health care costs 51320

Hospital Workers Complain of Minimal Disclosure After COVID Exposures

Jenny Gold and Markian Hawryluk

From cafeteria staff to doctors and nurses, hospital workers around the country report frustrating failures by management to notify them when they have been exposed to co-workers or patients known to be infected with COVID-19.

KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: How Will We Reopen The Economy?

The politics of COVID-19 are pretty polarized, but health experts across the ideological spectrum agree: The U.S. will need more robust testing before it’s safe to relax social-distancing requirements. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump, Congress and the nation’s governors continue to spar over who should be responsible for what. Kimberly Leonard of Business Insider, Tami Luhby of CNN and Anna Edney of Bloomberg News join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss this and more. Also, for extra credit, the panelists suggest their favorite health policy stories of the week they think you should read, too.

Millions Stuck At Home With No Plumbing, Kitchen Or Space To Stay Safe

Laura Ungar and Elizabeth Lucas

In 470,000 American homes spread across every state, washing hands to prevent COVID-19 may not be as easy as turning on a faucet. They don’t have showers or toilets or, in some cases, even water piped into their homes. Nearly a million U.S. homes don’t have complete kitchens and millions more are overcrowded, making it much tougher for people to shelter in place and avoid infection.

In Fine Print, HHS Appears To Ban All Surprise Billing During The Pandemic

Emmarie Huetteman

Language in the CARES Act says providers who take emergency funding cannot balance-bill coronavirus patients ― and “every patient” is considered a possible COVID-19 patient.

Racial Status And The Pandemic: A Combustible Mixture

Anna Almendrala

The novel coronavirus is affecting black Americans disproportionately, which some community leaders and public health experts say is not surprising. So why didn’t anyone sound an alarm?

Beyond The Glam: Feeding The Coachella Valley’s Most Vulnerable Residents

Heidi de Marco

Poverty is real in the Coachella Valley, a region known for its glitzy resorts and music festival. During the COVID crisis, the California National Guard and California Conservation Corps are helping an area food bank distribute food to older residents and those with disabilities.

Viral Post Alleging Obama-Era Device Tax Caused Current PPE Shortage Is Way Off

Victoria Knight

Nothing in this viral meme is accurate. And there are other places to place blame.

Obama: GOP’s Stance On Preexisting Conditions Off-Base, Especially During Pandemic

Shefali Luthra

The former president's statement highlights a clear difference of opinion that will likely come up often on the campaign trail.

Always The Bridesmaid, Public Health Rarely Spotlighted Until It’s Too Late

Julie Rovner

Because the public health system mostly operates in the background, it rarely gets the attention or funding it deserves ― until there’s a crisis.

COVID-19 Brings Overhaul Of Military Health Care To A Halt

Patricia Kime

The military is called to action to battle the pandemic, even as the numbers of people infected among its ranks and veterans climb amid a shortage of doctors and nurses.

‘An Arm And A Leg’: Health Care Takes A Financial Hit In The Midst Of Pandemic

Dan Weissmann

In the first quarter of 2020, half the country’s economic devastation happened in the health care sector. Much of the slowdown came after hospitals postponed elective surgeries and as Americans skipped routine doctor’s office visits.

With Federal Nod, Consumers Could Lose The Boost They Get From Drug ‘Coupons’

Michelle Andrews

The proposal being weighed by federal officials would allow employers and insurers to decide that drug companies’ assistance doesn’t count toward their members’ deductible or out-of-pocket maximum spending limits. If plans opted for that approach, only payments made by patients themselves would be included in the calculation toward reaching those limits.

Amid Pandemic, FDA Seizes Cheaper Drugs From Canada

Phil Galewitz

Many Americans order drugs from Canada and other countries because they are cheaper, but U.S. authorities appear to be cracking down on the practice.

‘An Arm And A Leg’: Am I Protected If I Need COVID-19 Care?

Dan Weissmann

“An Arm and a Leg” is back sharing stories about the ways COVID-19 intersects with the cost of health care. To tackle a listener’s question about health coverage, Dan Weissmann spoke with one of the country’s top insurance nerds.

A Switch To Medicaid Managed Care Worries Some Illinois Foster Families

Christine Herman, Side Effects Public Media

Illinois is moving thousands of children into its Medicaid managed-care program. Proponents say the approach can cut costs while increasing access to care. But after a phase-one rollout of the new health plans caused thousands to temporarily lose coverage, some question whether it’s the right move.

Telehealth Will Be Free, No Copays, They Said. But Angry Patients Are Getting Billed.

Jay Hancock

Politicians pledged to stop providers from charging for video appointments or telephone calls, but some patients are being charged $70 or $80 per virtual visit.

‘An Arm And A Leg’: What A Fleet Of Firetrucks Can Teach About Public Health

Dan Weissmann

This week on “An Arm and a Leg,” a front-line physician wonders if the health care industry’s drive for “efficiency” has robbed the system of surge capacity, leaving the nation underprepared to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Health Insurers Prosper As COVID-19 Deflates Demand For Elective Treatments

Julie Appleby and Steven Findlay

With most nonemergency procedures shelved for now, many health insurers are expected to see profits in the near term, but the longer view of how the coronavirus will affect them is far more complicated and could well impact what people pay for coverage next year.

Lawmaker Pushing Mental Health Reform: It’s ‘More Needed Than Ever’

Samantha Young

Gov. Gavin Newsom has asked lawmakers to pare down their legislative wish lists and focus on the state’s coronavirus response. But state Sen. Jim Beall plans to forge ahead with his mental health care proposals, including a measure to create a state mental health parity requirement.

COVID Tests Are Free, Except When They’re Not

Carmen Heredia Rodriguez

Her doctor worried she had COVID-19 but couldn’t test her for it until she ruled out other things. That test cost a bundle.

‘An Arm And A Leg’: If Insurer Bills You For COVID Testing, Talk — And Maybe Tweet — It Out

Dan Weissmann

The Families First Coronavirus Response Act requires private insurers to pay for certain services related to coronavirus testing at no cost to the patient. But gaps in the protections expose patients to unexpected medical bills.

KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: SCOTUS Decides An ACA Case. No, Not THAT Case.

The Supreme Court this week, in an 8-1 decision, ruled that insurers are due the roughly $12 billion that Congress several years ago tried to cut off in payments under the Affordable Care Act’s “risk corridors” provision. And while the COVID-19 pandemic continues to rage in many places around the country, states are starting to reopen their economies at the urging of President Donald Trump and over objections of public health officials. Caitlin Owens of Axios and Mary Ellen McIntire of CQ Roll Call join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss this and more. Also, Rovner interviews KHN’s Carmen Heredia Rodriguez, who wrote the latest KHN-NPR “Bill of the Month” installment about COVID testing that should have been free but was not.

Free Clinics Try To Fill Gaps As COVID Sweeps Away Job-Based Insurance

Michaela Gibson Morris

The volunteer medical providers at the Tree of Life Free Clinic in Tupelo, Mississippi, give crucial health care to the uninsured in the best of times, drawing crowds who line up for hours. Amid the current COVID pandemic, clinic staffers were advised to close. Instead, they chose to adapt — even without critical N95 masks to protect themselves — as the economic crisis intensifies the need for free care.

As Lawmakers Reconvene, Not Everyone Agrees On COVID-Only Agenda

Samantha Young

California legislators resume their work Monday after more than a month off. While the coronavirus pandemic has shifted the state’s priorities, many lawmakers say they still intend to push non-COVID health care bills to tax soda, ban vape flavors and more.