Latest KFF Health News Stories
FAQ: What Are The Penalties For Not Getting Insurance?
A consumer’s guide to the tax penalties for not having insurance.
N.H., Calif. Seek To Help Consumers Get Details On Health Care Prices
New Hampshire is expanding its website that lists the cost of specific medical procedures to include dental treatments and 65 prescription drugs. California is expanding its report cards on large medical groups to include cost of medical services by an average patient.
Medicare To Test New Payment Approaches For Some Prescription Medications
Regulators unveiled a two-part plan that will change payments and test ways in which the Medicare Part B program can change the incentives that some policy experts say encourage doctors to choose higher-cost medications.
Housing Project Takes On Seniors’ Health
An innovative new approach in Oakland combines low-income housing and a health program for seniors.
Using Data To Help Home Health Workers Manage Patients’ Conditions
A market is emerging for products that enlist data and technology to identify patients who might be at risk for hospitalization or readmission.
Retail Clinics Add Convenience But Also Hike Costs, Study Finds
Researchers say the clinics tucked in stores and pharmacies lead patients to seek more medical attention than they otherwise would for minor ailments.
Managing Depression A Challenge In Primary Care Settings, Study Finds
Primary care physicians see many patients with depression. New research finds they continue to struggle to apply the treatment strategies used for other chronic illnesses.
Medicare Plans Score Higher Ratings And Millions In Bonuses
The share of Medicare Advantage members enrolled in plans with high star ratings has almost doubled since 2013, earning bonuses for private insurers who offer them.
TrumpCare Takes It On The Chin
GOP health policy analysts skewer front-runner’s health proposal.
Consumer Choices Have Limited Impact On U.S. Health Care Spending: Study
An analysis from the Health Care Cost Institute finds that less than half of health care costs are for services considered “shoppable,” and consumers’ out-of-pocket spending on that is just 7 percent of all spending.
Slowing Down The ER To Improve Care For Patients With Autism
A small but growing number of hospital emergency rooms are taking steps to improve quality of care for patients with autism while also adding efficiency and cost effectiveness.
Combatants In Texas Abortion Case Using New Playbooks
National foes facilitate new state laws, while rights advocates measure their impact in real time.
Boston’s Heroin Users Will Soon Get A Safer Place To Be High
A nonprofit group in Boston working with homeless people will convert a conference room and provide medical supervision for people after they have taken heroin.
Bridging The Gap Between Medical And Mental Health Care
Recognizing the strong link between psychiatric and physical illnesses, providers across the country are integrating primary care into mental health clinics with the help of federal funding.
Leading Scope Maker Olympus Agrees To Hefty Settlement In Kickback Cases
The company will pay $646 million to end civil and criminal probes. Olympus’ leaders acknowledge responsibility for ‘past conduct’ they say was inconsistent with the firm’s values.
UCLA Freshmen Learn About Growing Old
A UCLA course on aging teaches students about the physical, emotional and financial realities of growing old. Professors hope they will consider careers that serve the elderly.
The Stethoscope: Timeless Tool Or Outdated Relic?
Why is a 200-year-old icon of the medical field still in wide use in the digital age? Some say modern tools are more informative and worth the extra cost, but the stethoscope has staunch defenders.
Medicine’s Power Couples: A Challenge In Recruiting Physicians To Rural Areas
A research letter published in JAMA suggests that physicians increasingly marry people who match them in terms of educational levels and career pursuits, making it more difficult to attract them to small-town practices.
EHRs In The ER: As Doctors Adapt, Concerns Emerge About Medical Errors
As hospitals adopt electronic health record systems, some emergency rooms are experiencing new patterns of medical errors.
R2D2’s Next Assignment: Hospital Orderly
A gleaming new hospital in San Francisco has a fleet of robots dropping off meals, picking up trash and saving some money in a very 21st century way.
