Latest KFF Health News Stories
UnitedHealth Tries Boutique-Style Health Plan
Harken Health, a new UnitedHealthcare subsidiary, offers members free unlimited doctor visits and health coaches at 10 clinics in Chicago and Atlanta.
Workers’ Desire Grows For Wage Increases Over Health Benefits
A recent survey finds that the number of workers who say they would give up some health benefits to get a pay raise has grown from 10 to 20 percent since 2012.
The Wait For Opioid Treatment Can Mean Life Or Death In New Hampshire
New Hampshire has one of the highest opioid overdose rates and one of the lowest rates of access to treatment.
President’s Task Force Aims To Help End Discrimination In Mental Health Coverage
Some advocates for mentally ill people say the administration’s action is long overdue.
A Crisis With Little Data: States Begin To Count Drug-Dependent Babies
Getting good information is critical to figure out where resources need to go to treat babies dependent on drugs. Pennsylvania relies on old statistics and incomplete data, but that may be changing.
Fantasy Sports Fueling A Rise In Online Gambling Addiction
Seeing more problem gamblers than ever before, the state is investing in education, training and prevention.
Pregnant And Addicted: The Tough Road To A Healthy Family
Guilt still haunts a new mother who was addicted to opioids when she got pregnant. Once she was ready to ask for help, treatment programs that could handle her complicated pregnancy were hard to find.
Supreme Court Asks For More Information In Birth Control Case
The request also hints at a potential compromise from the justices.
A Nurse’s Lesson: Babies In Opioid Withdrawal Still Need Mom
One hospital in Connecticut gives babies and moms fighting addiction a quiet room where they can be together as the drugs leave their systems.
Mortgages For Expensive Health Care? Some Experts Think It Can Work.
An MIT economist and Harvard oncologist propose offering loans to patients to cover the cost of expensive, curative drugs, financed by private sector investment in loan securities.
When Medicare Advantage Drops Doctors, Some Members Can Switch Plans
In the past eight months, Medicare officials have quietly granted the special enrollment periods to more than 15,000 Medicare Advantage members in seven states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.
Contratistas Agrícolas Se Resisten A Requisitos Del Obamacare
La ley federal de salud está poniendo a los agricultores en una situación difícil. Muchos contratistas que suministran trabajadores tienen que ofrecer cobertura de salud. El seguro es costoso, y los contratistas se preocupan sobre las consecuencias para la inmigración.
Pharmaceutical Company Has Hiked Price On Aid-In-Dying Drug
Valeant Pharmaceuticals, the company that makes Seconal, the drug most commonly used in prescribed for terminally ill patients who want to end their lives, physician-assisted suicide, has doubled the price to more than $3,000.
Tiny Opioid Patients Need Help Easing Into Life
More babies are being born dependent on opioids. The good news is they can safely be weaned from the drug. But there’s little research on which medical treatment is best, or its long-term effects.
Device Maker Olympus Hiked Prices For Scopes As Superbug Infections Spread
The device manufacturer had a close relationship with Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles — until its scopes were linked to infections and the company raised the price for new ones by 28 percent.
Study: Primary Care Doctors Often Don’t Help Patients Manage Depression
Physicians were less likely to use “care management processes” with patients who have depression than with those who had other chronic conditions, the researchers found.
In Conservative Indiana, Medicaid Expansion Makes Poorest Pay
The novel expansion model is testing how far a state can go under Obamacare in making poor people share responsibility for the cost of health care.
Medicare Proposes Expansion Of Counseling Program For People At Risk Of Diabetes
A study finds that the program, developed by the YMCA, helped beneficiaries improve their diets, get more exercise and lose weight.
Supreme Court Takes Up Birth Control Access — Again
Justices consider a key aspect of the Affordable Care Act for the fourth time in five years.
Montana Medicaid Expansion Earns Good Grades In First Report Card
Since its rollout on Jan. 1, Montana Medicaid expansion has enrolled more than 38,000 people and returned $3 million to the state’s general fund.
