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Trump’s early health moves signal intent to erase Biden’s legacy. What’s next is unclear.

President Donald Trump's early actions on health care signal his likely intention to wipe away some Biden-era programs to lower drug costs and expand coverage under public insurance programs.

23 Jan 2025

Investing in adolescent mental health delivers long-term economic and social benefits

The study reveals that supporting adolescent mental health is a cost-effective investment, leading to improved economic outcomes and reduced fiscal pressures.

20 Jan 2025

High out-of-pocket costs reduce participation in cardiac rehabilitation

Despite the success cardiac rehabilitation has shown at reducing heart-related deaths and hospital readmissions, higher out-of-pocket costs may prevent patients from participating in the program, a Michigan Medicine study suggests.

17 Jan 2025

Unveiling the hidden benefit of bariatric surgery

Welcoming a newborn is something many couples dream of doing, but it can get complicated when conceiving becomes a roadblock. Infertility affects one in six people, but obesity can also be a problem. When diet and exercise aren't enough to lose weight, bariatric surgery can become an option. Yet a new national survey by Orlando Health finds that 56% of Americans do not know that bariatric surgery is an effective way to improve fertility.

14 Jan 2025

Medicare Advantage leads to lower cancer drug costs in colorectal cancer

A new study examining the use of high-cost drugs among patients with colorectal cancer and non-small cell lung cancer found those insured through Medicare Advantage received less expensive cancer drugs compared to others on Traditional Medicare.

10 Jan 2025

Pharmacy benefit managers steer Medicare patients to use their own pharmacies

Weill Cornell Medicine researchers have found that pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs)—organizations that negotiate access to medicines for most patients in the United States—steer patients to use their own pharmacies.

10 Jan 2025

KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': New Year, new Congress, new health agenda

The new, GOP-led, 119th Congress and President-elect Donald Trump have big legislative plans for the year — which mostly don't include health policy. But health is likely to play an important supporting role in efforts to renew tax cuts, revise immigration policies, and alter trade — if only to help pay for some Republican initiatives.

9 Jan 2025

Wait times for neurological specialty care vary across conditions

Older people wait an average of just over a month to see a neurologist for specialty care after being referred by their primary care physician or another physician, according to a study published in the January 8, 2025, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

8 Jan 2025

New research reframes the debate on drug development costs

The typical cost of developing new medications may not be as high as generally believed, with a few ultra-costly medications skewing public discussions about the cost of pharmaceutical research and development, according to a new RAND study.

8 Jan 2025

Are individuals with advanced breast cancer more likely to have cardiovascular disease?

Research shows that patients with advanced breast cancer have higher odds of cardiovascular disease, emphasizing the importance of personalized screening.

7 Jan 2025

Fracture Liaison Services crucial for addressing global osteoporosis challenges

A new Perspective article published in the New England Journal of Medicine emphasizes the critical role of Fracture Liaison Services (FLS) in addressing the growing global burden of osteoporosis-related fractures, particularly hip fractures.

6 Jan 2025

Health insurers limit coverage of prosthetic limbs, questioning their medical necessity

When Michael Adams was researching health insurance options in 2023, he had one very specific requirement: coverage for prosthetic limbs.

6 Jan 2025

Exploring avoidable nursing home-to-hospital transfers for dementia patients

For many nursing home residents, a trip to the hospital can be a jarring experience - one that leaves them confused and stressed.

3 Jan 2025

Addressing barriers to healthcare delivery for people with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias

Kosali Simon, PhD, M.A., a professor with the Paul H. O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs and a Regenstrief Institute research scientist; and Katherine Baicker, PhD, University of Chicago provost, will co-lead an expected nearly $16 million National Institutes of Health's (NIH) National Institute on Aging (NIA) program to explore critical aspects of healthcare delivery for individuals living with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD).

3 Jan 2025

Metastatic breast cancer associated with higher risk of pre-existing cardiovascular disease

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer are the two leading causes of death in the U.S. According to researchers from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, patients diagnosed with late-stage or metastatic breast cancer have a statistically significant increased risk of pre-diagnosis CVD compared to those with early-stage cancer at diagnosis.

2 Jan 2025

Research highlights inadequate dental benefits in Medicare Advantage

Medicare Advantage - the privatized form of Medicare that offers benefits beyond traditional Medicare, such as dental insurance - is gaining in popularity, but a new analysis reveals that the quality of dental coverage offered by Medicare Advantage is poor, with only 8.4 percent of plans offering a dental benefit that met the study's quality standards.

26 Dec 2024

Study highlights geographical and hospital type trends in hospital-at-home participation

Hospitals that have adopted the Center for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) "hospital-at-home" program, which serves as an alternative to admission to brick-and-mortar facilities, are concentrated in large, urban, not-for-profit, and academic hospitals, new research suggests.

23 Dec 2024

In settling fraud case, New York Medicare Advantage insurer, CEO will pay up to $100M

A western New York health insurance provider for seniors and the CEO of its medical analytics arm have agreed to pay a total of up to $100 million to settle Justice Department allegations of fraudulent billing for health conditions that were exaggerated or didn't exist.

20 Dec 2024

KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': End-of-year chaos on Capitol Hill

After weeks of painstaking negotiations, Democrats and Republicans in the House and Senate agreed to a major year-end package of health bills, including new regulations for drug companies and pharmacy benefit managers, and renewals of programs to combat opioid abuse and prepare for the next possible pandemic.

19 Dec 2024

Obamacare sign-ups lag after Trump election, legal challenges

New enrollments under the Affordable Care Act are on pace to trail last year's record numbers by as many as a million as the outgoing Biden administration confronts upheavals in the program.