Never-Ending Costs: When Resolved Medical Bills Keep Popping Up
A bill one family considered paid wrongfully resurfaced, resurrecting painful memories. Itās a scenario thatās not uncommon but grievously unsettling.
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The Pandemic Exacerbates the āParamedic Paradoxā in Rural America
Emergency medical services are a lifeline in regions with scarce medical care. But paramedics, trained to respond to patients with life-threatening injuries, are in short supply where theyāre needed most.
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A Shortfall of ECMO Treatment Cost Lives During the Delta Surge
About 50% of the covid-19 patients who got the last-ditch life support treatment at Vanderbilt University Medical Center died. Researchers wanted to know what happened to the many patients they had to turn away because ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) machines and the specialized staffers needed were in short supply. The grim answer: 90% of those turned away perished.
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Why Black and Hispanic Seniors Are Left With a Less Powerful Flu Vaccine
Federal health officials havenāt taken a clear position on whether a high-dose influenza vaccine ā on the market since 2010 ā is the best choice for people 65 and older. Many in that group already opt for the costlier enhanced shot. Those who get the standard vaccine are disproportionately members of ethnic and racial minorities.
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$11M for North Carolina Work-Based Rehab Raises Concerns
As overdoses surge and opioid settlement dollars flow, funding to North Carolina rehab foreshadows national discussion about the best approaches to treatment.
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The End of the Covid Emergency Could Mean a Huge Loss of Health Insurance
It is a perilous time to throw low- and middle-income Americans off the insurance cliff: A new omicron subvariant is spreading, and a program that provided coronavirus testing and covid-19 treatment at no cost to the uninsured has expired.
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Doctors Trying to Prescribe Abortion Pills Across State Lines Stymied by Legislation
Some doctors are getting licensed in multiple states so they can use telemedicine and mail-order pharmacies to provide medication abortions to more women. At the same time, states are cracking down on telemedicine abortions, blunting the efforts of out-of-state doctors.
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Losing Sleep Over the Pandemic? Work Flexibility May Be a Boon for Night Owlsā Health
Many sleep scientists maintain that people who prefer to stay up late could improve their mental and physical health by synchronizing their natural sleep cycles with workday demands. The flexible work schedules that came with covidās work-from-home trend, according to one new study, backs up this idea.
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Tech Glitches at One VA Site Raise Concerns About a Nationwide Rollout
The more than $16 billion, decade-long effort by the Department of Veterans Affairs was designed to provide seamless electronic health records for patients from enlistment in the military past discharge.
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ACA Sign-Ups for Low-Income People Roll Out Amid Brokersā Concerns About Losing Their Cut
The Biden administration unveiled a new special enrollment option aimed at signing up low-income Americans for Affordable Care Act coverage ā even if it is outside of the usual annual open enrollment period. But insurers are cutting broker commissions at the same time.
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Why Nurses Are Raging and Quitting After the RaDonda Vaught Verdict
The former Tennessee nurse faces prison time for a fatal error. Reaction from her peers was swift and fierce on social media and beyond ā and it isnāt over.
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Patientsā Perilous Months-Long Waiting for Medicaid Coverage Is a Sign of Whatās to Come
The pandemic crisis has overwhelmed understaffed state Medicaid agencies, already delaying access to the insurance program in Missouri. As the public health emergency ends, low-income people nationwide could find it even harder to have coverage.
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Travel in the Time of Covid: Getting There Is Easy ā Itās Getting Home Thatās Hard
The part of my London visit that I didnāt plan was testing positive for the coronavirus. I couldnāt get back to the U.S., but the U.K. didnāt care what I did or where I went.
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Record Fines Might Mean California Is Finally Serious About Improving Medi-Cal
California regulators issued record fines against L.A. Care, the stateās largest Medi-Cal managed-care plan, for providing inadequate care to its enrollees. But whether the penalties are a sign that the state will make a more forceful effort to improve Medi-Calās overall quality of care remains to be seen.
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Insulin Copay Cap Passes House Hurdle, But Senate Looks for a Broader Bill
Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) are seeking to craft a compromise that members from both parties could accept. Their plan, still being ironed out, would not guarantee a specific limit on out-of-pocket costs but seeks to roll back insulin prices by barring rebate payments to pharmacy benefit managers.
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Journalists Discuss How Legislation Affects Mental Health Care and Abortion Training
KHN and California Healthline staff made the rounds on national and local media this week to discuss their stories. Hereās a collection of their appearances.
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Black Students Experiencing Racism on Campus Lack Mental Health Support
Black students at many predominantly white colleges are speaking out about the racial hostility theyāve experienced, which contributes to depression, elevated stress levels, and anxiety. But the students are often not getting the mental health help they need on campus.
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As US Nears 1 Million Covid Deaths, One Hard-Hit County Grapples With Unthinkable Loss
The United States is nearing 1 million deaths from covid ā an almost incomprehensible number of lives lost that few thought possible when the pandemic began. Pennsylvaniaās Mifflin County offers a snapshot into how one hard-hit community, with over 300 dead, is coping.
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KHNās āWhat the Health?ā: Funding for the Next Pandemic
In his proposed budget, President Joe Biden called for a boost in health spending that includes billions of dollars to prepare for a future pandemic. But that doesnāt include money he says is needed immediately for testing and treating covid-19. Also this week, federal regulators authorized a second booster shot for people 50 and older yet gave little guidance to consumers about who needs the shot and when. Amy Goldstein of The Washington Post, Jennifer Haberkorn of the Los Angeles Times, and Rachana Pradhan of KHN join KHNās Mary Agnes Carey to discuss these issues and more. Plus, Julie Rovner interviews KHNās Julie Appleby, who reported and wrote the latest KHN-NPR āBill of the Monthā episode about a very expensive air ambulance ride.
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Tennessee Offers to Expand Dental Schools as Medicaid Coverage Stretches Need
As states expand Medicaidās dental benefits, theyāre running up against a shortage of dentists willing to work on those patients, especially in rural communities. So Tennessee is helping dental schools expand and offering to pay off student loans for those who work in high-need areas.
Morning Briefing
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CDC, FDA Say Cyclosporiasis Outbreak In 5 States Linked To Iceberg Lettuce Supplied To Taco Bell
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Grab An N95 Mask: Wildfire Smoke Will Intensify Today Across Large Swaths Of US
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Senate Rejects Democratic Effort To End AI-Powered Prior Authorization In Medicare
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