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…
Category: Medicine
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…
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…
Readying for Republican Rule – KFF Health News
The Host Come January, Republicans will control the House of Representatives, Senate, and White House, regaining full power for the…
KFF Health News Sues To Force Disclosure of Medicare Advantage Audit Records
KFF Health News has sued the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General to compel it…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
The Health of the Campaign
The Host Julie Rovner KFF Health News @jrovner Read Julie’s stories. Julie Rovner is chief Washington correspondent and host of…
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…
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.”…
Trump-Harris Debate Showcases Health Policy Differences
The Host Julie Rovner KFF Health News @jrovner Read Julie’s stories. Julie Rovner is chief Washington correspondent and host of…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Live From Aspen: Health and the 2024 Elections
The Host Julie Rovner KFF Health News @jrovner Read Julie’s stories. Julie Rovner is chief Washington correspondent and host of…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Bird Flu Lands as the Next Public Health Challenge
The Host Julie Rovner KFF Health News @jrovner Read Julie’s stories. Julie Rovner is chief Washington correspondent and host of…
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…
Abortion — Again — At the Supreme Court
The Host Julie Rovner KFF Health News @jrovner Read Julie’s stories. Julie Rovner is chief Washington correspondent and host of…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
ACA Plans Are Being Switched Without Enrollees’ OK
Some consumers covered by Affordable Care Act insurance plans are being switched from one plan to another without their express…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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 —…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Say That Again: Using Hearing Aids Can Be Frustrating for Older Adults, but Necessary
Judith Graham It was an every-other-day routine, full of frustration. Every time my husband called his father, who was 94…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
¿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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…