Aging

At age 66, South Carolina physician Paul Rousseau decided to retire after tending for decades to the suffering of people who were seriously ill or dying. It was a difficult and emotionally fraught transition. “I didn’t know what I was going to do, where I was going to go,” he told me, describing a period […]

Montana lawmakers are looking to fast-track Medicaid coverage for older adults who need help with daily life. LISTEN here: Montana is looking to fast-track Medicaid access for older adults who need help to stay in their homes or towns. Medicaid, the joint federal-state health care program for low-income Americans, opens the door to services such […]

“Donald Trump said he was going to allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices. He never did. We did.” Vice President Kamala Harris at the ABC News presidential debate, Sept. 10 Since Vice President Kamala Harris entered the presidential race, she and former President Donald Trump have sparred over their approaches to lowering prescription drug costs. […]

Federal officials resolved more than a decade ago to crack down on whopping government overpayments to private Medicare Advantage health insurance plans, which were siphoning off billions of tax dollars every year. But Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services officials have yet to demand any refunds — and over the years the private insurance plans […]

KFF Health News senior correspondent Aneri Pattani discussed opioid settlements and the Supreme Court’s overturning of a bankruptcy deal involving Purdue Pharma on the “Front Porch Book Club” podcast on Sept. 17. Pattani, joined by journalist Ed Mahon, also discussed how much opioid settlement money Pennsylvania is receiving, who makes the spending decisions, and how […]

Finding a nursing home for yourself or a parent can be daunting. Many facilities are understaffed and the worker shortages have gotten worse since the start of the pandemic. KFF Health News senior correspondent Jordan Rau shares tips about finding nearby homes, evaluating staffing levels, what to look for when visiting, and more. Find additional […]

A decade ago, federal officials drafted a plan to discourage Medicare Advantage health insurers from overcharging the government by billions of dollars — only to abruptly back off amid an “uproar” from the industry, newly released court filings show. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services published the draft regulation in January 2014. The rule […]

Dan Shively had been a bank president who built floats for July Fourth parades in Cody, Wyoming, and adored fly-fishing with his sons. Jeffrey Dowd had been an auto mechanic who ran a dog rescue and hosted a Sunday blues radio show in Santa Fe. By the time their lives intersected at Canyon Creek Memory […]

Céline Gounder, KFF Health News’ senior fellow and editor-at-large for public health, discussed the spike in covid cases across the U.S. on CBS’ “CBS Mornings” on July 24. Click here to watch Gounder on “CBS Mornings” Click here to read Tarena Lofton’s “Covid Is Still With Us, but the Guidance Has Changed. Here’s What to Know […]

A lo largo de su presidencia, Joe Biden se apoyó en Kamala Harris, la ex fiscal y senadora frontal que eligió como vicepresidenta, para ser la voz de apoyo inquebrantable de la Casa Blanca en favor de los derechos de salud reproductiva. Ahora, mientras los demócratas reconstruyen su candidatura presidencial a pocos meses de las […]