Bram Sable-Smith, KFF Health News

Most recent articles by Bram Sable-Smith, KFF Health News

Wins at the ballot box for abortion rights still mean court battles for access
Wins at the ballot box for abortion rights still mean court battles for access
Bram Sable-Smith, KFF Health News
June 6, 2024
2:05 pm

Voters in as many as 13 states could also weigh in this year on abortion ballot initiatives.

How national political ambition could fuel, or fail, initiatives to protect abortion rights in states
How national political ambition could fuel, or fail, initiatives to protect abortion rights in states
Bram Sable-Smith, KFF Health News
Rachana Pradhan, KFF Health News
March 19, 2024
10:00 am

Missouri is one of 13 states weighing abortion-related ballot measures, most of which would protect abortion rights.

States target health insurers’ ‘prior authorization’ red tape
States target health insurers’ ‘prior authorization’ red tape
Bram Sable-Smith, KFF Health News
February 12, 2024
2:45 pm

The practice has prompted backlash from patients like and groups representing medical professionals and hospitals that say prior authorization can interfere with treatment, cause medical provider burnout, and increase administrative costs.

These patients had to lobby for correct diabetes diagnoses. Was their race a reason?
These patients had to lobby for correct diabetes diagnoses. Was their race a reason?
Bram Sable-Smith, KFF Health News
January 9, 2024
9:30 am

Without the correct diagnosis — which can be confirmed through blood tests — patients described being denied the medicines, technology, and tests to properly treat their diabetes.

Ohio voted on abortion. Next year, 11 more states might, too.
Ohio voted on abortion. Next year, 11 more states might, too.
Bram Sable-Smith, KFF Health News
November 8, 2023
11:00 am

As activists parse the results of Tuesday’s vote to protect abortion rights in Ohio, Jamie Corley is already well on her way to putting a similar measure in front of Missouri voters next year.

Funyuns and flu shots? Gas station company ventures into urgent care
Funyuns and flu shots? Gas station company ventures into urgent care
Bram Sable-Smith, KFF Health News
August 16, 2023
11:30 am

When Lou Ellen Horwitz first learned that a gas station company was going to open a chain of urgent care clinics, she was skeptical.

The hospital bills didn’t find her, but a lawsuit did — plus interest
The hospital bills didn’t find her, but a lawsuit did — plus interest
Bram Sable-Smith, KFF Health News
June 27, 2023
2:30 pm

Bethany Birch never received a bill for gallbladder surgery in 2016. Then, in 2018, there was a knock on her door, and she was served a lawsuit.

Can a fetus be an employee? States are testing the boundaries of personhood after ‘Dobbs’
Can a fetus be an employee? States are testing the boundaries of personhood after ‘Dobbs’
Bram Sable-Smith, KFF Health News
May 5, 2023
12:00 pm

Every state has at least some statute or case law that considers a fetus a person, according to a report from Pregnancy Justice, a nonprofit that advocates for the rights of pregnant people.

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