: Scrap the exchanges and expand Medicaid.
Can We Tax Away The Opioid Crisis?
Lawmakers in California, like their counterparts in Congress, are considering a tax that would pay for addiction prevention and treatment efforts.
Repeal, Replace … Revise: Your Guide To How A Trump Proposal Might Change ACA Insurance
Even though the GOP health plan is stalled by intraparty negotiations, some big insurance changes are still in the works.
In Remote Idaho, A Tiny Facility Lights The Way For Stressed Rural Hospitals
In a region where bears outnumber people, a small medical facility sets a modern example for rural hospitals on life support.
As Some Holdout States Revisit Medicaid Expansion, New Data Show It Pays Off
Researchers concluded that because the federal government picked up so much of the tab of expanding eligibility for the low-income insurance program, expansion states didn’t have to skimp on other policy priorities to make ends meet.
