Time’s Running Out: The Frail In Puerto Rico Face End Of Hurricane Relief Programs
Sarah Varney
Some of the safety-net programs set up after Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico are being disbanded.
‘Aggressive’ New Advance Directive Would Let Dementia Patients Refuse Food
JoNel Aleccia
Supporters call it the strongest move yet to document a patient’s advance wishes in cases of severe dementia. Critics say it would deny basic care to society’s most vulnerable.
Scrutinizing Medicare Coverage For Physical, Occupational And Speech Therapy
Judith Graham
Treatment has been terminated for some seniors because therapists told them they weren’t making enough progress or that they had reached their annual limit. We examine the treatment benefits and the barriers under Medicare’s coverage rules for therapy.
As Trump Targets Immigrants, Elderly Brace To Lose Caregivers
Melissa Bailey
Families and nursing homes say Trump administration policies threaten to drive immigrants away from caring for older and disabled patients, intensifying a shortage in these low-wage jobs.
Calif. Bill Targets Profiteering In Addiction Treatment, Dialysis Industries
Chad Terhune
The legislation is intended to curb schemes in which some treatment providers sign patients up for private plans, pay their premiums and then rake in profits from inflated claims.
Omissions On Death Certificates Lead To Undercounting Of Opioid Overdoses
Jake Harper, Side Effects Public Media
Standards for how to investigate and report on overdoses vary widely across states and counties. As a result, opioid overdose deaths often go overlooked in the data reported to the federal government.
How Many Opioid Overdoses Are Suicides?
Martha Bebinger, WBUR
Opioid overdoses and related deaths are still climbing, U.S. statistics show. Teasing out which overdoses are intentional can be hard, but is important for treatment, doctors say.
Podcast: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’ VA Secretary Out, Privatization In?
In this episode of KHN’s “What the Health?” Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Sarah Kliff of Vox.com, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News and Alice Ollstein of Talking Points Memo discuss President Donald Trump’s firing of David Shulkin, the secretary of Veterans Affairs, and Shulkin’s claim that he was forced out by those who want to privatize VA health care.
Thousands Mistakenly Enrolled During California’s Medicaid Expansion, Feds Find
Chad Terhune
California health officials do not dispute most of the findings, saying they have already made improvements in determining eligibility.
‘Peanut Butter Cup’ Vape: Is This Dessert Or An E-Cigarette Flavor?
Rachel Bluth
Research out Monday offers evidence that advertising for e-cigarettes and other new tobacco products, which aren’t subject to the same restrictions that apply to the marketing traditional cigarettes, is stoking use among adolescents and young-adult smokers.
The Juul’s So Cool, Kids Smoke It In School
Ana B. Ibarra
The teenage smoking sensation appearing on high school campuses across the country is an easy-to-hide, high-nicotine device called the Juul. Educators and health care advocates fear that vulnerable young people may become addicted.
Without Context Or Cushion, Do Online Medical Results Make Sense?
Sandra G. Boodman
In some cases, information now available to people without talking to a doctor can be a source of confusion and alarm and the cause of more work for doctors because it comes without adequate guidance.
Tele-Monitoring Can Reduce Medical Appointments For Low-Risk Pregnancies
Michelle Andrews
In a program called OB Nest, Mayo has been using a telemedicine program in its obstetrics clinic in Rochester, Minn., that allows low-risk expectant mothers to forego some standard prenatal visits.
Readers Seek Transparency On Surgery Centers, ‘Bill Of The Month’ Investigations
Kaiser Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.