Category: Kaiser Health News

With Property Seized and Federal Funding Uncertain, Montana Asbestos Clinic Fights for Its Life

The Center for Asbestos Related Disease in Libby, Montana, closed in May after a court judgment allowing BNSF Railway to seize its assets. Now, the clinic’s federal funding is in jeopardy, too.

An Arm and a Leg: The Prescription Drug Playbook, Part I

In Part 1 of a two-part series on dealing with the high price of prescription drugs, a father explains the strategies he used to get his daughter the medicine she needs to treat her epilepsy.

Have Job-Based Health Coverage at 65? You May Still Want To Sign Up for Medicare

Patient advocates say they frequently hear from people who thought they didn’t need to sign up for Medicare when they turned 65 because they had group health coverage. That delay sometimes forces people to cover medical expenses themselves.

Nurse Practitioners Critical in Treating Older Adults as Ranks of Geriatricians Shrink

The number of nurse practitioners specializing in geriatrics has more than tripled since 2010.

‘MAGA’ Backers Like Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ — Until They Learn of Health Consequences

A new poll finds that most adults oppose the GOP bill that would extend many of President Donald Trump’s tax cuts while reducing spending on domestic programs including Medicaid. Most Trump backers support the plan until they learn that millions would lose health coverage and local hospitals would lose funding.

The Price You Pay for an Obamacare Plan Could Surge Next Year

An estimated 4 million Americans will lose health insurance over the next decade if Congress doesn’t extend enhanced subsidies for Affordable Care Act marketplace coverage, which expire at the end of the year. Florida and Texas would see the biggest losses, in part because they have not expanded Medicaid eligibility.

A Revolutionary Drug for Extreme Hunger Offers Clues to Obesity’s Complexity

A new drug is helping families who’ve spent years padlocking fridges, chaining garbage cans, and hiding food as their children with Prader-Willi syndrome deal with unrelenting hunger. But additional progress — and a broader understanding of obesity — is now under threat as the government dismantles the pipeline for promising new research.

‘Not Accountable to Anyone’: As Insurers Issue Denials, Some Patients Run Out of Options

Health insurers issue millions of prior authorization denials every year, leaving many patients stuck in a convoluted appeals process, with little hope of meaningful policy change ahead. For doctors, these denials are frustrating and time-consuming. For patients, they can be devastating.

CDC Staffing Upheaval Disrupts HIV Projects and Wastes Money, Researchers Say

Researchers laid off in April were putting the finishing touches on in-depth HIV surveys that guide treatment and prevention. Some staff have been reinstated, but data remains in limbo.

Kennedy’s HHS Sent Congress ‘Junk Science’ To Defend Vaccine Changes, Experts Say

A look inside the Department of Health and Human Services document citing vaccine misinformation that could influence congressional perceptions.