Surprise-Billing Rule ‘Puts a Thumb on the Scale’ to Keep Arbitrated Costs in Check
Patients are months away from not having to worry about most surprise medical bills — those extra costs that can amount to hundreds or thousands of dollars when people are unknowingly treated by an out-of-network doctor or hospital. What’s not clear is whether the changes in law made by the No Surprises Act — which […]
Covid Testing, Turnaround Times Are Still Uneven This Far Into Pandemic
In one recent week, a New Yorker got a free covid-19 test in a jiffy, with results the next day, while a Coloradan had to shell out $50 for a test two cities from her hometown after a frantic round of pharmacy-hopping. A Montanan drove an hour each way to get a test, wondering if, […]
El resultado de una prueba de covid puede tardar horas, o hasta cinco días, dependiendo en donde vives
En una semana reciente, una neoyorquina tuvo una prueba gratuita de covid-19 en un abrir y cerrar de ojos, y su resultado al día siguiente, mientras que una residente de Colorado tuvo que desembolsar $50 para una prueba que tuvo que hacerse a dos ciudades de distancia de su pueblo natal después de una frenética […]
KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: The Politics of Vaccine Mandates
Can’t see the audio player? Click here to listen on PRX. You can also listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Pocket Casts or wherever you listen to podcasts. Click here for a transcript of the episode. Should covid vaccines be mandated? The answer to that question has become predictably partisan, as with almost everything else […]
Health Industry Wields Power in California’s High-Stakes Battle to Lower Health Care Costs
SACRAMENTO — Gavin Newsom put California’s health care industry on notice when he was a candidate for governor, vowing in 2018 to go after the insurance companies, doctors and hospitals that leave many Californians struggling with enormous medical bills and rising insurance premiums. He pledged to lead California’s single-payer movement, a high-stakes liberal dream that […]
Reluctant Localities Are Being Dragged Into Court to Fix Sidewalks for People With Disabilities
From her Baltimore dining room, Susan Goodlaxson can see her neighbor gardening across the street. But while other neighbors stop to chat, Goodlaxson just watches from the window. She uses a wheelchair, and there isn’t a single curb ramp on her block. If the 66-year-old wanted to join, she’d have to jump her wheelchair down […]
The Public Backs Medicare Rx Price Negotiation Even After Hearing Both Sides’ Views
As Congress debates cutting prescription drug costs, a poll released Tuesday found the vast majority of adults — regardless of their political party or age — support letting the federal government negotiate drug prices for Medicare beneficiaries and those in private health insurance plans. The argument that pharmaceutical companies need to charge high prices to […]
A Wrenching Farewell: Bidding Adieu to My Primary Care Doctor After Nearly 30 Years
I hadn’t expected the tears. My primary care doctor and I were saying goodbye after nearly 30 years together. “You are a kind and a good person,” he told me after the physical exam, as we wished each other good luck and good health. “I trust you completely — and always have,” I told him, […]
6 Months to Live or Die: How Long Should an Alcoholic Liver Disease Patient Wait for a Transplant?
The night before Brian Gorzney planned to check into rehab for alcohol use, he began vomiting blood. First at 2 a.m. Then 5. And again at 11. When he arrived at the rehab facility in North Kansas City, Missouri, they sent him directly to the adjoining hospital. There, Gorzney, then 50, and his family learned […]
Centros de órganos a pacientes de trasplantes: vacúnense contra covid o bajarán en la lista de espera
Un candidato a trasplante de riñón de Colorado que fue puesto en estado inactivo por no vacunarse contra covid-19 se ha convertido en el ejemplo más público de un debate que afecta a los más de 250 centros de trasplante de órganos alrededor del país. (El estado inactivo es cuando la persona ya fue aceptada […]