The Host Julie Rovner KFF Health News @jrovner @julierovner.bsky.social Read Julie’s stories. Julie Rovner is chief Washington correspondent and host of KFF Health News’ weekly health policy news podcast, “What the Health?” A noted expert on health policy issues, Julie is the author of the critically praised reference book “Health Care Politics and Policy A…
Myself and Kristy Piccinini, PhD from FTI Consulting published a new commentary in The Evidence Base titled “Perspectives from the Healthcare Economist: Why CMS/AHIP’s prior authorization changes won’t hurt payers.” Dr. Shafrin and Dr. Piccinini share their insights in this Guest Column examining the implications of recent CMS/AHIP prior authorization reforms and why these changes are unlikely…
Kelli Reardon undergoes an MRI twice a year to screen for breast cancer, a measure she said she must take to protect her health. Her mother died of the disease at age 48, putting Reardon at higher risk, and Reardon has dense breast tissue, which makes it harder to detect a growth through a mammogram….
As a postpartum doula, Dawn Oliver does her best work in the middle of the night. During a typical shift, she shows up at her clients’ home at 10 p.m. She answers questions they may have about basic infant care and keeps an eye out for signs of postpartum depression. After bedtime, she may feed…
By KIM BELLARD My friends, we are like explorers of yore standing at the edge of a known continent, looking out at the vast ocean in hopes of finding new, unspoiled, better lands across it. True, we may have despoiled the continent behind us, but certainly things will be better in the new lands. In…
Nicole Silva’s 4-year-old daughter was headed to a relative’s house near the southern Colorado town of La Jara when a vehicle T-boned the car she was riding in. A cascade of ambulance rides ensued — a ground ambulance to a local hospital, an air ambulance to Denver, and another ground ambulance to Children’s Hospital Colorado….
The Trump administration’s broadsides against scientific research have caused unprecedented upheaval at the National Cancer Institute, the storied federal government research hub that has spearheaded advances against the disease for decades. NCI, which has long benefited from enthusiastic bipartisan support, now faces an exodus of clinicians, scientists, and other staffers — some fired, others leaving…
In response to the high price of prescription drugs, “An Arm and a Leg” asked listeners to share their strategies for getting the medicine they need at prices they can manage. Host Dan Weissmann and producers Emily Pisacreta and Claire Davenport share tips from a retired hospital manager who now helps seniors find the right…
We are entering an age of at home testing and the team at Reperio just raised $14m to make weight, blood pressure and cholesterol/blood sugar testing available at home. But this is a relatively complex series of tests, intended to get people who haven’t been to a primary care doctor back into the system. How…
By MIKE MAGEE In the wake of last week’s human tragedy in Texas, it would be easy (and appropriate) to focus on the role played by Trump’s reckless recent dismantling of FEMA and related federal agencies. But to do so would be to accept that the event was an anomaly, or as Trump labeled it on…