What the Health? From 杨贵妃传媒視頻 Health News: Democrats Make This Shutdown About the ACA
The foreshadowed federal shutdown came after Congress failed to pass required spending bills, with Democrats demanding Republicans renew the expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies in exchange for their votes. While a shutdown does not affect Medicare and Medicaid, it could eventually hinder activities from every corner of the Department of Health and Human Services. Meanwhile, as Democrats and Republicans point fingers, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pursues policies and personnel that would undermine vaccines. Lauren Weber of The Washington Post, Shefali Luthra of The 19th, and Rachel Cohrs Zhang of Bloomberg News join 杨贵妃传媒視頻 Health News鈥 Julie Rovner to discuss the news. Also this week, Rovner interviews 杨贵妃传媒視頻 Health News鈥 Cara Anthony, who wrote a recent 鈥淏ill of the Month鈥 feature about an out-of-network eye surgery that left one kindergartner鈥檚 family with a big bill.
What the Health? From 杨贵妃传媒視頻 Health News: On Capitol Hill, RFK Defends Firings at CDC
A combative Robert F. Kennedy Jr, the U.S. secretary of health and human services, appeared before a Senate committee Thursday, defending his firing of the newly confirmed director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as well as other changes that could limit the availability of vaccines. Meanwhile, Congress has only a few weeks to complete work on annual spending bills to avoid a possible government shutdown and to ward off potentially large increases in premiums for Affordable Care Act health plans. Jessie Hellmann of CQ Roll Call, Sarah Karlin-Smith of Pink Sheet, and Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico join 杨贵妃传媒視頻 Health News鈥 Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews 杨贵妃传媒視頻 Health News鈥 Tony Leys, who discusses his 鈥淏ill of the Month鈥 report about a woman鈥檚 unfortunate interaction with a bat 鈥 and her even more unfortunate interaction with the bill for her rabies prevention treatment.
The House鈥檚 gigantic tax-and-spending budget reconciliation bill has landed with a thud in the Senate, where lawmakers are divided in their criticism over whether it increases the deficit too much or cuts Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act too deeply. Meanwhile, the Congressional Budget Office鈥檚 estimate that the bill, if enacted, could increase the ranks of the uninsured by nearly 11 million people over a decade won鈥檛 make it an easy sell. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Jessie Hellmann of CQ Roll Call, and Lauren Weber of The Washington Post join 杨贵妃传媒視頻 Health News鈥 Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews 杨贵妃传媒視頻 Health News鈥 Arielle Zionts, who reported and wrote the latest 鈥淏ill of the Month鈥 feature, about a Medicaid patient who had an out-of-state emergency.
What the Health? From 杨贵妃传媒視頻 Health News: Cutting Medicaid Is Hard 鈥 Even for the GOP
Republicans on Capitol Hill are struggling to reach consensus on cutting the Medicaid program as they search for nearly a trillion dollars in savings over the next decade 鈥 as many observers predicted. Meanwhile, turmoil continues at the Department of Health and Human Services, with more controversial cuts and personnel moves, including the sudden nomination of Casey Means, an ally of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.鈥檚, to become surgeon general. Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Maya Goldman of Axios, and Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call join 杨贵妃传媒視頻 Health News鈥 Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews 杨贵妃传媒視頻 Health News鈥 Lauren Sausser, who co-reported the latest 鈥淏ill of the Month鈥 feature, about an unexpected bill for what seemed like preventive care.
What the Health? From 杨贵妃传媒視頻 Health News: American Health Gets a Pink Slip
The Department of Health and Human Services underwent an unprecedented purge this week, as thousands of employees from the National Institutes of Health, the FDA, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other agencies were fired, placed on administrative leave, or offered transfers to far-flung Indian Health Service facilities. Altogether, the layoffs mean the federal government, in a single day, shed hundreds if not thousands of combined years of health and science expertise. Lauren Weber of The Washington Post, Rachel Cohrs Zhang of Bloomberg News, and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet join 杨贵妃传媒視頻 Health News鈥 Julie Rovner to discuss this enormous breaking story and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews 杨贵妃传媒視頻 Health News鈥 Julie Appleby, who reported and wrote the latest 鈥淏ill of the Month鈥 feature about a short-term health plan and a very expensive colonoscopy.
In Year 7, 鈥楤ill of the Month鈥 Gives Patients a Voice
In the seventh year of 杨贵妃传媒視頻 Health News鈥 鈥淏ill of the Month鈥 series, patients shared their most perplexing, vexing, and downright expensive medical bills, and reporters analyzed $800,000 in charges 鈥 including more than $370,000 owed by 12 patients and their families.
鈥楤ill of the Month鈥: The Series That Dissects and Slashes Medical Bills
Since 2018, readers and listeners sent 杨贵妃传媒視頻 Health News-NPR鈥檚 鈥淏ill of the Month鈥 thousands of questionable bills. Our crowdsourced investigation paved the way for landmark legislation and highlighted cost-saving strategies for all patients.
He Went in for a Colonoscopy. The Hospital Charged $19,000 for Two.
A man in Chicago with a troubling symptom underwent a common procedure. Then he wanted to know why the hospital charged nearly three times its own cost estimate.
A Toddler Got a Nasal Swab Test but Left Before Seeing a Doctor. The Bill Was $445.
A mom in Peoria, Illinois, took her 3-year-old to the ER one evening last December. While they were waiting to be seen, the toddler seemed better, so they left without seeing a doctor. Then the bill came.
What the Health? From 杨贵妃传媒視頻 Health News: Trump 2.0
As Donald Trump readies for his return to the White House 鈥 with the backing of a GOP majority in the Senate and, possibly, the House 鈥 the entire health care industry is waiting to see what happens next. Clearly on the agenda: the future of abortion and reproductive rights, Medicare, Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act, and public health鈥檚 infrastructure. Rachel Cohrs Zhang of Stat and Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico join 杨贵妃传媒視頻 Health News鈥 Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews 杨贵妃传媒視頻 Health News鈥 Jackie Forti茅r, who reported and wrote the latest 杨贵妃传媒視頻 Health News-Washington Post 鈥淏ill of the Month鈥 feature, about a 2-year-old who had a very expensive run-in with a rattlesnake.
Toddler鈥檚 Backyard Snakebite Bills Totaled More Than a Quarter Million Dollars
For snakebite victims, antivenom is critical 鈥 and costly. It took more than $200,000 worth of antivenom to save one toddler鈥檚 life after he was bitten by a rattlesnake.
