Latest KFF Health News Stories
Hepatitis C Patients May Not Qualify For Pricey Drugs Unless Illness Is Advanced
Many insurers are restricting access to new drugs that promise higher cure rates because the price tags can run $95,000 or more.
Reno Finds Medicaid Expansion Tough Hand To Play
The community saw its Medicaid enrollment nearly double under the health law, and many new enrollees are experiencing long waits for care.
Disabled Vt. Senior Who Led Class Action Suit Sues Medicare — Again
The landmark settlement was supposed to be a victory for Medicare beneficiaries with chronic conditions and disabilities who had been denied coverage for skilled care because they didn’t meet “the improvement standard” — meaning they were unlikely to improve. But when Glenda Jimmo was denied coverage this spring for that same reason, her lawyers filed a second lawsuit.
Family Doctors Push For A Bigger Piece Of The Health Care Pie
Eight physician groups have launched a multi-year campaign to win public and governmental support for a larger role.
Forget Ebola And Get A Free Flu Shot
Under the health law, insurers cover the immunizations with no out-of-pocket costs to consumers.
The Latest In Public Health Funding: Tapping Investors
An asthma prevention program in California hopes to offer returns based on savings from reduced hospital visits.
New Insurance Coverage Gives Tech Entrepreneur A New Flexibility
Once deemed ‘uninsurable,’ a businesswoman suffering from a chronic condition now has coverage — and it’s not tied to a job or a boyfriend.
For Gay Men, Gaps In HIV Knowledge And Treatment Persist
This KHN story can be republished for free. (details) Saturday is National Gay Men’s HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, but the news about knowledge and treatment of HIV in the gay community is dispiriting. Just 30 percent of gay and bisexual men say they were tested for HIV within the last year as recommended; another 30 percent […]
Caring for His Elderly Dad With No Insurance Of His Own
In the remote reaches of California, a doctor’s son says coverage has nearly always eluded him, and his initial efforts to enroll in the state’s new insurance exchange were unsuccessful.
Poll: Americans Bristle At Penalties In Wellness Programs
Workers believe employer wellness programs should be all gain but no pain, according to a poll released Tuesday. The poll from the Kaiser Family Foundation found employees approve of corporate wellness programs when they offer perks, but recoil if the plans have punitive incentives such as higher premiums for those who do not take part. […]
Hispanic Outreach Group Slow To Enroll Uninsured In Miami-Dade
A Washington-based group won a $646,000 grant to sign up Miami-Dade Hispanics for Obamacare, but its lack of local ties and a slow start has hindered its success.
In Wonky Version Of American Idol, Georgetown Researchers Vie For Grants Before Local Donors
To become a judge, individuals donate at least $1,000 and then hear presentations about a handful of proposals before voting on a winner.
Alicia Keys Shines Light On Women And HIV
One in 32 African American women in the United States is likely to be diagnosed with HIV in her lifetime. “One in 32, think about that,” said singer-songwriter Alicia Keys, citing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention statistic at an event Monday. “Thirty years after we first heard of AIDS, it is really a […]
Health Care Cuts From Vaccinations To Research
Sequestration’s cuts will likely affect how low-income Americans get maternal care, vaccinate their children and get treatment for mental illness, even if the cuts largely spare Medicare and Medicaid.
Feds Help States Qualify For More Medicaid Dollars
The Obama administration on Friday released guidance to states on how they can increase their Medicaid funding by eliminating copays for certain preventive services, including immunizations. The provision of the Affordable Care Act was slated to take effect Jan. 1. States that implement the changes can apply for the funding retroactive to that date. The specified preventive services […]
Kidney Donation Over Age 70? Desperate Patients Saying, ‘Yes, Please’
While most of the nation’s kidney transplant centers don’t have an upper age limit for recipients, more than three-quarters don’t accept the organs from people older than 70. Some doctors and patients are pushing to change that.
Emergency Departments Are On The Frontline Of The Flu
More patients with the flu are seeking care at the emergency room this year, and despite the 112 million Americans who have gotten a flu shot, it remains to be seen if this year’s version will be just bad or historically bad.
Momentum Builds For Hepatitis C Testing Of Baby Boomers
This story comes from our partner ‘s Shots blog. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, an influential and often controversial panel of doctors, is moving toward a recommendation for testing that could apply to all baby boomers. The group issued draft advice to doctors saying they should consider giving a hepatitis C test to people born between 1945 and 1965, […]
Hospital Readmission Rates Dropping Slightly, New Study Finds
A new government analysis has found that hospital readmission rates of Medicare patients have fallen more than previously reported, bolstering hope that hospitals are having some success at tackling this stubborn and expensive problem. Hospital readmissions have been getting extensive attention as a new penalty program kicks in next month, which will cost hospitals as […]
Automatic Budget Cuts Will Reduce Medicare Payments To Doctors, Providers By $11 Billion
The Obama administration released a report Friday afternoon detailing the automatic cuts that would begin in January as part of deal to raise the debt ceiling made last summer by the administration and Congress, staff writer Mary Agnes Carey reports.
