Shefali Luthra

Shefali Luthra was a correspondent for KFF Health News until June 2020.

@shefalil

Bipartisan Senate Budget Deal Boosts Health Programs

The agreement would add $2 billion to the National Institutes of Health and fund community health centers around the country. But it does not include provisions to help stabilize the federal health law’s marketplaces.

Stalled Health Programs Await A Green Light On The Hill

With another piece of must-pass legislation set to move through Congress, there’s a push to attach provisions to keep afloat a number of health-related programs for which funding or specific federal direction has expired.

As States Target High Drug Prices, Pharma Targets State Lawmakers

In Louisiana, the wining and dining of lawmakers by scores of pharma lobbyists proves a valuable lesson on how to win statehouse votes and influence profits, though their efforts fell short in California, which passed a drug transparency bill in 2017 despite massive opposition from drugmakers.

Hurricane’s Health Toll: A Texas Doctor Taps Lessons From Katrina

After weathering the catastrophe in New Orleans 12 years ago, Dr. Ruth Berggren moved to Texas, where she again finds herself in the center of a hurricane crisis. In a Q&A, she draws parallels between the harrowing events and pinpoints risks in Harvey’s aftermath.