¿Por qué mueren más personas mayores después de sufrir caídas?
Durante un tiempo, pasear al perro se volvió peligroso. Earl Vickers solía sacar a Molly, su perra mezcla de pastor alemán, bóxer y algo más, a caminar por la playa o por su vecindario en Seaside, California. Sin embargo, hace…
Why Are More Older People Dying After Falls?
Paula Span For a while, walking the dog felt hazardous. Earl Vickers was accustomed to taking Molly, his shepherd-boxer-something-else mix, for strolls on the beach or around his neighborhood in Seaside, California. A few years ago, though, he started to…
Countdown to Government Shutdown – KFF Health News
The Host Oct. 1 is the start of the next fiscal year, and unless Congress reaches agreement on continued spending, big parts of the government could shut down that day. Democrats, whose votes will be needed in the Senate, would…
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': On Capitol Hill, RFK Defends Firings at CDC
The Host Julie Rovner KFF Health News @jrovner @julierovner.bsky.social Read Julie’s stories. Julie Rovner is chief Washington correspondent and host of KFF Health News’ weekly health policy news podcast, “What the Health?” A noted expert on health policy issues, Julie…
Happy 60th, Medicare and Medicaid!
The Host Julie Rovner KFF Health News @jrovner @julierovner.bsky.social Read Julie’s stories. Julie Rovner is chief Washington correspondent and host of KFF Health News’ weekly health policy news podcast, “What the Health?” A noted expert on health policy issues, Julie…
Health Care Groups Aim To Counter Growing ‘National Scandal’ of Elder Homelessness
Felice J. Freyer BRISTOL, R.I. — At age 82, Roberta Rabinovitz realized she had no place to go. A widow, she had lost both her daughters to cancer, after living with one and then the other, nursing them until their…
Breaking Down Why Medicare Part D Premiums Are Likely To Go Up
Medicare enrollees who buy the optional Part D drug benefit may see substantial premium price hikes — potentially up to $50 a month — when they shop for next year’s coverage. Such drug plans are used by millions of people…
Kennedy Cancels Vaccine Funding – KFF Health News
The Host Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s announcement that the federal government will cancel nearly $500 million in mRNA research funding is unnerving not only for those who develop vaccines, but also for public health experts…
Next on Kennedy’s List? Preventive Care and Vaccine Harm
The Host Julie Rovner KFF Health News @jrovner @julierovner.bsky.social Read Julie’s stories. Julie Rovner is chief Washington correspondent and host of KFF Health News’ weekly health policy news podcast, “What the Health?” A noted expert on health policy issues, Julie…
Cómo encontrar el servicio de rehabilitación adecuado
La terapia de rehabilitación puede ser una bendición después de una hospitalización por un derrame cerebral, una caída, un accidente, un reemplazo de articulación, una quemadura grave o una lesión de la médula espinal, entre otras afecciones. La fisioterapia, la…
Here Come the ACA Premium Hikes
The Host Julie Rovner KFF Health News @jrovner @julierovner.bsky.social Read Julie’s stories. Julie Rovner is chief Washington correspondent and host of KFF Health News’ weekly health policy news podcast, “What the Health?” A noted expert on health policy issues, Julie…
Medical Rehab Hospital Inspections Go Unpublicized by Federal Officials
Jordan Rau, KFF Health News Federal health officials do not inform consumers about severe safety violations in hospitals that specialize in physical rehabilitation. Nor does Medicare impose fines as it does for nursing homes, or provide easy-to-understand five-star ratings as…
Even Grave Errors at Rehab Hospitals Go Unpenalized and Undisclosed
Jordan Rau, KFF Health News and Irena Hwang, The New York Times Rehab hospitals that help people recover from major surgeries and injuries have become a highly lucrative slice of the health care business. But federal data and inspection reports…
How To Find the Right Medical Rehab Services
Rehabilitation therapy can be a godsend after hospitalization for a stroke, a fall, an accident, a joint replacement, a severe burn, or a spinal cord injury, among other conditions. Physical, occupational, and speech therapy are offered in a variety of…
In Rush To Satisfy Trump, GOP Delivers Blow to Health Industry
Doctors, hospitals, and health insurers for weeks issued dire warnings to Republican lawmakers that millions of people would lose health coverage and hospitals would close if they cut Medicaid funding to help pay for President Donald Trump’s big tax and…
Digesting Trump’s Big Budget Law
The Host As he had wanted, President Donald Trump signed his big budget bill into a big budget law in a White House ceremony on July 4, cementing, among other things, billions of dollars in cuts to health programs such…
The Prescription Drug Playbook, Part II
Dan Weissmann In response to the high price of prescription drugs, “An Arm and a Leg” asked listeners to share their strategies for getting the medicine they need at prices they can manage. Host Dan Weissmann and producers Emily Pisacreta…
Trump’s Bill Reaches the Finish Line
The Host Julie Rovner KFF Health News @jrovner @julierovner.bsky.social Read Julie’s stories. Julie Rovner is chief Washington correspondent and host of KFF Health News’ weekly health policy news podcast, “What the Health?” A noted expert on health policy issues, Julie…
Live From Aspen — Governors and an HHS Secretary Sound Off
The Host Julie Rovner KFF Health News @jrovner @julierovner.bsky.social Read Julie’s stories. Julie Rovner is chief Washington correspondent and host of KFF Health News’ weekly health policy news podcast, “What the Health?” A noted expert on health policy issues, Julie…
Dual Threats From Trump and GOP Imperil Nursing Homes and Their Foreign-Born Workers
In a top-rated nursing home in Alexandria, Virginia, the Rev. Donald Goodness is cared for by nurses and aides from various parts of Africa. One of them, Jackline Conteh, a naturalized citizen and nurse assistant from Sierra Leone, bathes and…
Supreme Court Upholds Bans on Gender-Affirming Care
The Host Julie Rovner KFF Health News @jrovner @julierovner.bsky.social Read Julie’s stories. Julie Rovner is chief Washington correspondent and host of KFF Health News’ weekly health policy news podcast, “What the Health?” A noted expert on health policy issues, Julie…
With Property Seized and Federal Funding Uncertain, Montana Asbestos Clinic Fights for Its Life
LIBBY, Mont. — Dozens of feet of tubing connect Gayla Benefield to her oxygen machine so she can walk from room to room inside her home on the picturesque Kootenai River, surrounded by the Cabinet Mountains. Like many people who…
Have Job-Based Health Coverage at 65? You May Still Want To Sign Up for Medicare
When Alyne Diamond fell off a horse in August 2023 and broke her back, her employer-based health plan through UnitedHealthcare covered her emergency care in Aspen, Colorado. It also covered related pain management and physical therapy after she returned home…
RFK Jr. Upends Vaccine Policy, After Promising He Wouldn’t
The Host After explicitly promising senators during his confirmation hearing that he would not interfere in scientific policy over which Americans should receive which vaccines, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. this week fired every member of…
Role Reversal: Millions of Kids Are Caregivers for Elders. Why Their Numbers Might Grow.
ST. PAUL, Minn. — High school senior Joshua Yang understands sacrifice. When he was midway through 10th grade, his mom survived a terrible car crash. But her body developed tremors, and she lost mobility. After countless appointments, doctors diagnosed her…
Bill With Billions in Health Program Cuts Passes House
The Host Julie Rovner KFF Health News @jrovner @julierovner.bsky.social Read Julie’s stories. Julie Rovner is chief Washington correspondent and host of KFF Health News’ weekly health policy news podcast, “What the Health?” A noted expert on health policy issues, Julie…
Trump’s DOJ Accuses Medicare Advantage Insurers of Paying ‘Kickbacks’ to Brokers
A blockbuster lawsuit from the federal Department of Justice alleges that insurers Aetna, Elevance Health (formerly Anthem), and Humana paid “hundreds of millions of dollars in kickbacks” to large insurance brokerages eHealth, GoHealth, and SelectQuote. The payments, made from 2016…
Trump’s DOJ Accuses Medicare Advantage Insurers of Paying ‘Kickbacks’ for Primo Customers
[*] When people call large insurance brokerages seeking free assistance in choosing Medicare Advantage plans, they’re often offered assurances such as this one from eHealth: “Your benefit advisors will find plans that match your needs — no matter the carrier.”…
In Bustling NYC Federal Building, HHS Offices Are Eerily Quiet
NEW YORK — On a recent visit to Federal Plaza in Lower Manhattan, some floors in the mammoth office building bustled with people seeking services or facing legal proceedings at federal agencies such as the Social Security Administration and Immigration…
A Health Policy Veteran Puts 2025 in Perspective
Dan Weissmann News has been coming out of Washington, D.C., since the start of the second Donald Trump administration like water out of a fire hose. It can feel impossible to stay on top of all the changes. So in…
At Social Security, These Are the Days of the Living Dead
Rennie Glasgow, who has served 15 years at the Social Security Administration, is seeing something new on the job: dead people. They’re not really dead, of course. In four instances over the past few weeks, he told KFF Health News,…
100 Days of Health Policy Upheaval
The Host Julie Rovner KFF Health News @jrovner Read Julie’s stories. Julie Rovner is chief Washington correspondent and host of KFF Health News’ weekly health policy news podcast, “What the Health?” A noted expert on health policy issues, Julie is…
When Hospitals Ditch Medicare Advantage Plans, Thousands of Members Get To Leave, Too
For several years, Fred Neary had been seeing five doctors at the Baylor Scott & White Health system, whose 52 hospitals serve central and northern Texas, including Neary’s home in Dallas. But in October, his Humana Medicare Advantage plan —…
Can Congress Reconcile Trump’s Wishes With Medicaid’s Needs?
The Host Congress returns from spring break next week and will get to work crafting a bill that would cut taxes and boost immigration enforcement — but that also could cut at least $880 billion over the next decade from…
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': On Autism, It’s the Secretary’s Word vs. CDC’s
The Host Emmarie Huetteman KFF Health News Emmarie Huetteman, senior editor, oversees a team of Washington reporters, as well as “Bill of the Month” and KFF Health News’ “What the Health?” She previously spent more than a decade reporting on the federal…
Some Rural Hospitals Ditch Medicare Advantage
Arielle Zionts Rural hospital leaders are questioning whether they can continue to afford to do business with Medicare Advantage companies, and some say the only way to maintain services and protect patients is to end their contracts with the private…
The Dismantling of HHS – KFF Health News
The Host Julie Rovner KFF Health News @jrovner Read Julie’s stories. Julie Rovner is chief Washington correspondent and host of KFF Health News’ weekly health policy news podcast, “What the Health?” A noted expert on health policy issues, Julie is…
Rural Hospitals Question Whether They Can Afford Medicare Advantage Contracts
Rural hospital leaders are questioning whether they can continue to afford to do business with Medicare Advantage companies, and some say the only way to maintain services and protect patients is to end their contracts with the private insurers. Medicare…
Trump Says He’ll Stop Health Care Fraudsters. Last Time, He Let Them Walk.
Five years ago, the CEO of one of the largest pain clinic companies in the Southeast was sentenced to more than three years in prison after being convicted in a $4 million illegal kickback scheme. But after just four months…
Their Physical Therapy Coverage Ran Out Before They Could Walk Again
Mari Villar was slammed by a car that jumped the curb, breaking her legs and collapsing a lung. Amy Paulo was in pain from a femur surgery that wasn’t healing properly. Katie Kriegshauser suffered organ failure during pregnancy, weakening her…
Montana Examines Ways To Ease Health Care Workforce Shortages
HELENA, Mont. — Mark Nay’s first client had lost the van she was living in and was struggling with substance use and medical conditions that had led to multiple emergency room visits. Nay helped her apply for Medicaid and food…
‘I Am Going Through Hell’: Job Loss, Mental Health, and the Fate of Federal Workers
Rachana Pradhan and Aneri Pattani Illustration by Oona Zenda The National Institutes of Health employee said she knew things would be difficult for federal workers after Donald Trump was elected. But she never imagined it would be like this. Focused…
Federal Health Work in Flux
The Host Two months into the new administration, federal workers and contractors remain off-balance as the Trump administration ramps up its efforts to cancel jobs and programs — even as federal judges declare many of those efforts illegal and/or unconstitutional….
Congressman Blames Trump Team for Ending Telehealth Medicare Benefit. Not Quite Right.
Suz Redfearn “Breaking news: The Trump administration just announced that Medicare will stop covering telehealth starting April 1. … We need to stand up to these Medicare cuts.” Rep. Ro. Khanna (D-Calif.), in a TikTok video posted Feb. 20, 2025…
Watch: The Dr. Oz Show Comes to Congress
The Senate Finance Committee got its chance March 14 to question Mehmet Oz, President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the vast Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the largest agency within the Department of Health and Human Services. Oz, with…
The Cutting Continues – KFF Health News
The Host Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is already acting on his anti-vaccine views, ordering an end of research into why people become vaccine-hesitant and requesting new research on the long-debunked theory that vaccines can cause…
In Trump’s Team, Supplement Fans Find Kindred Spirits in Search of Better Health
President Donald Trump’s health officials want you to take your vitamins. Mehmet Oz, the nominee to lead the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, has fed calves on camera to tout the health wonders of bovine colostrum on behalf of…
Some CT Scans Deliver Too Much Radiation, Researchers Say. Regulators Want To Know More.
Rebecca Smith-Bindman, a professor at the University of California-San Francisco medical school, has spent well over a decade researching the disquieting risk that one of modern medicine’s most valuable tools, computerized tomography scans, can sometimes cause cancer. Smith-Bindman and like-minded…
Sent Home To Heal, Patients Avoid Wait for Rehab Home Beds
After a patch of ice sent Marc Durocher hurtling to the ground, and doctors at UMass Memorial Medical Center repaired the broken hip that resulted, the 75-year-old electrician found himself at a crossroads. He didn’t need to be in the…
The State of Federal Health Agencies Is Uncertain
The Host Can the Trump administration refuse to spend money appropriated through Congress by firing federal workers and canceling existing contracts? And if the courts say it cannot, will the administration obey those directives? That key confrontation crept closer this…
Years Later, Centene Settlements With States Still Unfinished
More than three years ago, health insurance giant Centene Corp. settled allegations that it overcharged Medicaid programs in Ohio and Mississippi related to prescription drug billing. Now at least 20 states have settled with Centene over its pharmacy benefit manager…
UnitedHealth Wins Ruling Over $2B in Alleged Medicare Advantage Overpayments
The Justice Department’s years-long court battle to force UnitedHealth Group to return billions of dollars in alleged Medicare Advantage overpayments hit a major setback Monday when a special master ruled the government had failed to prove its case. In finding…
Home Improvements Can Help People Age Independently. But Medicare Seldom Picks Up the Bill.
Chikao Tsubaki had been having a terrible time. In his mid-80s, he had a stroke. Then lymphoma. Then prostate cancer. He was fatigued, isolated, not all that steady on his feet. Then Tsubaki took part in an innovative care initiative…
Republicans Once Wanted Government out of Health Care. Trump Voters See It Differently.
Like many Americans who voted for Donald Trump, Jason Rouse hopes the president’s return will mean lower prices for gas, groceries, and other essentials. But Rouse is looking to the federal government for relief from one particular pain point: high…
Qué es el Proyecto 2025, una hoja de ruta para las medidas de salud de Trump
Probablemente pocos votantes esperaban que el presidente Donald Trump, en sus primeras semanas de mandato, recortara miles de millones de dólares de la principal agencia federal de investigación del cáncer del país. Pero los recortes de financiación a los Institutos…
Trump Froze Out Project 2025 in His Campaign. Now Its Blueprint Is His Health Care Playbook.
Few voters likely expected President Donald Trump in the first weeks of his administration to slash billions of dollars from the nation’s premier federal cancer research agency. But funding cuts to the National Institutes of Health were presaged in Project…
GOP Takes Aim at Medicaid, Putting Enrollees and Providers at Risk
Medicaid is under threat — again. Republicans, who narrowly control Congress, are pushing proposals that could sharply cut funding to the government health insurance program for poor and disabled Americans, as a way to finance President Donald Trump’s agenda for…
Medicaid in the Crosshairs, Maybe
The Host Julie Rovner KFF Health News @jrovner Read Julie’s stories. Julie Rovner is chief Washington correspondent and host of KFF Health News’ weekly health policy news podcast, “What the Health?” A noted expert on health policy issues, Julie is…
Chaos Continues in Federal Health System
The Host Julie Rovner KFF Health News @jrovner Read Julie’s stories. Julie Rovner is chief Washington correspondent and host of KFF Health News’ weekly health policy news podcast, “What the Health?” A noted expert on health policy issues, Julie is…
New Year, New Congress, New Health Agenda
The Host Julie Rovner KFF Health News @jrovner Read Julie’s stories. Julie Rovner is chief Washington correspondent and host of KFF Health News’ weekly health policy news podcast, “What the Health?” A noted expert on health policy issues, Julie is…
Hello, Trump. Bye-Bye, Biden. – KFF Health News
The Host Julie Rovner KFF Health News @jrovner Read Julie’s stories. Julie Rovner is chief Washington correspondent and host of KFF Health News’ weekly health policy news podcast, “What the Health?” A noted expert on health policy issues, Julie is…
Hello, Trump. Bye-Bye, Biden. – KFF Health News
The Host Incoming President Donald Trump’s inauguration is Monday, yet the new GOP-led Congress is already rushing to work his priorities into legislation, eyeing cuts to Medicaid to pay for new tax and immigration priorities. But even in its waning…
New Year, New Congress, New Health Agenda
The Host Julie Rovner KFF Health News @jrovner Read Julie’s stories. Julie Rovner is chief Washington correspondent and host of KFF Health News’ weekly health policy news podcast, “What the Health?” A noted expert on health policy issues, Julie is…
In Settling Fraud Case, New York Medicare Advantage Insurer, CEO Will Pay up to $100M
A western New York health insurance provider for seniors and the CEO of its medical analytics arm have agreed to pay a total of up to $100 million to settle Justice Department allegations of fraudulent billing for health conditions that…
Federal Watchdog Urges Crackdown on Medicare Advantage Home Visits
Medicare officials are pushing back against a federal watchdog’s call to crack down on home visits by Medicare Advantage health plans — a practice the watchdog says may waste billions of tax dollars every year. In late October, a Health and Human…
Trump’s Nontraditional Health Picks – KFF Health News
The Host Julie Rovner KFF Health News @jrovner Read Julie’s stories. Julie Rovner is chief Washington correspondent and host of KFF Health News’ weekly health policy news podcast, “What the Health?” A noted expert on health policy issues, Julie is…
California Sets 15% Target for Primary Care Spending Over Next Decade
A California agency charged with slowing health costs has set a lofty goal for insurers to direct 15% of their spending to primary care by 2034, part of the state’s effort to expand the primary care workforce and give more…
Readying for Republican Rule – KFF Health News
The Host Julie Rovner KFF Health News @jrovner Read Julie’s stories. Julie Rovner is chief Washington correspondent and host of KFF Health News’ weekly health policy news podcast, “What the Health?” A noted expert on health policy issues, Julie is…
KFF Health News Sues To Force Disclosure of Medicare Advantage Audit Records
Fred Schulte, KFF Health News KFF Health News has sued the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General to compel it to release a range of Medicare Advantage health plan audits and other financial records. The…
Watchdog Calls for Tighter Scrutiny of Medicare Advantage Home Visits
A new federal watchdog audit is ratcheting up pressure on government officials to crack down on billions of dollars in overcharges linked to Medicare Advantage home visits. But so far, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has rejected a…
In Vermont, Where Almost Everyone Has Insurance, Many Can’t Find or Afford Care
RICHMOND, Vt. — On a warm autumn morning, Roger Brown walked through a grove of towering trees whose sap fuels his maple syrup business. He was checking for damage after recent flooding. But these days, his workers’ health worries him…
El regreso de Trump a la Casa Blanca pondría en peligro la red de seguridad de atención médica
El triunfo electoral del ex presidente Donald Trump y su regreso a la Casa Blanca probablemente traerán cambios que reducirían los programas nacionales de salud públicos, aumentando la tasa de personas sin seguro e imponiendo nuevas barreras al aborto y…
Trump’s White House Return Poised To Tangle Health Care Safety Net
Former President Donald Trump’s election victory and looming return to the White House will likely bring changes that scale back the nation’s public health insurance programs — increasing the uninsured rate, while imposing new barriers to abortion and other reproductive…
Election Outcome Could Bring Big Changes to Medicare
On the campaign trail, both former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are eager to portray themselves as guardians of Medicare. Each presidential candidate accuses the other of backing spending cuts and other policies that would damage the…
Trump Wants Harris To Pay a Political Price for Generous Immigrant Health Policies
Joanne Kenen Maria Sanchez immigrated to the Chicago area from Mexico about 30 years ago. Now 87, she’s still living in the U.S. without authorization. Like many longtime immigrants, she has worked — and paid taxes, including Medicare taxes —…
Trump quiere que Harris pague un precio político por ofrecer salud a inmigrantes sin papeles
Joanne Kenen María Sánchez emigró al área de Chicago desde México hace unos 30 años. Ahora, a sus 87, sigue viviendo en Estados Unidos sin papeles. Como muchos inmigrantes de larga data, ha trabajado —y pagado impuestos, incluyendo para Medicare—…
The Campaign’s Final Days – KFF Health News
The Host Emmarie Huetteman KFF Health News Emmarie Huetteman, senior editor, oversees a team of Washington reporters, as well as “Bill of the Month” and KFF Health News’ “What the Health?” She previously spent more than a decade reporting on the federal…
Vance Wrongly Blames Rural Hospital Closures on Immigrants in the Country Illegally
Sam Whitehead “We’re bankrupting a lot of hospitals by forcing these hospitals to provide care for people who don’t have the legal right to be in our country.” Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) during a Sept. 17 rally During a recent presidential…
Less Than Two Weeks To Go
The Host As abortion and other reproductive issues gain more prominence in the looming election, some Republicans are trying to moderate their anti-abortion positions, particularly in states where access to the procedure remains politically popular. Meanwhile, open enrollment is underway…
Beneficiarios de Medicare gastarán menos en medicamentos en 2025
Cuando Pam McClure se enteró que el próximo año ahorraría casi $4,000 en sus medicamentos recetados dijo: “parece demasiado bueno para ser verdad”. Para finales de 2024, habrá gastado casi $6,000 en estos fármacos, incluido uno para controlar su diabetes….
Medicare Drug Plans Are Getting Better Next Year. Some Will Also Cost More.
When Pam McClure learned she’d save nearly $4,000 on her prescription drugs next year, she said, “it sounded too good to be true.” She and her husband are both retired and live on a “very strict” budget in central North…
Patients Are Relying on Lyft, Uber To Travel Far Distances to Medical Care
When Lyft driver Tramaine Carr transports seniors and sick patients to hospitals in Atlanta, she feels like both a friend and a social worker. “When the ride is an hour or an hour and a half of mostly freeway driving,…
Yet Another Promise for Long-Term Care Coverage
The Host As part of a media blitz aimed at women voters, Vice President Kamala Harris this week rolled out a plan for Medicare to provide in-home long-term care services. It’s popular, particularly for families struggling to care for both…
The Health of the Campaign
The Host When it comes to health care, this year’s presidential campaign is increasingly a matter of which candidate voters choose to believe. Democrats, led by Vice President Kamala Harris, say Republicans want to further restrict reproductive rights and repeal…
Harris Correct That Trump Fell Short on Promise To Negotiate Medicare Drug Prices
Jacob Gardenswartz “Donald Trump said he was going to allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices. He never did. We did.” Vice President Kamala Harris at the ABC News presidential debate, Sept. 10 Since Vice President Kamala Harris entered the presidential…
The Medicare Advantage Influence Machine
Federal officials resolved more than a decade ago to crack down on whopping government overpayments to private Medicare Advantage health insurance plans, which were siphoning off billions of tax dollars every year. But Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services officials…
American Health Under Trump — Past, Present, and Future
The Host Emmarie Huetteman KFF Health News @emmarieDC Emmarie Huetteman, senior editor, oversees a team of Washington reporters, as well as “Bill of the Month” and KFF Health News’ “What the Health?” She previously spent more than a decade reporting on the…
Trump-Harris Debate Showcases Health Policy Differences
The Host As expected, the presidential debate between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris offered few new details of their positions on abortion, the Affordable Care Act, and other critical health issues. But it did underscore for…
Longtime Head of L.A. Care To Retire After Navigating Major Medi-Cal Changes
LOS ANGELES — For nearly a decade, John Baackes has led L.A. Care Health Plan, a publicly run insurer primarily serving low-income Los Angeles County residents on Medi-Cal. It is by far the largest Medi-Cal plan in the state. Baackes,…
En los comerciales de medicamentos en TV, lo que ves no siempre es lo que es
La música triunfal suena mientras pacientes con cáncer van de campamento, hacen jardinería y ven fuegos artificiales en anuncios de Opdivo+Yervoy, una combinación de inmunoterapias para tratar el melanoma metastásico y el cáncer de pulmón. Los comerciales de Skyrizi, un…
With TV Drug Ads, What You See Is Not Necessarily What You Get
Triumphant music plays as cancer patients go camping, do some gardening, and watch fireworks in ads for Opdivo+Yervoy, a combination of immunotherapies to treat metastatic melanoma and lung cancer. Ads for Skyrizi, a medicine to treat plaque psoriasis and other…
Para las farmacéuticas, la pelea entre Trump y Harris es entre dos enemigos de la industria
En medio de una amarga y divisiva contienda, el ex presidente Donald Trump y la vicepresidenta Kamala Harris solo parecen coincidir en una cosa: es tarea del gobierno reducir los altos precios de los medicamentos en el país. En 2022,…
Feds Killed Plan To Curb Medicare Advantage Overbilling After Industry Opposition
A decade ago, federal officials drafted a plan to discourage Medicare Advantage health insurers from overcharging the government by billions of dollars — only to abruptly back off amid an “uproar” from the industry, newly released court filings show. The…
For Pharma, Trump vs. Harris Is a Showdown Between Two Industry Foes
Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris have a rare point of agreement in their otherwise bitter and divisive contest: It’s up to the government to cut high U.S. drug prices. Harris cast the tie-breaking Senate vote in…
Turning 26 and Struggling To Find Health Insurance? Tell Us About It.
Elisabeth Rosenthal A hard-won provision of the Affordable Care Act allows young adults to stay on their family’s health insurance until age 26. But after that, those without employer-sponsored insurance face an array of complicated choices, including whether to shop…
Let the General Election Commence
The Host Julie Rovner KFF Health News @jrovner Read Julie’s stories. Julie Rovner is chief Washington correspondent and host of KFF Health News’ weekly health policy news podcast, “What the Health?” A noted expert on health policy issues, Julie is…
Biden Administration Blocks Two Private Sector Enrollment Sites From ACA Marketplace
Federal regulators have blocked two private sector enrollment websites from accessing consumer information through the federal Obamacare marketplace, citing “anomalous activity.” The unusual step comes as the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is under the gun to curb unauthorized…
Los contrastes de las fórmulas Harris-Walz y Trump-Vance en la atención de salud
Stephanie Armour La elección de la vicepresidenta Kamala Harris del gobernador de Minnesota, Tim Walz, como su compañero de fórmula está poniendo el tema de la atención médica en primer plano en la recta final hacia las elecciones presidenciales de…
Harris Did Not Vote to ‘Cut Medicare,’ Despite Trump’s Claim
Jacob Gardenswartz “As vice president, Kamala Harris cast the tie-breaking vote to cut, as you know, Medicare by $273 billion. She cast a vote to cut Medicare.” — Former President Donald Trump at a July 24 campaign rally in Charlotte,…
Bipartisan Effort Paves Way for Reviving Shuttered Hospitals in Georgia
Andy Miller and Sam Whitehead ATLANTA — At the shuttered Atlanta Medical Center, a “Stronger Together” mural sends a hopeful message near a summer spray of hydrangeas. The campus was mostly quiet on a recent weekend, since AMC closed almost…
Harris-Walz Ticket Sharpens Contrast With Trump-Vance on Health Care
STILLWATER, Minn. — Vice President Kamala Harris’ selection of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate is making health care a front-burner issue in the final sprint to the November presidential election. Walz, a 60-year-old former high school teacher…
New Lines of Attack Form Against the Affordable Care Act
Julie Appleby, KFF Health News The Affordable Care Act is back under attack. Not as in the repeal-and-replace debates of yore, but in a fresher take from Republican lawmakers who say key parts of the ACA cost taxpayers too much…
Urgent Care or ER? With ‘One-Stop Shop,’ Hospitals Offer Both Under Same Roof
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Facing an ultracompetitive market in one of the nation’s fastest-growing cities, UF Health is trying a new way to attract patients: a combination emergency room and urgent care center. In the past year and a half, UF…
Abortion Heats Up Presidential Race
The Host The change at the top of the likely Democratic presidential ticket is prompting both abortion rights and anti-abortion organizations to recalibrate their campaigns, even as they fight over finalizing fall ballot proposals in many states. Meanwhile, former President…
Florida’s RSV Season Has Started, and It’s Coming Soon to the Rest of US. Here’s a Primer.
Many people have gotten used to rolling up their sleeves for flu and covid-19 vaccines. New immunizations are also available to combat respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, for those at high risk of illness. Although the one-time shots reached pharmacies…
Harris in the Spotlight – KFF Health News
The Host Julie Rovner KFF Health News @jrovner Read Julie’s stories. Julie Rovner is chief Washington correspondent and host of KFF Health News’ weekly health policy news podcast, “What the Health?” A noted expert on health policy issues, Julie is…
Harris, Once Biden’s Voice on Abortion, Would Take an Outspoken Approach to Health
Stephanie Armour and Julie Appleby, KFF Health News and Julie Rovner, KFF Health News Throughout Joe Biden’s presidency, he leaned on the outspoken former prosecutor and senator he selected as his vice president, Kamala Harris, to be the White House’s…
Harris, alguna vez la voz de Biden sobre el aborto, tendría un enfoque abierto en temas de salud
A lo largo de su presidencia, Joe Biden se apoyó en Kamala Harris, la ex fiscal y senadora frontal que eligió como vicepresidenta, para ser la voz de apoyo inquebrantable de la Casa Blanca en favor de los derechos de…
Misleading Ads Play Key Role in Schemes to Gin Up Unauthorized ACA Sign-Ups, Lawsuit Alleges
The government is giving away money! So say ads on a variety of social media platforms. Consumers, the ads claim, can qualify for $1,400 or even $6,400 a month to use on groceries, rent, medical expenses, and other bills. Some…
A California Medical Group Treats Only Homeless Patients — And Makes Money Doing It
Angela Hart LOS ANGELES — They distribute GPS devices so they can track their homeless patients. They stock their street kits with glass pipes used to smoke meth, crack, or fentanyl. They keep company credit cards on hand in case…
Un grupo médico atiende a personas que viven en la calle… y gana dinero
Los Ángeles, California. — Distribuyen dispositivos GPS para poder rastrear a sus pacientes sin hogar. Abastecen sus kits de calle con pipas de vidrio que se usan para fumar metanfetamina, crack o fentanilo. Mantienen tarjetas de crédito de la empresa…
At Trump’s GOP Convention, There’s Little To Be Heard on Health Care
No talk of Obamacare. Or abortion. At the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee this week, where delegates officially nominated Donald Trump as the party’s 2024 presidential candidate, health care issues received little attention from prime-time speakers. The silence is surprising,…
En la convención republicana de Trump se escuchó poco y nada sobre atención de salud
Ni una palabra sobre el Obamacare o el aborto. En la Convención Nacional Republicana en Milwaukee esta semana, donde los delegados nominaron oficialmente a Donald Trump como candidato presidencial del partido para 2024, los oradores principales le dieron poco lugar…
Trump Is Wrong in Claiming Full Credit for Lowering Insulin Prices
Jacob Gardenswartz “Low INSULIN PRICING was gotten for millions of Americans by me, and the Trump Administration, not by Crooked Joe Biden. He had NOTHING to do with it.” Former President Donald Trump in a Truth Social post, June 8…
California Health Care Pioneer Goes National, Girds for Partisan Skirmishes
SACRAMENTO — When then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger called for nearly all Californians to buy health insurance or face a penalty, Anthony Wright slammed the 2007 proposal as “unwarranted, unworkable, and unwise” — one that would punish those who could least afford…
Lack of Affordability Tops Older Americans’ List of Health Care Worries
What weighs most heavily on older adults’ minds when it comes to health care? The cost of services and therapies, and their ability to pay. “It’s on our minds a whole lot because of our age and because everything keeps…
SCOTUS Term Wraps With a Bang
The Host Julie Rovner KFF Health News @jrovner Read Julie’s stories. Julie Rovner is chief Washington correspondent and host of KFF Health News’ weekly health policy news podcast, “What the Health?” A noted expert on health policy issues, Julie is…
The Supreme Court Just Limited Federal Power. Health Care Is Feeling the Shockwaves.
A landmark Supreme Court decision that reins in federal agencies’ authority is expected to hold dramatic consequences for the nation’s health care system, calling into question government rules on anything from consumer protections for patients to drug safety to nursing…
SCOTUS Ruling Strips Power From Federal Health Agencies
The Host Julie Rovner KFF Health News @jrovner Read Julie’s stories. Julie Rovner is chief Washington correspondent and host of KFF Health News’ weekly health policy news podcast, “What the Health?” A noted expert on health policy issues, Julie is…
1st Biden-Trump Debate of 2024: What They Got Wrong, and Right
KFF Health News and PolitiFact staffs President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, the presumptive Democratic and Republican presidential nominees, shared a debate stage June 27 for the first time since 2020, in a confrontation that — because of…
Battleground Wisconsin: Voters Feel Nickel-and-Dimed by Health Care Costs
Dancing at Birnamwood Polka Days, a festival in Birnamwood, Wisconsin.(Angela Hart/KFF Health News) Polka festivals are common across Wisconsin, especially in the summertime.(Angela Hart/KFF Health News) At Birnamwood Polka Days, candidates for local and state office often mingle with voters.(Angela…
Medicaid for Millions in America Hinges on Deloitte-Run Systems Plagued by Errors
Deloitte, a global consultancy that reported revenue last year of $65 billion, pulls in billions of dollars from states and the federal government for supplying technology it says will modernize Medicaid. The company promotes itself as the industry leader in…
Live From Aspen: Health and the 2024 Elections
At the Aspen Ideas: Health festival, Julie Rovner, KFF Health News’ chief Washington correspondent, hosts a panel featuring Sandhya Raman and Margot Sanger-Katz.(Nick Tininenko/Aspen Ideas: Health) The Host The presidential election is less than five months away, and while abortion…
Older Women Are Different Than Older Men. Their Health Is Woefully Understudied.
Medical research has shortchanged women for decades. This is particularly true of older women, leaving physicians without critically important information about how to best manage their health. Late last year, the Biden administration promised to address this problem with a…
SCOTUS Rejects Abortion Pill Challenge — For Now
The Host A unanimous Supreme Court turned back a challenge to the FDA’s approval and rules for the abortion pill mifepristone, finding that the anti-abortion doctor group that sued lacked standing to do so. But abortion foes have other ways…
Biden Plan to Save Medicare Patients Money on Drugs Risks Empty Shelves, Pharmacists Say
Months into a new Biden administration policy intended to lower drug costs for Medicare patients, independent pharmacists say they’re struggling to afford to keep some prescription drugs in stock. “It would not matter if the governor himself walked in and…
Weight-Loss Drugs Are So Popular They’re Headed for Medicare Negotiations
The steep prices — and popularity — of Ozempic and similar weight-loss and diabetes drugs could soon make them a priority for Medicare drug price negotiations. List prices for a month’s supply of the drugs range from $936 to $1,349,…
Anti-Abortion Hard-Liners Speak Up – KFF Health News
The Host Julie Rovner KFF Health News @jrovner Read Julie’s stories. Julie Rovner is chief Washington correspondent and host of KFF Health News’ weekly health policy news podcast, “What the Health?” A noted expert on health policy issues, Julie is…
Bird Flu Lands as the Next Public Health Challenge
The Host Public health officials are watching with concern since a strain of bird flu spread to dairy cows in at least nine states, and to at least one dairy worker. But in the wake of covid-19, many farmers are…
Newly Minted Doctors Are Avoiding Abortion Ban States
The Host A new analysis finds that graduating medical students were less likely to apply this year for residency training in states that ban or restrict abortion. That was true not only for aspiring OB-GYNs and others who regularly treat…
Abortion — Again — At the Supreme Court
The Host Some justices suggested the Supreme Court had said its piece on abortion law when it overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. This term, however, the court has agreed to review another abortion case. At issue is whether a…
Medicare Stumbles Managing a Costly Problem — Chronic Illness
Nearly a decade ago, Medicare launched a program to help the two-thirds of beneficiaries with chronic conditions by paying their doctors an additional monthly fee to coordinate their care. The strategy has largely failed to live up to its potential;…
Medical Providers Still Grappling With UnitedHealth Cyberattack: ‘More Devastating Than Covid’
Two months after a cyberattack on a UnitedHealth Group subsidiary halted payments to some doctors, medical providers say they’re still grappling with the fallout, even though UnitedHealth told shareholders on Tuesday that business is largely back to normal. “We are…
Medicare’s Push To Improve Chronic Care Attracts Businesses, but Not Many Doctors
Carrie Lester looks forward to the phone call every Thursday from her doctors’ medical assistant, who asks how she’s doing and if she needs prescription refills. The assistant counsels her on dealing with anxiety and her other health issues. Lester…
Attack of the Medicare Machines
Dan Weissmann Covering the American health care system means we tell some scary stories. This episode of “An Arm and a Leg” sounds like a real horror movie. It uses one of Hollywood’s favorite tropes: machines taking over. And the…
Rising Complaints of Unauthorized Obamacare Plan-Switching and Sign-Ups Trigger Concern
Federal and state regulators aren’t doing enough to stop the growing problem of rogue health insurance brokers making unauthorized policy switches for Affordable Care Act policyholders, say consumers, agents, nonprofit enrollee assistance groups, and other insurance experts. “We think it’s…
Biden Is Right About $35 Insulin Cap but Exaggerates Prior Costs for Medicare Enrollees
Samantha Putterman, PolitiFact Insulin for Medicare beneficiaries “was costing 400 bucks a month on average. It now costs $35 a month.” President Joe Biden, in a March 22 speech The cost of insulin in the United States has risen considerably…
Florida Limits Abortion — For Now
The Host Florida this week became a major focus for advocates on both main sides of the abortion debate. The Florida Supreme Court simultaneously ruled that the state’s 15-week ban, passed in 2022, can take effect immediately before a more…
ACA Plans Are Being Switched Without Enrollees’ OK
Julie Appleby, KFF Health News Some consumers covered by Affordable Care Act insurance plans are being switched from one plan to another without their express permission, potentially leaving them unable to see their doctors or fill prescriptions. Some face large…
Adultos mayores, agotados por tener que organizar tanta atención médica
En enero, Susanne Gilliam, de 67 años, estaba yendo a recoger el correo afuera de su casa cuando se cayó al resbalar sobre una capa de hielo negro. Sintió una punzada de dolor en la rodilla y el tobillo de…
Your Doctor or Your Insurer? Little-Known Rules May Ease the Choice in Medicare Advantage
Bart Klion, 95, and his wife, Barbara, faced a tough choice in January: The upstate New York couple learned that this year they could keep either their private, Medicare Advantage insurance plan — or their doctors at Saratoga Hospital. The…
The Supreme Court and the Abortion Pill
The Host In its first abortion case since the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022, the Supreme Court this week looked unlikely to uphold an appeals court ruling that would dramatically restrict the availability of the abortion pill mifepristone….
The Burden of Getting Medical Care Can Exhaust Older Patients
Susanne Gilliam, 67, was walking down her driveway to get the mail in January when she slipped and fell on a patch of black ice. Pain shot through her left knee and ankle. After summoning her husband on her phone,…
Telehealth Sites Promise Cure for ‘Male Menopause’ Despite FDA Ban on Off-Label Ads
Online stores sprang up during the covid-19 pandemic’s telehealth boom touting testosterone as a cure-all for men’s age-related illnesses — despite FDA rules issued years ago restricting such “low testosterone” advertising. In ads on Google, Facebook, and elsewhere, testosterone telemedicine…
Biden Said Medicare Drug Price Negotiations Cut the Deficit by $160B. That’s Years Away.
Amy Sherman, PolitiFact We cut the federal deficit by $160 billion because Medicare will no longer have to pay those exorbitant prices to Big Pharma. President Joe Biden in his State of the Union address, March 7, 2024 President Joe…
The ACA Turns 14 – KFF Health News
The Host The Affordable Care Act was signed into law 14 years ago this week, and Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra joined KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner on this week’s “What the Health?” podcast to discuss its accomplishments…
Covid and Medicare Payments Spark Remote Patient Monitoring Boom
Billy Abbott, a retired Army medic, wakes at 6 every morning, steps on the bathroom scale, and uses a cuff to take his blood pressure. The devices send those measurements electronically to his doctor in Gulf Shores, Alabama, and a…
Maybe It’s a Health Care Election After All
The Host The general election campaign for president is (unofficially) on, as President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump have each apparently secured enough delegates to become his respective party’s nominee. And health care is turning out to be…
The Medicare Episode – KFF Health News
Dan Weissmann Medicare may sound like an escape from the expensive world of U.S. health insurance, but it’s more complicated, and expensive, than many realize. And decisions seniors make when they sign up for the federal health insurance program can…
Biden Said State of the Union Is Strong and Made Clear His Campaign Is Off and Running
President Joe Biden touted his administration’s accomplishments in health care in a wide-ranging State of the Union address on Thursday evening that touched on subjects such as immigration, the economy, crime, job growth, infrastructure, and the Israel-Hamas war. With Biden…
The State of the Union Is … Busy
The Host Julie Rovner KFF Health News @jrovner Read Julie’s stories. Julie Rovner is chief Washington correspondent and host of KFF Health News’ weekly health policy news podcast, “What the Health?” A noted expert on health policy issues, Julie is…
Operating in the Red: Half of Rural Hospitals Lose Money, as Many Cut Services
In a little more than two years as CEO of a small hospital in Wyoming, Dave Ryerse has witnessed firsthand the worsening financial problems eroding rural hospitals nationwide. In 2022, Ryerse’s South Lincoln Medical Center was forced to shutter its…
Whistleblower Accuses Aledade, Largest US Independent Primary Care Network, of Medicare Fraud
A Maryland firm that oversees the nation’s largest independent network of primary care medical practices is facing a whistleblower lawsuit alleging it cheated Medicare out of millions of dollars using billing software “rigged” to make patients appear sicker than they…
America Worries About Health Costs — And Voters Want to Hear From Biden and Republicans
President Joe Biden is counting on outrage over abortion restrictions to help drive turnout for his reelection. Former President Donald Trump is promising to take another swing at repealing Obamacare. But around America’s kitchen tables, those are hardly the only…
Say That Again: Using Hearing Aids Can Be Frustrating for Older Adults, but Necessary
It was an every-other-day routine, full of frustration. Every time my husband called his father, who was 94 when he died in 2022, he’d wait for his dad to find his hearing aids and put them in before they started…
Without Medicare Part B’s Shield, Patient’s Family Owes $81,000 for a Single Air-Ambulance Flight
Debra Prichard was a retired factory worker who was careful with her money, including what she spent on medical care, said her daughter, Alicia Wieberg. “She was the kind of person who didn’t go to the doctor for anything.” That…
Alabama Court Rules Embryos Are Children. What Now?
The Host The Alabama Supreme Court’s groundbreaking ruling last week that frozen embryos have legal rights as people has touched off a national debate about the potential fallout of the “personhood” movement. Already the University of Alabama-Birmingham has paused its…
Patients See First Savings From Biden’s Drug Price Push, as Pharma Lines Up Its Lawyers
Last year alone, David Mitchell paid $16,525 for 12 little bottles of Pomalyst, one of the pricey medications that treat his multiple myeloma, a blood cancer he was diagnosed with in 2010. The drugs have kept his cancer at bay….
Biden Wins Early Court Test for Medicare Drug Negotiations
The Host Julie Rovner KFF Health News @jrovner Read Julie’s stories. Julie Rovner is chief Washington correspondent and host of KFF Health News’ weekly health policy news podcast, “What the Health?” A noted expert on health policy issues, Julie is…
In Fight Over Medicare Payments, the Hospital Lobby Shows Its Strength
In the battle to control health care costs, hospitals are deploying their political power to protect their bottom lines. The point of contention: For decades, Medicare has paid hospitals — including hospital-owned physician practices that may not be physically located…
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': The Struggle Over Who Gets the Last Word
The Host Julie Rovner KFF Health News @jrovner Read Julie’s stories. Julie Rovner is chief Washington correspondent and host of KFF Health News’ weekly health policy news podcast, “What the Health?” A noted expert on health policy issues, Julie is…
¿Dónde están los proveedores de atención primaria del país? La respuesta no es fácil
Los médicos en Valley-Wide Health Systems nunca saben quién se presentará en su clínica en San Luis, un pueblo de unas 600 personas en el sur de Colorado. “Si alguien está en trabajo de parto, vendrá. Si alguien tiene una…
Where Are the Nation’s Primary Care Providers? It’s Not an Easy Answer
Clinicians at Valley-Wide Health Systems never know who will appear at their clinic in San Luis, a town of about 600 people in southern Colorado. “If someone’s in labor, they’ll show up. If someone has a laceration, they’ll show up,”…
Readers Weigh Downsides of Medicare Advantage and Stick Up for Mary Lou Retton
Letters to the Editor is a periodic feature. We welcome all comments and will publish a selection. We edit for length and clarity and require full names. In response to Sarah Jane Tribble’s report about growing enrollment in Medicare Advantage plans — and…
With Trump Front of Mind, New Hampshire Voters Cite Abortion and Obamacare as Concerns
Phil Galewitz, KFF Health News HANOVER, N.H. — Health care issues are important to Lana Leggett-Kealey, who works as a genetic genealogist. But on Tuesday, as she walked out of her polling place at a local high school and into…
Medicare Advantage Is Popular, but Some Beneficiaries Feel Buyer’s Remorse
Medicare Advantage plans are booming — 30.8 million of the 60 million Americans with Medicare are now enrolled in the private plans rather than the traditional government-run program. But a little-known fact: Once you’re in a Medicare Advantage plan, you…
Watch: Older Americans Say They Feel Stuck in Medicare Advantage Plans
As enrollment in private Medicare Advantage plans grows, so do concerns about how well the coverage works, including from people who say they are stuck in the private plans as their health declines. KFF Health News’ Sarah Jane Tribble explains….
Cómo impactaría una segunda presidencia de Trump en la atención de salud
En la campaña presidencial, el ex presidente Donald Trump está prometiendo, una vez más, derogar y reemplazar la Ley de Cuidado de Salud a Bajo Precio (ACA), una meta vaga que se convirtió en uno de los fracasos más llamativos…
What Would a Second Trump Presidency Look Like for Health Care?
On the presidential campaign trail, former President Donald Trump is, once again, promising to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act — a nebulous goal that became one of his administration’s splashiest policy failures. “We’re going to fight for much…
In a Fractious Rerun, GOP Rivals Haley and DeSantis Debate Health Care. Trump Sits It Out.
The race to win the quickly approaching Iowa caucuses was the theme running through Wednesday night’s Republican presidential debate hosted by CNN at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. Front-runner Donald Trump was again absent and only two other candidates…
All About the (Government) Funding
The Host As this election year begins in earnest, making it harder for Congress to pass bills, lawmakers on Capitol Hill are still struggling to fund the government for the fiscal year that began last October. And many health priorities…
The AMA Wants a Medicare Cut Reversed – And Lawmakers To Stay Out of Care
Congress is back this week and feverishly working on a bipartisan agreement to fund the government for the rest of the 2024 fiscal year. Ahead of a potential vote, I spoke with Jesse Ehrenfeld, the president of the American Medical…
Adultos mayores se sienten “atrapados” en planes de Medicare Advantage
En 2016, Richard Timmins fue a un seminario informativo gratuito para aprender más sobre la cobertura de Medicare. “Escuché al agente de seguros y, básicamente, hizo publicidad de Medicare Advantage”, dijo Timmins. El agente describió la cobertura menos costosa y…
Older Americans Say They Feel Trapped in Medicare Advantage Plans
In 2016, Richard Timmins went to a free informational seminar to learn more about Medicare coverage. “I listened to the insurance agent and, basically, he really promoted Medicare Advantage,” Timmins said. The agent described less expensive and broader coverage offered…
Why Do We Pay For so Much Worthless Health Care?
Medical advances are expensive. Take Wegovy, the wildly successful obesity drug that we learned last week may also reduce the risk of heart disease. If just 10 percent of Medicare beneficiaries start taking the drug, taxpayers could be on the…
Hospitals and Doctors Are Fed up With Medicare Advantage
Medicare Advantage plans are pretty popular with both lawmakers and ordinary Americans — they now enroll about 31 million people, representing just over half of everyone in Medicare, by KFF’s count. But among doctors and hospitals, it’s a different story….
2023 Is a Wrap – KFF Health News
The Host Even without covid dominating the headlines, 2023 was a busy year for health policy. The ever-rising cost of health care remained an issue plaguing patients and policymakers alike, while millions of Americans lost insurance coverage as states redetermined…
Medicare Advantage Increasingly Popular With Seniors — But Not Hospitals and Doctors
A hospital system in Georgia. Two medical groups in San Diego. Another in Louisville, Kentucky, and nearly one-third of Nebraska hospitals. Across the country, health care providers are refusing to accept some Medicare Advantage plans — even as the coverage…
Uncle Sam Wants You … to Help Stop Insurers’ Bogus Medicare Advantage Sales Tactics
Susan Jaffe After an unprecedented crackdown on misleading advertising claims by insurers selling private Medicare Advantage and drug plans, the Biden administration hopes to unleash a special weapon to make sure companies follow the new rules: you. Officials at the…
Adultos mayores, detectives contra avisos engañosos de Medicare Advantage
Susan Jaffe Después de una ofensiva sin precedentes contra las publicidades engañosas de las aseguradoras que venden planes privados de Medicare Advantage y de medicamentos, la administración Biden espera utilizar un arma especial para asegurarse que las empresas sigan las…
Trump Puts Obamacare Repeal Back on Agenda
The Host Julie Rovner KFF Health News @jrovner Read Julie’s stories. Julie Rovner is chief Washington correspondent and host of KFF Health News’ weekly health policy news podcast, “What the Health?” A noted expert on health policy issues, Julie is…
Desperate Families Search for Affordable Home Care
It’s a good day when Frank Lee, a retired chef, can slip out to the hardware store, fairly confident that his wife, Robin, is in the hands of reliable help. He spends nearly every hour of every day anxiously overseeing…
Dodging the Medicare Enrollment Deadline Can Be Costly
Angela M. Du Bois, a retired software tester in Durham, North Carolina, wasn’t looking to replace her UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage plan. She wasn’t concerned as the Dec. 7 deadline approached for choosing another of the privately run health insurance alternatives…
Democrats See Opportunity in GOP Threats to Repeal Health Law
The Host Julie Rovner KFF Health News @jrovner Read Julie’s stories. Julie Rovner is chief Washington correspondent and host of KFF Health News’ weekly health policy news podcast, “What the Health?” A noted expert on health policy issues, Julie is…