Brett Kelman

I never would have guessed my journalistic niche would be "dental body horror," and yet here we are. kffhealthnews.org/news/article/d…

NEW: “This was the pain clinic that was supposed to be helping me,” said Michelle Shaw, a former patient of Pain MD, which had clinics in three states. “I would come home crying. It just felt like they were using me.” @BrettKelman reports. ⤵️ kffhealthnews.org/news/article/p…

Live footage of me writing about 700,000 spinal injections

A Tennessee pain clinic company made millions by giving patients about 700,000 unnecessary injections near the spine that did not diminish their pain and sometimes made it worse. A new story from me for @KFFHealthNews & @TNLookout. tennesseelookout.com/2025/02/14/pai…

Almost unfathomable: This Lender Said Its Loans Would Help Tennesseans. It Has Sued More Than 110,000 of Them. Yes, you read that right. propublica.org/article/flex-l… by @friedmanadam5 @TNLookout

I'm wading back in to the hellhole that is Twitter to share this story about the hellhole that is payday loans. Tennessee lawmakers are allowing "flex loans" to eat their constituents alive. Story by @TNLookout and @propublica, some of the best. tennesseelookout.com/2025/05/05/thi…

The man responsible for a $1.3 billion fraud scheme. A doctor who gave unnecessary eye injections. A CEO made a fortune on pain and pee. President Trump claims he will stop health care fraudsters. In his first term, he let these fraudsters go. kffhealthnews.org/news/article/t…

NEW: At least 230 U.S. counties have both a dire shortage of dentists and largely unfluoridated water, which could lead to rampant tooth decay and a lifetime of dental pain and costs. @BrettKelman reports. ⤵️ kffhealthnews.org/news/article/f…

Former Tennessee Sen. Brian Kelsey, who pleaded guilty to campaign finance crimes and reported to prison two weeks ago, says he was pardoned by President Trump. I have just one story about Kelsey. This is it.

US Dentists Are Pulling ‘Healthy’ and Treatable Teeth To Profit From Implants, Experts Warn kffhealthnews.org/news/article/d… via @BrettKelman et al

NEW: In the wake of Hurricane Helene, 70 people were rescued by helicopters from an Appalachian hospital destroyed by flash flooding from a nearby river. Why was it built on a flood plain in the first place? 📝: @laurenmsausser & @hollyhacker kffhealthnews.org/news/article/u…

In a large swath of Appalachia, many residents are afraid of the hospital, but there is nowhere else to go. This is my latest @KFFHealthNews story on Ballad Health, the largest state-sanctioned hospital monopoly in the nation. kffhealthnews.org/news/article/b…

Ballad Health, the nation’s largest state-sanctioned hospital monopoly, is only option for hospital care in a large swath of Appalachia. Some residents say they’ve become wary, afraid, or unwilling to get care at Ballad hospitals. @BrettKelman reports: kffhealthnews.org/news/article/b…

When Jerry Qualls had a heart attack in 2022, physicians at a Ballad Health facility said he couldn't be expected to recover. At a non-Ballad hospital, he received a heart transplant. @BrettKelman with @KFFHealthNews reports on Ballad Health. tennesseelookout.com/2024/12/06/six…

"Cut your own f---ing eyes out, you b---," and other fun anecdotes from the self-regulated world of harvesting eye tissues. Read our new story from @KFFHealthNews, @raelnb and @WyoFile. And don't blink. kffhealthnews.org/news/article/e…

It is pretty hard to swallow that the University of Florida persistently asks me and other alumni for donations while paying Ben Sasse a $1 million professor salary. Just ask him. He can afford it. nytimes.com/2024/11/17/us/…

Americans are getting dental implants more than ever — and at costs reaching tens of thousands of dollars. Experts worry some dentists have lost sight of the soul of dentistry: preserving and fixing teeth. @BrettKelman & @annawerner report: kffhealthnews.org/news/article/d…