Americans’ challenges with health care costs
by Lunna Lopes, Marley Presiado, and Liz Hamel KFF Health News For many years, KFF polling has found that the high cost of health care is a burden on U.S….
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Bold changes are in store for Medi-Cal in 2024, but will patients benefit?
by Bernard J. Wolfson KFF Health News California’s safety-net health program, Medi-Cal, is on the cusp of major changes that could rectify long-standing problems and improve health care for the…
Deep flaws in FDA oversight of medical devices, and patient harm, exposed in lawsuits and records
by Fred Schulte and Holly K. Hacker KFF Health News Living with diabetes, Carlton “PeeWee” Gautney Jr. relied on a digital device about the size of a deck of playing…
LA county invests big in free virtual mental health therapy for K-12 students
by Molly Castle Work KFF Health News LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles County public schools are rolling out an ambitious effort to offer free mental health services to their 1.3…
Rift over when to use N95s puts health workers at risk again
by Amy Maxmen KFF Health News Three years after more than 3,600 health workers died of COVID-19, occupational safety experts warn that those on the front lines may once again…
LA county invests big in free virtual mental health therapy for K-12 students
by Molly Castle Work KFF Health News LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles County public schools are rolling out an ambitious effort to offer free mental health services to their 1.3…
Medicare Advantage increasingly popular with seniors — but not hospitals and doctors
by Julie Appleby KFF Health News 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,…
Dodging the Medicare enrollment deadline can be costly
by Susan Jaffe KFF Health News 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…
Uncle Sam wants you to help stop insurers’ bogus Medicare Advantage sales tactics
by Susan Jaffe KFF Health News After an unprecedented crackdown on misleading advertising claims by insurers selling private Medicare Advantage and drug plans, the Biden administration hopes to unleash a…
Uncle Sam wants you to help stop insurers’ bogus Medicare advantage sales tactics
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…
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….
Medicare Advantage increasingly popular with seniors — but not hospitals and doctors
by Julie Appleby KFF Health News 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,…
Many autoimmune disease patients struggle with diagnosis, costs, inattentive care
by Andy Miller KFF Health News After years of debilitating bouts of fatigue, Beth VanOrden finally thought she had an answer to her problems in 2016 when she was diagnosed…
Why long-term care insurance falls short for so many
by Jordan Rau and JoNel Aleccia KFF Health News For 35 years, Angela Jemmott and her five brothers paid premiums on a long-term care insurance policy for their 91-year-old mother….
Is Novavax, the latecomer COVID-19 vaccine, worth the wait?
Erin Kissane, a co-founder of the COVID Tracking Project, rolled up her sleeve for the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine in mid-October soon after it was finally recommended in the United States….
Beyond insulin: Medi-Cal expands patient access to diabetes supplies
LOS ANGELES — June Voros sprang from her couch as a high-pitched beep warned her that she needed a quick dose of sugar. Her blood sugar was plummeting, and the…
Facing financial ruin as costs soar for elder care
by Reed Abelson and Jordan Rau KFF Health News Margaret Newcomb, 69, a retired French teacher, is desperately trying to protect her retirement savings by caring for her 82-year-old husband,…
New California law offers fresh Protection from steep ambulance bills
by Bernard J. Wolfson KFF Health News Last year, Jennifer Reisz’s college-age daughter, Megan, was kicked in the chest multiple times by the family’s horse. Megan fell to the ground,…
Enrollment begins for more Affordable Care Act insurance plans
For millions of Americans who buy their own health insurance through the Affordable Care Act marketplace, the end of the year brings a day of reckoning: It’s time to compare…
When that supposedly free annual physical generates a bill
by Julie Appleby KFF Health News Christine Rogers of Wake Forest, North Carolina, didn’t hesitate when she was asked to fill out a routine mental health questionnaire during a checkup…
Doubts abound about a new Alzheimer’s blood test
For the first time, people worried about their risk of Alzheimer’s disease can go online, order a blood test, and receive results in the privacy of their homes. This might…
California expands paid sick days and boosts health worker wages
SACRAMENTO — California continues to burnish its reputation as a progressive state for health policy as Gov. Gavin Newsom signed bills expanding paid sick leave, adding bereavement leave for miscarriages,…
Why is finding COVID shots for young children still so hard?
On Sept. 12, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended the next round of covid shots for everyone 6 months and older. The shots were expected to be available…
California moves ahead of the FDA in banning common candy additives
by Annie Sciacca KFF Health News Halloween candy could be in for a California makeover. Asserting that the Food and Drug Administration has not moved quickly enough on dangerous food…
The new vaccines and you: Americans better armed than ever against the winter blechs
Last year’s “triple-demic” marked the beginning of what may be a new normal: a confluence of respiratory infections — RSV, influenza, and COVID-19 — will surge as the weather cools…
New Medicare Advantage plans tailor offerings to Asian Americans, other groups
As Medicare Advantage continues to gain popularity among seniors, three Southern California companies are pioneering new types of plans that target cultural and ethnic communities with special offerings and native-language…
Biden administration to ban medical debt from Americans’ credit scores
by Noam N. Levey KFF Health News The Biden administration announced a major initiative to protect Americans from medical debt on Thursday, outlining plans to develop federal rules barring unpaid medical bills…
Why the CDC has recommended new COVID boosters for all
Everyone over the age of 6 months should get the latest COVID-19 booster, a federal expert panel recommended on Tuesday, Sept. 12 after hearing an estimate that universal vaccination could…
Pfizer and Moderna are pushing the new COVID booster. Should you get it? The CDC is about to decide
A small percentage of Americans got the most recent COVID-19 booster shot, and even fewer probably realize the federal government is preparing to recommend yet another shot as early as…
The shrinking number of primary care physicians is reaching a tipping point
by Elisabeth Rosenthal KFF Health News I’VE been receiving an escalating stream of panicked emails from people telling me their longtime physician was retiring, was no longer taking their insurance,…