Category: Kaiser Health News

As Pandemic-Era Medicaid Provisions Lapse, Millions Approach a Coverage Cliff

States are trying to reach millions of Medicaid enrollees to make sure those still eligible remain covered and help others find new health insurance.

Nursing Home Owners Drained Cash During Pandemic While Residents Deteriorated

As the federal government debates whether to require higher staffing levels at nursing homes, financial records show owners routinely push profits to sister companies while residents are neglected. “A dog would get better care than he did,” one resident’s wife said.

Can They Freaking Do That?!? (2023 Update)

Can a medical provider you’ve never heard of send you an outrageous bill? Sure. Can you fight back and win? Yes, sometimes you can. Here’s how to do it.

It’s ‘Telehealth vs. No Care’: Doctors Say Congress Risks Leaving Patients Vulnerable

Congress’ $1.7 trillion omnibus spending package included a two-year extension of pandemic-era funding that helped telehealth services grow nationwide. But that cash bridge, embraced by those delivering services to patients in rural areas, doesn’t provide much certainty for the future of remote medicine.

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“Health Minute” brings original health care and health policy reporting from the KFF Health News newsroom to the airwaves each week.

California Author Uses Dark Humor — And a Bear — To Highlight Flawed Health System

A new graphic novel by Kathleen Founds follows an angst-ridden bear on his quest for mental health treatment. Founds drew on her own experience with bipolar disorder.

Some Addiction Treatment Centers Turn Big Profits by Scaling Back Care

Private equity groups are cashing in on rising rates of alcohol and drug addiction in the U.S. But they aren’t necessarily investing in centers with the best treatment standards, and they often cut extra services.

Government Lets Health Plans That Ripped Off Medicare Keep the Money

In a surprise decision, U.S. officials yield to insurance industry demands — at least for now.

A Baby Spent 36 Days in an In-Network NICU. Why Did the Hospital Next Door Send a Bill?

A baby spent more than a month in a Chicago NICU. A big bill revealed she was treated by out-of-network doctors from the children’s hospital next door. Her parents were charged despite a state law protecting patients from such out-of-network billing — and sent to collections when they didn’t pay up.

When Gun Violence Ends Young Lives, These Men Prepare the Graves

Just outside St. Louis, a cemetery for children sits on a hill. A wooden, weather-worn sign welcomes mourners to “Baby Land.” The gravediggers who made the special spot work quietly in the shadows.