102621 insurance

Watch: Going Beyond the Script of ‘Dopesick’ and America’s Real-Life Opioid Crisis
KHN teamed up with Hulu for a discussion of America's opioid crisis, following the Oct. 13 premiere of the online streaming service’s new series “Dopesick.”

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: The Politics of Vaccine Mandates
Like almost everything else associated with the covid-19 pandemic, partisans are taking sides over whether vaccines should be mandated. Meanwhile, Democrats on Capitol Hill are still struggling to find compromise in their effort to expand health insurance and other social programs. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Jen Haberkorn of the Los Angeles Times and Mary Ellen McIntire of CQ Roll Call join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews best-selling author Beth Macy about her book “Dopesick,” and the new Hulu miniseries based on it.

Insurance Focused on Virtual Visits? The Pros and Cons of a New Twist in Health Plans
By Julie Appleby New, often lower-cost plans capitalize on the convenience of telemedicine — and patients’ growing familiarity with it. But consumers should weigh costs and care options before enrolling in a “virtual-first” plan.

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Dems Agree to Agree, But Not on What to Agree On
Negotiations on the health parts of President Joe Biden’s domestic agenda are getting serious but have yet to produce a deal every Democrat can support. Meanwhile, the Food and Drug Administration remains without a nominated leader but manages to take the first steps toward approving over-the-counter hearing aids. Joanne Kenen of Politico and Johns Hopkins, Tami Luhby of CNN and Rachel Cohrs of Stat join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Plus, for extra credit, the panelists recommend their favorite health policy stories of the week they think you should read too.

Death in Dallas: One Family’s Experience in the Medicaid Gap
By Ashley Lopez, KUT Efforts to give 2.2 million Americans health insurance hang in the balance as Congress debates a massive spending bill. The so-called Medicaid gap is felt most acutely in Texas, where about half of those who stand to gain coverage live.

¿Un test de covid más caro que un Tesla? En Texas es posible
By Aneri Pattani A lo largo de la pandemia, abundaron las historias de precios sorprendentemente altos para las pruebas de covid. Pero éste supera a todos.

A Covid Test Costing More Than a Tesla? It Happened in Texas.
By Aneri Pattani A patient from Dallas got a PCR test in a free-standing suburban emergency room. The out-of-network charge: $54,000.

What the Stalemate on Capitol Hill Means for Your Drug Prices
By Sarah Jane Tribble Despite big 2020 campaign promises to deliver lower costs on prescription drugs, Democrats have failed to unite around a legislative plan.

Youthful Advisers Help Shape a Mental Health Program for Their Peers
By Mark Kreidler Officials are enthusiastic about the Allcove initiative, modeled on an Australian program. But it will need to show effectiveness and find funding.

The Pandemic Forced My Transgender Wife to Fight Our Insurer Over Hormones
By Helen Santoro The covid pandemic has caused millions of people, particularly LGBTQ adults, to lose their jobs and enroll in Medicaid or insurance through the Affordable Care Act. Yet these plans often don’t fully cover the basics needed by many transgender Americans, such as injectable estrogen, a hormone therapy commonly used by trans women.

Major Insurers Running Billions of Dollars Behind on Payments to Hospitals and Doctors
By Jay Hancock Patients are caught in the middle as insurers clamp down on paying for treatments or force prior authorizations for care.

‘An Arm and a Leg’: How One State Protects Patients From Hospital Lawsuits
By Dan Weissmann In Maryland, it's now illegal for a hospital to sue a patient who qualifies for charity care. But in many other states, that's still a thing.

The Public Backs Medicare Rx Price Negotiation Even After Hearing Both Sides’ Views
By Amanda Michelle Gomez But Americans generally have little confidence that the White House or Congress will recommend the right thing, a new poll shows.

Surprise-Billing Rule ‘Puts a Thumb on the Scale’ to Keep Arbitrated Costs in Check
By Julie Appleby Patients soon will not have to worry about the prospect of these often-costly unexpected bills, a federal law promises. Some experts say the new policy could also slow the growth of health insurance premiums.

Health Industry Wields Power in California’s High-Stakes Battle to Lower Health Care Costs
By Angela Hart and Samantha Young Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to regulate out-of-control health care spending in California. The effort is being shaped by the very health industry players that would be regulated.

Direct Primary Care, With a Touch of Robin Hood
By Bernard J. Wolfson Photos by Heidi de Marco Some doctors, sick of mainstream health care’s red tape, are finding refuge in practices that combine concierge medicine with charity care.

How to Crush Medical Debt: 5 Tips for Using Hospital Charity Care
By Emily Pisacreta The law says nonprofit hospitals are supposed to offer low-income patients financial assistance. But the average person doesn’t know about it. Here’s how to get help.

Cómo hacer desaparecer una deuda médica: 5 consejos para usar la asistencia caritativa del hospital
By Emily Pisacreta La Ley de Cuidado de Salud a Bajo Precio (ACA), también conocida como Obamacare, requiere que los hospitales sin fines de lucro pongan a disposición de los pacientes de bajos ingresos asistencia financiera, y que publiquen esas políticas en línea.

‘An Arm and a Leg’: Hello? We Spend 12 Million Hours a Week on the Phone With Insurers
By Dan Weissmann In this episode, we get our bearings on self-funded insurance plans, and how they affect the average — sometimes burned-out — American worker trying to get answers about insurance.

3 States Limit Nursing Home Profits in Bid to Improve Care
By Susan Jaffe Following the devastating impact of covid-19 on nursing homes, state lawmakers want to be sure that government and private payments primarily go to improve care and staffing.

La pandemia obligó a mi esposa transgénero a pelear con nuestra aseguradora por las hormonas
By Helen Santoro Veintitrés estados y Washington, D.C., incluyen atención de afirmación de género en sus planes de Medicaid. Pero 10 estados excluyen por completo esta cobertura.

Analysis: A Procedure That Cost $1,775 in New York Was $350 in Maryland. Here’s Why.
By Elisabeth Rosenthal The state’s unique health system controls what hospitals can charge for services.