Critical Decisions Await Patient, Family Members When Medicare Deadline Looms
Every day, at least 10,000 people turn 65 and most become eligible for Medicare. That can raise lots of questions: for those still working, should they enroll or keep their company’s health plan? If they retire, how does that affect spouses and children?
Medicare Battle Heats Up California House Race
A recent town hall shows how explosive the Medicare debate can get in the hottest races in the country.
Long-Term Care A Big Time Worry in California, Study Finds
It turns out Republicans and Democrats do have something they can agree on this election season – they’re worried about how to pay for long-term care when they or a family member can no longer live at home. A new poll released Wednesday by The SCAN Foundation and the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research […]
Where In The World Is Jerry Brown?
California’s Jerry Brown, the governor of the most populous state in the union, a state that has aggressively pushed ahead with the Affordable Care Act even when it wasn’t the “in-thing,” is sitting out this year’s Democratic National Convention. Like millions of American kids who returned to school this week, Brown has too much work […]
Medicare Fraud Squads Wield New Weapons
The fraud squads who look for scams in the federal Medicare and Medicaid programs have some new weapons: tools and funding provided by the health law.
Why Are Health Costs So High? The Robot Knows
Americans have always loved the next big thing: the newest iPhone, the freshest hi-def television, and the latest and greatest … medical technology. But that quick embrace of new innovations has come at a cost: It’s driving up the prices hospitals charge insurance companies who in turn raise premiums for the rest of us. One […]
Forget The Robots: Venture Capitalists Change Their Health Care Investments
This story is part of a reporting partnership that includes KQED, and Kaiser Health News. It wasn’t that long ago that money flowed steadily to entrepreneurs who dreamt up whiz-bang medical devices. Hospitals souped up their surgical suites with robots or high-tech radiation machines for cancer treatment. Cost wasn’t an issue: They just got passed along […]
Millions Find Walgreens No Longer In Their Rx Networks
This story is part of a reporting partnership that includes KQED, and Kaiser Health News. If you’re heading into a Walgreens to pick up a prescription, you may first want to check the back of your insurance card. If it says Express Scripts, you can no longer fill your prescription at Walgreens or affiliates like […]
Walmart Wants To Be Nation’s Biggest Primary Care Provider
According to confidential documents obtained by KHN, Walmart is seeking to become the largest provider of primary health care in the United States in order to “lower the cost of health care.” Analysts say Walmart could also be trying to get more people in their stores.
Hospitals Face New Pressure To Cut Infection Rates
Under laws in more than two dozen states and new Medicare rules that went into effect earlier this year, hospitals are required to report infections, risking their reputations as sterile sanctuaries, or pay a penalty. That’s left hospital administrators weighing the cost of ‘fessing up against the cost of fines.
