A ‘Payday Loan’ From a Health Care Behemoth
UnitedHealth Group is the largest health insurer in the United States. And it keeps growing. This has led some health care experts to call for antitrust regulation of this âbehemothâ company.
Health Industry
941 - 960 of 3,935 Results
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As Fewer MDs Practice Rural Primary Care, a Different Type of Doctor Helps Take Up the Slack
The number of DOs is surging, and more than half of them practice in primary care, including in rural areas hit hard by doctor shortages.
By Tony Leys -
Will a âNational Patient Safety Board,â Modeled After the NTSB, Actually Fly?
A push is underway to create a National Patient Safety Board modeled after the National Transportation Safety Board, an independent federal agency that investigates plane crashes and other transportation disasters. But unlike the NTSB, some patient safety advocates say, the current proposal is toothless and wouldnât provide transparency about the nationâs hospitals.
Our 300th Episode!
Episode 300When Ńîšóĺú´ŤĂ˝Ňîl Health Newsâ âWhat the Health?â podcast launched in 2017, Republicans in Washington were engaged in an (ultimately unsuccessful) campaign to ârepeal and replaceâ the Affordable Care Act. The next six years would see a pandemic, increasingly unaffordable care, and a health care workforce experiencing unprecedented burnout. In the podcastâs 300th episode, host and chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner explores the past and possible future of the U.S. health care system with three prominent âbig thinkersâ in health policy: Ezekiel Emanuel of the University of Pennsylvania, Jeff Goldsmith of Health Futures, and Farzad Mostashari of Aledade.
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Watch: Payback for the Opioid Crisis: How Did the Sackler Family Skirt Liability?
Ńîšóĺú´ŤĂ˝Ňîl Health News senior correspondent Aneri Pattani appeared on PBS NewsHour to discuss the ruling surrounding drugmaker Purdue Pharma's role in the opioid crisis and her reporting into the ongoing distribution of opioid settlement funds.
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How a Medical Recoding May Limit Cancer Patientsâ Options for Breast Reconstruction
The federal governmentâs arcane process for medical coding is influencing which reconstructive surgery options are available, creating anxiety for breast cancer patients.
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Perspective
Denials of Health Insurance Claims Are Rising â And Getting Weirder
The Department of Health and Human Services is tasked with monitoring denials both by Obamacare health plans and those offered through employers and insurers. As insurersâ denials become more common, they sometimes defy not just medical standards of care but sheer logic. Why hasnât the agency fulfilled its assignment?
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A Catch-22 for Clinics: State Bans Limit Abortion Counseling. Federal Title X Rules Require It.
Family planning clinics are getting caught between state abortion bans and a federal requirement to refer patients for abortion care on request.
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California Hospitals Seek a Broad Bailout, but They Donât All Need It
As hospitals squeeze Democratic leaders in Sacramento for more money, health care finance experts and former state officials warn against falling for the industryâs fear tactics. They point to healthy profits and a recession-era financing scheme that allows rich hospitals to take tax money from poorer ones.
By Samantha Young and Angela Hart -
Abortion Bans Are Driving Off Doctors and Closing Clinics, Putting Basic Health Care at Risk
Doctors say they are reluctant to practice in abortion-banned states, where making the best decision for a patient could run afoul of the law. Even former President Donald Trumpâs surgeon general is concerned about the repercussions for womenâs health, writes Ńîšóĺú´ŤĂ˝Ňîl Health Newsâ chief Washington correspondent, Julie Rovner.
By Julie Rovner -
A More Aggressive FTC Is Starting to Target Drug Mergers and Industry Middlemen
Industry analysts are skeptical that Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan can win her first fight against a drug industry merger. It will be reviewed by a judge appointed by then-President Donald Trump.
By Arthur Allen The Abortion Pill Goes Back to Court
Episode 298A three-judge appeals court panel heard testimony this week about revoking the FDAâs 22-year-old approval of a key pill used in medication abortion and miscarriage management. The judges all have track records of siding with abortion foes. Meanwhile, as the standoff over raising the federal debt ceiling continues in Washington, a major sticking point is whether to impose work requirements on recipients of Medicaid coverage. Victoria Knight of Axios, Rachel Roubein of The Washington Post, and Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call join Ńîšóĺú´ŤĂ˝Ňîl Health News chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more.
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Perspective
An AI Chatbot May Be Your Next Therapist. Will It Actually Help Your Mental Health?
Given a dire shortage of human behavioral health providers in the U.S., it may prove tempting for insurers to offer up apps and chatbots to meet the federal mental health parity requirement. But artificial intelligence, by definition fake, canât master the empathic flow between patient and doctor thatâs central to therapy.
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Study Reveals Staggering Toll of Being Black in America: 1.6M Excess Deaths Over 22 Years
The profound and painful loss â 80 million years of life, compared with the white population â is a call to action to improve the health of Black Americans, especially infants, mothers, and seniors, researchers say.
By Liz Szabo -
Michael Milken Wants to Speed Up Cures
In his new book, âFaster Cures,â the former âjunk bond king,â now a philanthropist, promotes business principles as catalysts for medical breakthroughs.
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New Mexico Program to Reduce Maternity Care Deserts in Rural Areas Fights for Survival
A federally funded program in remote New Mexico has helped hundreds of pregnant mothers stay healthy, but itâs running out of time and money despite a growing national maternity care crisis. The four-year, nearly $3 million grant has provided telehealth, coordinated care, and social services to mothers in need.
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As More Hospitals Create Police Forces, Critics Warn of Pitfalls
Nearly 30 states have active or proposed laws authorizing independent hospital police forces. Groups representing nurses and hospitals say the laws address the daily realities of patients who become aggressive or agitated. But critics worry about unintended consequences.
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ER Doctors Vow to Pursue Case Against Envision Despite Bankruptcy
The lawyer for an emergency physicians group says its lawsuit against Envision Healthcare should be allowed to proceed even though the company has filed for Chapter 11 protection.
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AI May Be on Its Way to Your Doctorâs Office, But Itâs Not Ready to See Patients
Giant corporations like Microsoft and Google, plus many startups, are eyeing health care profits from programs based on artificial intelligence.
By Darius Tahir The Crisis Is Officially Ending, but Covid Confusion Lives On
Episode 297The public health emergency declaration for covid-19 ends May 11, ushering in major changes in how Americans can access and pay for the vaccines, treatments, and tests particular to the culprit coronavirus. But not everyone will experience the same changes, creating a confusing patchwork of coverage â not unlike health coverage for other diseases. Meanwhile, outside advisers to the FDA formally recommended allowing a birth control pill to be sold without a prescription. If the FDA follows the recommendation, it would represent the first over-the-counter form of hormonal contraception. Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Tami Luhby of CNN, and Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico join Ńîšóĺú´ŤĂ˝Ňîl Health Newsâ Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Plus for âextra creditâ the panelists suggest health policy stories they read this week they think you should read, too.