Elizabeth Lucas
KFF Health News
Washington, DC, United States
Contact Elizabeth
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Past articles by Elizabeth:
Pharma Campaign Cash Delivered to Key Lawmakers With Surgical Precision
With an eye to shutting down Medicare drug price negotiations, drug companies and their lobbying groups gave roughly $1.6 million in the first six months of 2021, with Democrats edging closer than … → Read More
At Texas Border, Pandemic’s High Toll Lays Bare Gaps in Health and Insurance
In Texas’ border communities, which are overwhelmingly Hispanic, covid-19 death rates for people under age 65 were double those in the rest of the state and three times the national average. They w… → Read More
Device Makers Have Funneled Billions to Orthopedic Surgeons Who Use Their Products
Federal officials say that some of the money changing hands has corrupted doctors and endangered patients. → Read More
A Senator From Arizona Emerges As A Pharma Favorite
Sen. Kyrsten Sinema has received almost $100,000 from drug companies in the current election cycle, a KHN analysis shows, one of the largest cash hauls in Congress. And it’s only her first term. → Read More
Millions Stuck At Home With No Plumbing, Kitchen Or Space To Stay Safe
In 470,000 American homes spread across every state, washing hands to prevent COVID-19 may not be as easy as turning on a faucet. They don’t have showers or toilets or, in some cases, even water pi… → Read More
Furor Erupts: Billions Going To Hospitals Based On Medicare Billings, Not COVID-19
In the first round of emergency relief, some states will get more than $300,000 per COVID-19 patient, while hard-hit New York gets just $12,000 per patient. → Read More
As Coronavirus Spreads Widely, Millions Of Older Americans Live In Counties With No ICU Beds
A Kaiser Health News analysis shows that counties with ICUs average one ICU bed for every 1,300 older residents, those most at risk for needing hospitalization. → Read More
How Well Does Your Nursing Home Fight Infections? Look It Up Here
More nursing homes have been faulted for failing to follow practices designed to prevent and control infections than for any other type of error. Such lapses have become matters of heightened conce… → Read More
VCU Health Halts 30-Year Campaign That Seized Patients’ Wages, Put Liens On Homes
The bold move by the giant hospital system will help thousands of patients in the wake of a Kaiser Health News investigation last year. → Read More
Sen. Grassley Questions UVA Health On Findings From KHN Investigation
A letter from the Senate Finance Committee Chairman questions the University of Virginia Health System about its financial assistance policies, billing practices and its prices. → Read More
‘UVA has ruined us’: Health system sues thousands of patients, seizes paychecks, claims homes
Over six years, the institution filed 36,000 lawsuits against patients seeking a total of more than $106 million in unpaid bills, a KHN analysis finds. → Read More
Doctors Can Change Opioid Prescribing Habits, But Progress Comes In Small Doses
Research out Wednesday indicates that guidelines are making strides in cutting back the number of pain pills doctors offer after specific types of surgeries. → Read More
Surgeons’ Opioid-Prescribing Habits Are Hard To Kick
A new data analysis by KHN and Johns Hopkins researchers shows that even as the CDC issued warnings, surgeons handed out many times the number of opioid pills needed for post-op pain. → Read More
While addiction crisis raged, many surgeons overprescribed opioids
While hundreds of lawsuits have been filed against opioid manufacturers, the role of physicians in the national tragedy has received less scrutiny. → Read More
Opioid Operators: How Surgeons Ply Patients With Painkillers
Even as awareness of the opioid crisis grew, prescribing habits of surgeons changed very little from 2011 to 2016, found a data analysis by KHN and Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. Use this interactive tool to search by doctor or practicing hospital. → Read More
Federal Grants ‘A Lifesaver’ In Opioid Fight, But States Still Struggle To Curb Meth
The federal government has doled out at least $2.4 billion in state grants since 2017 to address the opioid epidemic, which killed 47,600 people in the U.S. that year alone. But local officials not… → Read More
Short-Staffed Nursing Homes See Drop In Medicare Ratings
In its latest update to the Nursing Home Compare website, the government gave 1,638 homes its lowest star rating for staffing — one star on its five-star scale. Most were downgraded because payroll… → Read More
Big Pharma Gave Money To Patient Advocacy Groups Opposing Medicare Changes
A KHN database shows that $58 million flowed from drugmakers to patient groups running national ads. → Read More
1,400 Nursing Homes Get Lower Medicare Ratings Because Of Staffing Concerns
Medicare said those homes either lacked a registered nurse for “a high number of days” over three months, provided data the government couldn’t verify or didn’t supply their payroll data at all. → Read More
1,400 Nursing Homes Get Lower Medicare Ratings Because Of Staffing Concerns
Medicare said those homes either lacked a registered nurse for “a high number of days” over three months, provided data the government couldn’t verify or didn’t supply their payroll data at all. → Read More