Latest KFF Health News Stories
Hidden Stroke Victims: The Young
The number of hospitalizations for stroke is rising quickly among young people, even as it drops across the U.S. population as a whole.
California Court Helps Kids By Healing Parents’ Addictions
The opioid epidemic may be fueling a rise in the number of children in foster care. But a special family court is trying to keep families together by treating parents with substance abuse problems.
As The For-Profit World Moves Into An Elder Care Program, Some Worry
PACE, a little-known Medicare program that helps keep older people in their own homes, is allowing for-profit companies in. Tech and venture capital have expressed interest.
Government-Protected ‘Monopolies’ Drive Drug Prices Higher, Study Says
Researchers at Harvard University examined thousands of studies to determine why drug prices have climbed and what might be done about it.
Geriatric ERs Reduce Stress, Medical Risks For Elderly Patients
Overcrowding and chaos in traditional emergency rooms can harm seniors’ health. That’s prompting some hospitals to open ERs designed specifically for the elderly.
Public Health Officials Struggle To Identify Sepsis Before It Becomes Deadly
Consumer campaigns, hospital rules and some new state laws seek to increase awareness about the lethal disease.
CMS Identifies Hospitals Paid Nearly $1.5B In 2015 Medicare Billing Settlement
A year after settling billing disputes with 2,022 hospitals for 68 cents on the dollar, the government has revealed who got paid and how much.
Preventive Care, Specialists Key To Controlling Kidney Failure Treatment Costs
These findings in JAMA Internal Medicine also note the importance of coordinating care and, some experts say, could provide a model for other diseases.
Doctors, Hospitals Prepare For Difficult Talks Surrounding Medical Mistakes
MedStar Health is among the hospital systems nationwide that are setting up support systems to help doctors talk openly to patients and their families when treatments go awry.
‘More At Peace’: Interpreters Key To Easing Patients’ Final Days
But more training is needed for such translators to do their jobs well, without miscommunications and misunderstandings.
Puberty Blockers May Improve The Mental Health Of Transgender Adolescents
Putting sexual development on hold gives children a breather as they consider transitioning to the opposite gender. But when to begin?
Insurance Doesn’t Ensure Children Get Needed Visual Exams, Study Says
Researchers estimate thousands of children suffer two debilitating eye conditions because they don’t get proper exams while young.
Survey: Millions More Californians Insured After Obamacare Launch, Medicaid Expansion
But the remaining uninsured are tough to reach.
Obamacare Marketplace Shakeout Rocks Arizona, Southeast
Fewer choices in 2017 health care plans await consumers in dozens of markets where Aetna, UnitedHealthcare and Humana are pulling out, but withdrawals may hit Arizona, the Carolinas, Georgia and parts of Florida hardest.
California Lawmaker Pulls Plug On Drug Price Transparency Bill
The legislation would have required drug companies to notify the state and insurers about expensive new treatments or price hikes.
Genetic Insights About Health Risks Limited By Lack Of Diversity, Study Finds
A study in the New England Journal of Medicine detailed how the diagnoses of risk for a common hereditary heart disease may have been skewed because studies have traditionally had low numbers of black participants.
People With Obamacare Plans Filled More Prescriptions, But Had Lower Costs
A study explores how coverage gains resulting from the federal health law may have changed people’s health care habits and spending.
Licensing Logjam For California Nurses
A big backlog of applications at the state’s licensing board is holding up hiring by hospitals and making it difficult for recent nurse graduates — and experienced nurses from out of state — to work.
Medical Providers Try Uber, Lyft For Patients With Few Transportation Options
Some hospitals and other medical providers are experimenting with ride-hailing services to help patients without access to cars get to their appointments.
Elderly Patients In The Hospital Need To Keep Moving
Spending too much time in their hospital beds can leave older patients sicker than when they were first admitted.
