Latest KFF Health News Stories
People With HIV Are Less Likely To Get Cancer Treatment
New research finds that patients infected with the virus that causes AIDS are less likely to get treatment for nine common cancers than are people who don’t have HIV.
Study Of Birth Defects, Folic Acid In Foods Finds More Questions Than Answers
But the authors caution against concluding that folic acid is ineffective.
Georgia Women Weigh Zika Risks As Mosquito Season Arrives
The CDC is advising pregnant women, especially in the South, to take some precautions to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes that could carry the Zika virus. So far, Zika cases in Georgia are linked to travel, not bites.
Rushing To Move Excluded Immigrants Into Obamacare — Before Obama Exits
In California, backers of a plan to allow adults living in the country illegally to buy coverage on the state’s exchange hurry to get federal approval — fearing opposition or inaction under a new administration.
Inspectors Find Calif. Hospital’s Pharmacy Posed Infection Risk
Thousands of patients at the San Diego-area hospital may have been exposed to infection last year because of unsanitary conditions in the compounding lab where IVs were mixed, officials found.
Critics Of Medicare’s Overall Hospital Star Rating Push For Changes
Federal officials delayed the release of the ratings after the hospital industry and members of Congress objected to the formula, saying it worked against hospitals that take the patients that are the toughest to treat.
New York Aims To Become The Next State To Toss The Tampon Tax
Five states have already eliminated sales tax on feminine products, and New York City is also trying to make the products available for free in schools.
Three Firms Vie To Run CalPERS’ Drug Benefits
UnitedHealth’s OptumRx is the lowest bidder and wins a key endorsement ahead of final vote by California’s public retirement system.
Final EEOC Rule Sets Limits For Financial Incentives On Wellness Programs
The federal agency says the wellness programs can get health details about workers and their spouses as long as the financial rewards or penalties do not exceed 30 percent of the cost for an individual in the company’s group health plan.
Insurers Quitting Health Law Exchanges May Still Sell Plans To Individuals
KHN’s consumer columnist answers readers’ questions including whether recent announcements about plans pulling out of the health law’s exchanges could affect the access to coverage for consumers who don’t use those exchanges.
Supreme Court Sends Health Law Birth Control Case Back To Lower Courts
Justices give lower courts more instructions for trying to get all parties to reach an accommodation.
Fix For VA Health Snarls Veterans And Doctors In New Bureaucracy
A program that was supposed to help veterans see doctors closer to home more quickly is not fulfilling its promise.
Five Health Issues Presidential Candidates Aren’t Talking About — But Should Be
The U.S. faces a variety of serious concerns beyond just the future of the federal health law.
Health Coverage Rates For Lower Income Children Improving
Although Medicaid and CHIP were already helping many children get insurance, the implementation of the health law has improved coverage.
‘Walking Wounded’ Share Jarring Stories For No-Smoking Campaign
But reaching Spanish speakers might take some extra effort.
Questions Emerge About The Impact Of State Autism Insurance Mandates
New research finds that the impact of these mandates varies because of differences in states’ coverage requirements and the availability of treatment options.
Obamacare Premiums In California May Rise 8 Percent Next Year, State Predicts
The projected increase in premiums is expected to draw national attention in an election year — especially from foes of the Affordable Care Act.
Sounds Like A Good Idea? Selling Insurance Across State Lines
Republicans have long touted a proposal to allow insurers to sell across state lines as a way to help keep coverage costs down. But there are some significant obstacles to making such a system work, as this video points out.
Women Aren’t Taking First Place In Top Medical Journals
Women scientists get first author credit on medical studies much less often than their male coauthors. That has career implications and could even be skewing the study of women’s health.
Zoom, a medical group and insurer, is targeting millennials in Oregon and Washington with quick, accessible care as well as fitness, yoga and cooking classes.
