Category: Health Care Costs

Medicaid Expansion Debate Will Affect Other Health Policy Issues Before Montana Legislature

Legislative leaders say the decision whether to renew Montana’s Medicaid expansion program this year will loom over behavioral health spending and hospital regulation, among other topics.

An Arm and a Leg: A Listener Fighting the Good Fight

A medical resident who listens to “An Arm and a Leg” is pushing for change with the American Medical Association and at the hospital where he works.

Biden Administration Bars Medical Debt From Credit Scores

The move, which comes less than two weeks before President-elect Donald Trump is set to take office, represents a challenge to the new administration.

Health Care Is Newsom’s Biggest Unfinished Project. Trump Complicates That Task.

As Gov. Gavin Newsom enters the second half of his final term, health care stands out as his most ambitious but glaringly incomplete initiative for California residents. The issue will likely shape his national profile for better or worse. And now, Donald Trump brings a new wrinkle.

Health Insurers Limit Coverage of Prosthetic Limbs, Questioning Their Medical Necessity

Advocates say it is discrimination and are arguing for “insurance fairness” on the grounds that people who have joints surgically replaced typically don’t face the same kinds of coverage challenges.

An Arm and a Leg: Revisiting ‘Christmas In July’

From the archives of “An Arm and a Leg”: a family tragedy, a 40-year tradition, and a million dollars in medical debt erased.

Readers Offer Solo Agers Support and Reflect on Ancestors

KFF Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.

Employers Press Congress To Cement Health Price Transparency Before Trump’s Return

Donald Trump’s first administration advanced rules forcing hospitals and insurers to reveal prices for medical services. Employers don’t want to risk backtracking during Trump’s second administration.

‘Bill of the Month’: The Series That Dissects and Slashes Medical Bills

Since 2018, readers and listeners sent KFF Health News-NPR’s “Bill of the Month” thousands of questionable bills. Our crowdsourced investigation paved the way for landmark legislation and highlighted cost-saving strategies for all patients.

Obamacare Sign-Ups Lag After Trump Election, Legal Challenges

The number of new and returning enrollees using healthcare.gov — the federal marketplace that serves 31 states — is well below last year’s as of early December. Also, a Biden administration push to give “Dreamers” access to Obamacare coverage and subsidies is facing court challenges.