John Hillkirk

@johnhillkirk

Senior Editor at KFF Health News; former Investigations editor, USA TODAY. Runner. Steelers/Pens/Bucs.

Annandale, Va.

Joined August 2007

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John Hillkirk@johnhillkirk · Apr 12, 2024

@KFFHealthNews and CBS News just won a prestigious Polk Award for our joint investigation: kffhealthnews.org/medical-device…

johnhillkirk's tweet image. @KFFHealthNews and CBS News just won a prestigious Polk Award for our joint investigation:
kffhealthnews.org/medical-device…

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Brett Kelman@BrettKelman · Feb 18

A Tennessee-based pain clinic company gave patients more than 700,000 unnecessary spinal injections that did not help their pain and sometimes made it worse. New story from me for @KFFHealthNews. kffhealthnews.org/news/article/p…

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Jordan Rau@jordanrau · Jul 15

How to Find the Right Medical Rehab Services Specialized hospitals, nursing homes, clinics and home health agencies provide rehab therapy. Insurers may limit the services you can get. nytimes.com/2025/07/15/hea…

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John Hillkirk@johnhillkirk · Jul 15

Investigation: Even Grave Errors at Rehab Hospitals Go Unpenalized and Undisclosed kffhealthnews.org/MjA1ODI2NQ via @kffhealthnews

johnhillkirk's tweet card. For-profit hospitals provide most inpatient physical therapy but tend to have worse readmission rates to general hospitals. Medicare doesn’t tell consumers about troubling inspections.

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KFF Health News@KFFHealthNews · Jul 1

The White House’s “MAHA Report” declares that President Trump will aggressively combat chronic disease. So why is he cutting programs that would fight it? @DavidHilzenrath reports for KFF Health News + @CNN. ⤵️ cnn.com/2025/07/01/hea…

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KFF Health News@KFFHealthNews · Jun 3

NEW: Despite years of patient complaints and quality-of-care concerns, Ballad Health — the nation’s largest state-sanctioned hospital monopoly — will now be held to a lower standard by the Tennessee government. @BrettKelman reports. ⤵️ kffhealthnews.org/news/article/b…

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John Hillkirk@johnhillkirk · May 30

American Doctors Are Moving to Canada To Escape the Trump Administration kffhealthnews.org/MjAzODQ1Nw via @kffhealthnews

johnhillkirk's tweet card. Canada has seen a surge of American doctors seeking to move north in the months since President Donald Trump returned to the White House.

John Hillkirk@johnhillkirk · May 27

The MAHA movement seems focused on taking food dyes out of cereal. “How about we take E. coli out of our lettuce, so it doesn’t kill our kids?” says the dad of 9-year–old who landed in the hospital after eating tainted lettuce. @StephArmour1, KFF Health News + @washingtonpost

TThe Washington Post@washingtonpost · May 26

From failing to publicize a major outbreak to scaling back safety alert specialists, the Trump administration’s anti-regulatory and cost-cutting push risks unraveling a system that helps ensure the safety of the U.S. food supply, according to experts. wapo.st/4dvq28G

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SFJ@WeAreSFJ · May 22

FEATURES SERIES OR PROJECT, DIV 3 Feature treatment of any lifestyle, A&E or news topic that has multiple parts. 🥇 1st Place: @besables @peggyllowe 🥈 2nd Place: Staff, @BW 🥉 3rd Place: John Williams, @nbkrug & @sophiah_n, @washingtonpost

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John Hillkirk@johnhillkirk · May 21

24-Hour Experiment: Ice Cream and Frozen Desserts That Resist Melting youtube.com/shorts/YYklGcY… via @YouTube

John Hillkirk@johnhillkirk · May 20

This News Might Ruin Your Appetite — And Summer kffhealthnews.org/MjAzNDgzMg via @kffhealthnews

johnhillkirk's tweet card. Fresh studies expose a gap in the FDA’s assessments of foods: Widely used additives could damage the mix of bacteria in your gut, causing health problems.

John Hillkirk@johnhillkirk · May 6

At Social Security, These Are the Days of the Living Dead kffhealthnews.org/MjAyNDU2MA via @kffhealthnews

johnhillkirk's tweet card. In recent weeks, Social Security has been plagued by problems related to technology, system errors, and even the marking of living people as dead.

John Hillkirk@johnhillkirk · Apr 29

Trump Administration Retreats From 100% Withholding on Social Security Clawbacks - KFF Health News kffhealthnews.org/news/article/t…

johnhillkirk's tweet card. The Social Security Administration will now withhold 50% of many recipients’ monthly benefits to claw back alleged overpayments — down from the 100% it announced in March, but way up from the 10% cap...

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Sarah Owermohle@owermohle · Apr 22

HHS Sec. @RobertKennedyJr says during press conference on food additives that "we're restoring all the FOIA offices and we're going to make it much easier for people to get the information" (after RIFS laid off FOIA officers) h/t @emilyakopp for the Q

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John Hillkirk@johnhillkirk · Apr 9

Congrats to Fred Clasen-Kelly, @renurayasam, @laurenmsausser, @ahartreports, @ArthurAllen202, @dchangmiami, and to all KFF Health News staff involved! 🥳

CColumbia Journalism School@columbiajourn · Apr 9

🩺 @KFFHealthNews takes home the 2025 #TobenkinAward for "Systemic Sickness," a series that revealed how historic racism continues to harm the health of Black Americans. Read the full announcement: journalism.columbia.edu/news/berger-to… 📷: Gavin McIntyre for @KFFHealthNews

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John Hillkirk@johnhillkirk · Mar 28

Their Physical Therapy Coverage Ran Out Before They Could Walk Again - KFF Health News kffhealthnews.org/news/article/p…

johnhillkirk's tweet card. Health plans limit physical or occupational therapy sessions to as few as 20 a year, no matter the patient’s infirmities. The limits persist despite federal rules banning insurers from setting annual...

John Hillkirk@johnhillkirk · Mar 27

With Few Dentists and Fluoride Under Siege, Rural America Risks New Surge of Tooth Decay kffhealthnews.org/MTk5OTczMQ via @kffhealthnews

johnhillkirk's tweet card. The anti-fluoride movement has more momentum than ever. In rural counties with few dentists, tooth decay could surge to levels that have not been seen in decades, experts warn.

John Hillkirk@johnhillkirk · Mar 11

Under Trump, Social Security Resumes What It Once Called 'Clawback Cruelty' - KFF Health News kffhealthnews.org/news/article/s…

johnhillkirk's tweet card. Last year, the government stopped cutting off people’s monthly Social Security benefits to claw back overpayments. Last week, under President Donald Trump, it reversed that change.

John Hillkirk@johnhillkirk · Mar 10

Exclusive. kffhealthnews.org/news/article/f…

johnhillkirk's tweet card. The FDA has relied on food companies for decades to determine whether their ingredients are safe. Some chemicals and additives are tied to health risks while others are absent from product labels.

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Amy Maxmen, PhD@amymaxmen · Feb 14

On hold at the CDC: An analysis suggesting that flu cases *may* be at a record high. That could mean a surge of deaths comes next. The CDC is delaying analyses to inform the situation & has cut off usual communication w/hospital networks & WHO. My latest kffhealthnews.org/news/article/c…

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John Hillkirk@johnhillkirk · Feb 11

Last in our series: “The Injured” kffhealthnews.org/news/article/t…

johnhillkirk's tweet card. Survivors and witnesses of gun violence often freeze emotionally at first, as a coping mechanism. As the one-year mark since the parade shooting nears, the last installment in our series “The...