Latest KFF Health News Stories
Congress Said COVID-19 Tests Should Be Free — But Who’s Paying?
Some large employers interpreted themselves as exempt from new federal laws that say tests for the coronavirus should be free to patients. Large academic medical centers are holding back from sending bills to these patients to avoid a backlash over surprise billing.
Tennessee’s Secret To Plentiful Coronavirus Testing? Picking Up The Tab
Just about anyone who wants a coronavirus test in the state of Tennessee can get one. How? The state got buy-in and lots of participation from private labs by assuring them it will pay them.
Before ‘Tidal Wave’ Of Illness, Nursing Home Thought It Had COVID-19 Contained
Though it already had one staff member testing positive for the coronavirus, the Gallatin Center for Rehabilitation and Healing did not tell 911 operators this fact as it called ambulances to take residents in respiratory distress to the hospital, a WPLN investigation reveals.
Long-Standing Racial And Income Disparities Seen Creeping Into COVID-19 Care
Many health officials around the nation have not released data on the ethnic and racial demographics of people tested for the new coronavirus. But public health experts said the anecdotes are adding up, and they fear the response to the pandemic will result in predictable health care disparities.
It’s Not Just Hospitals That Sue Patients Who Can’t Pay
Until very recently, the separate company that runs the emergency department at Nashville General Hospital in Tennessee was continuing to haul patients who couldn’t pay medical bills into court.
Smokers Need Not Apply: Fairness Of No-Nicotine Hiring Policies Questioned
U-Haul will not hire nicotine users in 21 states where it is legal to do so. Ethicists say such policies disproportionately affect the poor and are a sign of employers becoming overly involved in workers’ lifestyle choices.
One-On-One With Trump’s Medicare And Medicaid Chief: Seema Verma
Seema Verma, the administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, sat down for a rare interview with KHN senior correspondent Sarah Varney. They discuss her views on President Donald Trump’s plan for sustaining public health insurance programs, how the administration would respond if Obamacare is struck down by the courts in the future and her thoughts on how the latest “Medicare for All” proposals would affect innovation and access to care.
‘Food Pharmacies’ In Clinics: When The Diagnosis Is Chronic Hunger
It’s hard to manage chronic conditions without a steady source of healthy food. That’s why more health care providers are setting up food pantries — right inside hospitals and clinics.
Hospitals Take Shot At Opioid Makers Over Cost Of Treating Uninsured For Addiction
A few hundred hospitals have banded together to sue drugmakers in state courts, but far more are staying on the sidelines to avoid ‘unflattering attention’ about their role in the opioid crisis.
Tenn. Block Grant Experiment Would Boost Federal Funding, State Medicaid Chief Says
In a Q&A with Kaiser Health News, Tennessee Medicaid Director Gabe Roberts says state officials are requesting a modified block grant from federal officials because it would save money and allow the state to keep some of that savings.
KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: Tennessee Seeks Medicaid Changes
Tennessee wants to convert its Medicaid program to a block grant. But is its plan legal? Meanwhile, Congress continues to struggle with legislation to rein in prescription drug prices and surprise medical bills. This week, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Jennifer Haberkorn of the Los Angeles Times and Kimberly Leonard of the Washington Examiner join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Rovner also interviews Dr. Marty Makary, author of the new book “The Price We Pay” about why health care costs so much.
Abuelos que pasan hambre: el país fracasa en alimentar a los más vulnerables
Millones de adultos mayores en todo el país pasan hambre en silencio, mientras la red de seguridad diseñada para ayudarlos se desmembra.
Starving Seniors: How America Fails To Feed Its Aging
One out of every 13 older Americans struggles to find enough food to eat while the federal program intended to help hasn’t kept pace with the graying population.
At This Summer Camp, Struggling With A Disability Is The Point
At a camp for kids in Nashville, physical therapists use “constraint-induced movement therapy.” It makes life tougher, temporarily, in hopes of strengthening the campers’ ability to navigate the world.
Unir atención física y mental podría ayudar a Medicaid a salvar vidas y ahorrar dinero
Algo que resulta obvio no se ha estado haciendo en el sistema de atención de salud del país: coordinar tratamientos físicos y mentales, para lograr una mejor evolución de los pacientes.
Coordinating Care Of Mind And Body Might Help Medicaid Save Money And Lives
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.
On A Mission To Help People Control Diabetes — And Save Money On Insulin
Patients with Type 2 diabetes are often steered toward medicine or insulin treatment. But with additional support, it’s possible to use diet and exercise to control blood sugar. The rising price of insulin drives patients to lower their dependence on the medicine.
Federal Suit Alleges ‘Staggering’ Urine Drug Testing Fraud At Tennessee Pain Clinics
Tennessee company’s Medicare billings for urine tests were examined by Kaiser Health News in 2017.
Podcast: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’ ‘Conscience’ Rules, Rx Prices and Still More Medicare
Joanne Kenen of Politico, Jen Haberkorn of the Los Angeles Times and Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss the latest news about the Trump administration’s effort to allow health care practitioners and organizations to refuse to provide care or refer patients for services that violate their conscience or religion. Also this week, the administration orders TV ads for prescription drugs to include list prices. And Tennessee wants free rein from the federal government to run its Medicaid program. Plus, Rovner interviews Joan Biskupic, author of a new book on Chief Justice John Roberts, about the behind-the-scenes negotiations that led to the 2012 ruling upholding the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act.
Pain Clinics’ Doctors Needlessly Tested Hundreds Of Urine Samples, Court Records Show
Whistleblower lawsuits accuse Tennessee chain of bilking millions from Medicare for unnecessary urine drug tests.
