Category: Health Industry

As a Union Pushes to Cap Hospital CEO Pay, It’s Accused of Playing Politics

A union is asking Los Angeles city voters to cap hospital executive pay at the U.S. president’s salary. However, hospitals accuse the union of using the proposal as political leverage, and policy experts question whether the policy, if enacted, would be workable.

Amid Lack of Accountability for Bias in Maternity Care, a California Family Seeks Justice

April Valentine’s family wants to know whether racism could have played a role in her death. A KFF Health News analysis shows state regulators are ill-equipped to find discrimination in its many forms.

What One Lending Company’s Hospital Contracts Reveal About Financing Patient Debt

Within two years of North Carolina’s public university system going into business with AccessOne to finance patients’ payment plans, nearly half of its patients were in loans that charged interest. As federal scrutiny increases on lenders, KFF Health News is sharing that contract and others obtained through public records requests.

Seeking Medicare Coverage for Weight Loss Drugs, Pharma Giant Courts Black Influencers

Novo Nordisk, the dominant company in the multibillion-dollar market for weight loss drugs, focuses on Black lawmakers and opinion leaders to spread the message that obesity is a chronic disease that needs treatment.

Survey: Americans Want Weight Loss Drugs Despite High Cost

A new poll reveals enthusiasm for a pricey new generation of weight loss drugs, but interest drops if users potentially have to deal with weekly injections, lack of insurance coverage, or a need to continue the medications indefinitely to avoid regaining weight.

As Water Reuse Expands, Proponents Battle the ‘Yuck’ Factor

As drought and climate change threaten water supplies, municipalities around the country are ramping up water reuse efforts. But they have to overcome the “yuk” factor.

Doctors Sound Alarm About Child Nicotine Poisoning as Vapes Flood the US Market

Popular e-cigarettes lack packaging that stops kids from consuming the hazardous nicotine inside.

‘Conscience’ Bills Let Medical Providers Opt Out of Providing a Wide Range of Care

Opponents of the wave of state legislation say the measures place health providers’ preferences over patients’ rights.

The Real Costs of the New Alzheimer’s Drug, Most of Which Will Fall to Taxpayers

The annual cost of lecanemab treatment quadruples if the expense of brain scans to monitor for bleeds and other associated care is factored in. The full financial toll likely puts it beyond reach for low-income seniors at risk of Alzheimer’s, experts say.

Repeating History: California County Plugs Budget Gap With Opioid Settlement Cash

State attorneys general vowed that opioid settlement funds — unlike the tobacco settlement of the 1990s — would go toward tackling the underlying crisis. But in Mendocino County, officials have found a way to use some of its share to help fill a budget shortfall — a throwback to what agreement architects hoped to avoid.