Tackling Patients’ Social Problems Can Cut Health Costs
Intense, “high touch” care that focuses on housing as well as health care brings down medical costs for the most expensive patients. But it’s been hard to replicate successful programs.
Obama’s Health Care Legacy: A Landmark Becomes A Question Mark
President Barack Obama succeeded where many other presidents failed, but now the fate of the Affordable Care Act rests with President-elect Donald Trump.
Medicaid Is Balm And Benefit For Victims Of Gun Violence
Young men injured by gunshot wounds often lacked insurance and went for years without proper follow-up care. The health law’s Medicaid expansion, in doubt since the election, changed that in many of the states with the most gun violence.
Uninsured In Coal Country: Desperate Americans Still Turn To Volunteer Clinics
Dire dental needs and other health problems keep Remote Area Medical’s pop-up free clinics busy in states like Virginia that haven’t expanded Medicaid.
An Idea Borrowed From South Africa: Ordinary Citizens Fill Gaps In Health Care
A New York group seeks to show that a health coach who is also a neighbor can help patients and save money.
In Arizona, Health Law’s Gains And Losses Play In Presidential Race
Clinton has offered detailed plans to preserve and expand the law, while Trump has vowed to “repeal and replace Obamacare so quickly.”
As The For-Profit World Moves Into An Elder Care Program, Some Worry
PACE, a little-known Medicare program that helps keep older people in their own homes, is allowing for-profit companies in. Tech and venture capital have expressed interest.
Refugees’ Needs In U.S. Change As World’s Conflicts Shift
Syrian and Iraqi refugees arrive with decidedly different medical and mental health needs than other waves of refugees.
Cities Begin To Count The Scars Of Childhood, And Try To Prevent New Damage
A class action lawsuit in Los Angeles and a task force in Memphis both try to counter the “adverse childhood events” that impair health and well-being.
Back From The Brink, A Rural Texas Hospital Shines
One family’s tragedy inspired a radical change at a struggling rural hospital in Texas.
Hospital Closures Rattle Small Towns
More than 50 shuttered rural hospitals mean a loss of jobs and other commerce for municipalities and uncertain care for residents.
Rising Obesity Puts Strain On Nursing Homes
Residences for older adults are increasingly overwhelmed, and unprepared, for huge patients, and facilities rarely accept more than a few.
Newly Insured Treasure Medicaid, But Growing Pains Felt
People newly covered by the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion appreciate their insurance. But seeing specialists is still a hurdle for many.
A Racial Gap In Attitudes Toward Hospice Care
Hospice use has been growing fast in the United States as more people choose to avoid futile, often painful medical treatments in favor of palliative care and dying at home surrounded by loved ones. But some African-Americans have long resisted the concept, and their suspicions remain deep-seated.
California: Más Personas Con Seguro Médico… Y Conformes
Un esfuerzo más concertado, incluso a través de los medios de comunicación en español, parece estar funcionando. Una encuesta de la Kaiser Family Foundation realizada en California halló que los blancos no hispanos y los hispanos que fueron elegibles para el Obamacare ganaron cobertura a un ritmo similar. Y la mayoría está conforme con su nuevo seguro.
California Survey: Newly Insured Satisfied With Coverage, More Financially Secure
Formerly uninsured California residents no longer rank paying for health care as their primary financial concern. But some still see cost and access to care as a problem.
In Sunlit Paradise, Seniors Go Hungry
Even in what look like middle class enclaves in Florida, a growing number of seniors are having trouble keeping food on the table. The rate of food insecurity across the country more than doubled among seniors between the years 2001 to 2013.
A Matter Of Faith And Trust: Why African-Americans Don’t Use Hospice
Even as end-of-life planning gains favor with more Americans, African-Americans, research shows, remain very skeptical of options like hospice and advance directives. The result can mean more aggressive, painful care at the end of life that prolongs suffering.
Rural Indiana Struggles With Drug-Fueled HIV Epidemic
In response to an HIV outbreak of historic proportions, Indiana’s legislature passed a bill permitting drug users in areas with disease outbreaks to trade used needles for clean ones. Sarah Varney reports for KHN and PBS NewsHour from Austin, Indiana.
Cash-And-Carry Health Insurance For Some In Los Angeles
With the help of their mobile phones, people will be able to pay their health insurance premiums for L.A. Care Covered in cash at convenience stores around the city.
