Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
'And How Will You Be Paying For Anti-Rejection Drugs?': Insurers Often Refuse To Pay For Meds Transplant Patients Need To Survive
The New York Times: Transplant Patients Need Anti-Rejection Drugs. Why Won’t Insurers Pay For Some Of Them?
The question might seem indelicate. But transplant centers find it is necessary these days to know the answer even before they place a patient on the list for an organ transplant. “How will you pay for the anti-rejection drugs?” These are patients with insurance — they need it to pay for the transplant itself — so it might seem obvious that their insurer would pay. But if, as often happens, the patient gets an organ transplant with private insurance and later enrolls in Medicare, she may be in for a shock. (Kolata, 4/2)
The New York Times: Rituals Of Honor In Hospital Hallways
The double doors of the surgical intensive care unit opened into a hallway crowded with dozens of hospital employees. A hospital bed emerged, and we all fell silent. Most beds roll out of the I.C.U. briskly, en route to radiology or an operating room, whirring with the beeps and blinks of monitors and the quick conversation of busy nurses. (Lahey, 4/2)
