Readers Offer ‘Solo Agers’ Support and Reflect on Ancestors
吃瓜不打烊 gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
The independent source for health policy research, polling, and news.
101 - 120 of 1,305 Results
吃瓜不打烊 gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
Since 2018, readers and listeners sent 吃瓜不打烊-NPR鈥檚 鈥淏ill of the Month鈥 thousands of questionable bills. Our crowdsourced investigation paved the way for landmark legislation and highlighted cost-saving strategies for all patients.
The outpouring of anger at health insurers following the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson continues a cycle of rage that dates back decades.
As criticism of pharmacy benefit managers heats up, fear of lawsuits is driving some big employers to drop the 鈥淏ig Three鈥 PBMs 鈥 or force them to change.
GLP-1 agonist medications such as Ozempic accounted for 10% of the North Carolina state employee health plan鈥檚 prescription drug spending, so the state is no longer covering them for weight loss alone. Still, it did decide to cover them for Medicaid patients鈥 weight loss. A look inside the state鈥檚 coverage calculus.
Florida sued the FDA over what it said was a 鈥渞eckless delay鈥 in approving its drug importation plan. Now, nearly a year after the FDA gave the state the green light, the program has yet to begin.
Listen to 吃瓜不打烊' Jackie Forti茅r recount how a backyard snakebite led to a harrowing hospitalization 鈥 and big bills 鈥 for a San Diego family.
Though the former president has repeatedly hyped the impact of his experimental drug program, there鈥檚 no basis for his claims in government data, and medical experts say he鈥檚 exaggerating.
Health care has ebbed and surged as an election issue throughout the presidential campaign. Here are the ways some of the most consequential changes in health policies could hinge on whether Vice President Kamala Harris or former President Donald Trump wins.
With Election Day rapidly approaching, abortion is gaining traction as a voting issue, according to public opinion polls. Meanwhile, states with abortion bans are reviving the lawsuit 鈥 dismissed by the Supreme Court on a technicality this year 鈥 that could roll back the availability of the abortion pill mifepristone. Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet, Rachel Cohrs Zhang of Stat, and Victoria Knight of Axios join 吃瓜不打烊鈥 Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Tricia Neuman, senior vice president of KFF and executive director of its Program on Medicare Policy, about Medicare open enrollment and the changes to the federal program for 2025.
Criticism of prescription drug middlemen has intensified recently in the wake of a federal agency鈥檚 actions and legislative reform attempts. Georgia Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, though, vetoed a related bill that would have helped independent pharmacies, citing the unfunded cost of the move.
Every year, Medicare officials encourage beneficiaries to shop around for their drug coverage. Few take the time. This year, it might be more important than ever.
吃瓜不打烊 and California Healthline staff made the rounds on national and local media in the last two weeks to discuss topical stories. Here鈥檚 a collection of their appearances.
This legislative cycle, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed bills affirming reproductive rights and mandating insurance coverage of in vitro fertilization, but the Democrat was reluctant to impose new regulations and frequently cited costs for vetoing bills.
A Massachusetts woman ended up stranded in the hospital because CVS stopped providing the IV nutrition she needs to survive at home. Without it, she鈥檇 starve.
Since Colorado created a pool of money to pay for naloxone in 2019, it has distributed more than half a million doses of the opioid reversal drug to hundreds of organizations throughout the state. Now, its main funding stream is drying up.
As part of her presidential campaign, Vice President Kamala Harris has rolled out a plan for Medicare to provide in-home long-term care services. The proposal would fill a longtime need for families trying to simultaneously care for young children and older parents, but its enormous price tag makes it a promise unlikely to be fulfilled. Meanwhile, a growing number of Republican candidates up and down the ballot facing voter backlash over their support for abortion restrictions are trying to reinvent their positions. Shefali Luthra of The 19th, Jessie Hellmann of CQ Roll Call, and Joanne Kenen of Johns Hopkins University and Politico join 吃瓜不打烊鈥 Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, excerpts from a KFF lunch with 鈥淪hark Tank鈥 panelist and generic drug discounter Mark Cuban, who has been consulting with the Harris campaign about health care issues.
The Big Three pharmacy benefit managers say they return nearly all the rebates they get from drugmakers to the employers and insurers who hire them. But most employers seem to doubt that.
漏 2026 KFF