The independent source for health policy research, polling, and news.
You asked about drug prices, the 鈥淐adillac tax鈥 on generous insurance plans and why Americans don鈥檛 know that most other countries also have combination public-private insurance systems. This week, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico and Caitlin Owens of Axios join KHN鈥檚 Julie Rovner to answer those questions.
Politicians are throwing around a lot of terms when they talk about their health care plans: universal care, 鈥淢edicare for All,鈥 鈥淢edicare Buy-In.鈥 KHN helps explain what they are talking about.
Presidential hopeful Elizabeth Warren tried to tell the story of Ady Barkan in the latest Democratic debate. He鈥檚 one of the most prominent advocates for 鈥淢edicare for All鈥 and is spending his remaining time alive doing everything he can to make the case that all Americans need affordable health coverage.
Research out Wednesday indicates that guidelines are making strides in cutting back the number of pain pills doctors offer after specific types of surgeries.
Critics worry the delays come at a steep cost: Medicare paying for millions of unnecessary exams and patients subject to radiation for no medical benefit.
States increasingly expect to see insurers enter or re-enter ACA marketplaces next year. That鈥檚 a critical sign that these exchanges are growing less risky for insurers despite ongoing political and legal battles over the ACA.
In the wake of the opioid crisis, the highly communicable hepatitis A virus is spreading in more than half the states and making its way into the general public. Underfunded health officials are valiantly trying to fight it with vaccines.
At a camp for kids in Nashville, physical therapists use 鈥渃onstraint-induced movement therapy.鈥 It makes life tougher, temporarily, in hopes of strengthening the campers鈥 ability to navigate the world.
The proportion of money that California hospitals spent on free and discounted care for low-income people dropped by more than half from 2013 to 2017 鈥 even for nonprofit hospitals. Hospitals say there鈥檚 less demand for charity care because more people now have health insurance, but consumer advocates counter that people still need help.
Liberalized sex education policies are being considered in more states, even traditionally conservative ones, as more female lawmakers take office and legislators react to the #MeToo movement.
Medicare beneficiaries under observation care in the hospital can face higher costs for treatment and are not covered for nursing home care when discharged. A federal trial in Hartford, Conn., will determine whether the government鈥檚 ban on appeals involving observation care coverage is fair.
The patient is from Mississippi. The surgeon is from Wisconsin. They meet in a Mexican resort for knee replacement surgery. Because the care costs so much less than in the U.S, the patient鈥檚 health plan pays her $5,000.
Residents in Colorado ski resort country found relief from high insurance premiums and high hospital costs by joining forces and negotiating prices directly with the local hospital.
Veronica Kelley, head of San Bernardino County鈥檚 Department of Behavioral Health, knows firsthand that the mental health effects from mass shootings linger. Nearly four years after her community was devastated by a massacre of 14 people, Kelley has advice for Gilroy, El Paso, Dayton and other communities reeling from recent carnage.
Tennessee’s innovative Medicaid program is offering bonuses to mental health providers who help make sure their Medicaid patients get preventive help and treatment for physical ailments, too.
The recent tragic mass shootings have refocused efforts to treat gun violence as a public health issue rather than strictly a law enforcement problem. Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico and Mary Agnes Carey of Kaiser Health News join KHN鈥檚 Julie Rovner to discuss this, plus the health implications of the budget deal passed by Congress and signed by President Donald Trump, as well as reaction from Canada to a proposal to allow broader imports of its prescription drugs. Plus, for 鈥渆xtra credit,鈥 the panelists recommend their favorite health stories of the week.
The drug CroFab, which has been on the market since 2000, now faces competition from a drug called Anavip. But both are expensive.
A federal advisory panel says people between ages 27 and 45 may benefit from the vaccine to fight the human papillomavirus. But some public health advocates worry that the advice doesn鈥檛 provide doctors and patients clear guidance about who in this large age group are good candidates for the vaccine.
Obesity prevention does not get much attention in Colorado, often billed as the healthiest state. Yet more than 1 in 4 black or Hispanic residents are obese, as state and federal public health spending fuels other needs.
Amid forecasts for increasingly unhealthy air due to wildfire smoke, residents in Western states are snatching up home air purifiers. With good reason.
