The independent source for health policy research, polling, and news.
581-600 of 963 results
Public transit is already insufficient in rural areas, leaving residents with few options as they travel greater distances to access health care. But older residents who depend on volunteer drivers to get them to appointments face another challenge: The number of those volunteers is declining.
As Michigan and several other states await voters鈥 verdicts on ballot measures about abortion, the providers, patients, and activists on both sides strategize their next steps.
With the midterm elections rapidly approaching, President Joe Biden has taken to the road to convince voters that he and congressional Democrats have delivered for them during two years in power. Among the health issues highlighted by the administration this week are pandemic preparedness and the availability of over-the-counter hearing aids. The president also promised to sign a bill codifying the abortion protections of Roe v. Wade if Democrats maintain control of the House and Senate 鈥 even though it鈥檚 a long shot that there will be enough votes for that. Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet, Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call, and Mary Agnes Carey of KHN join KHN鈥檚 Julie Rovner to discuss these topics and more. Plus, for extra credit, the panelists recommend their favorite health policy stories of the week they think you should read, too.
Veterans Affairs鈥 electronic health records aren鈥檛 friendly to blind- and low-vision users, whether they鈥檙e patients or employees. It鈥檚 a microcosm of America鈥檚 health care system.
A youth mental health crisis and a shortage of therapists and other care providers who take insurance are pushing many families into financial ruin. But it's rarely acknowledged as medical debt.
Centene is trying to settle accusations of Medicaid pharmaceutical overcharging in Georgia, and the St. Louis-based company has been giving thousands of dollars to the campaigns of the state attorney general and the governor.
A broad coalition of Medicaid expansion supporters faces off against a smaller group of opponents as early voting begins on a constitutional amendment that would increase coverage under South Dakota鈥檚 program.
The cheaper over-the-counter aids are for adults with mild to moderate hearing loss 鈥 a market of tens of millions of people, many of whom have until now been priced out because prescription devices can cost thousands of dollars.
Hospitals, boosted by private equity-backed staffing companies, have embraced a new idea: the obstetrics emergency department. Often, it is just a triage room in the labor-and-delivery area, but it bills like the main emergency department.
In many cities, social workers and counselors are responding to mental health emergencies that used to be solely handled by police. That approach is spreading to rural areas even though mental health professionals are scarcer and travel distances are longer.
KHN and California Healthline staff made the rounds on national and local media this week to discuss their stories. Here鈥檚 a collection of their appearances.
Sterling Raspe lived just eight months. In this KHN video, her father shows the 2-inch stack of medical bills generated by Sterling鈥檚 care.
Massachusetts is the latest state to settle with St. Louis-based Centene Corp. over allegations that it overcharged Medicaid prescription drug programs.
When Indigenous people started moving to cities in large numbers after World War II, many found hardship and discrimination there 鈥 but not the health care they were entitled to. Episode 12, the season finale, explores the efforts of urban Indian health providers to close those gaps by providing affordable, culturally competent care.
After reporting from KHN, NPR, and CBS News, a patient鈥檚 $2,700 ambulance bill was pulled back from collections.
A cannabis product called delta-8 was made legal when the 2018 Farm Bill legalized hemp. But unlike its cousin CBD, delta-8 has psychoactive properties. And the FDA warns it has 鈥渟erious health risks.鈥 The agency has received more than 100 reports of bad reactions among people who consumed it.
On top of fearing for their children鈥檚 lives, new parents of very fragile, very sick infants can face exorbitant hospital bills 鈥 even if they have insurance. Medical bills don鈥檛 go away if a child dies.
Two Missouri towns are without operating hospitals after private equity-backed Noble Health left both facilities mired in debt, lawsuits, and federal investigations. The hospitals鈥 new operator, Platinum Health, agreed to buy them in April for $2 and laid off the last employees in early September.
Doctors are divided on whether blanket testing of breast cancer patients is warranted, since scientists and physicians are sometimes unsure about how to interpret the results.
Texas is at least the 12th state to settle with St. Louis-based Centene Corp. over allegations that it overcharged Medicaid prescription drug programs.
漏 2026 KFF